page_title: Geography of Italy
section_title: Mountains and plains
hierarchical_section_title: Geography of Italy / Mountains and plains
caption_attribution_description: English: Mont Blanc as seen from Aosta Valley in 2009 July. Suomi: Mont Blanc nähtynä Aostan laaksosta heinäkuussa 2009.
context_page_description: Italy is located in southern Europe and comprises the long, boot-shaped Italian Peninsula, the southern side of Alps, the large plain of the Po Valley and some islands including Sicily and Sardinia. Corsica, although belonging to the Italian geographical region, has been a part of France since 1769. Italy is part of the Northern Hemisphere. Two of the Pelagie islands are located in the African continent.
  Its total area is 301,340 km², of which 294,140 km² is land and 7,200 km² is water. It lies between latitudes 35° and 48° N, and longitudes 6° and 19° E.
  Italy borders Switzerland, France, Austria and Slovenia. San Marino and Vatican city are enclaves. The total border length is 1,836.4 km.
  Including islands, Italy has a coastline of 7,600 km on the Adriatic Sea, Ionian Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Ligurian Sea, Sea of Sardinia and Strait of Sicily.
context_section_description: Almost 40% of the Italian territory is mountainous, with the Alps as the northern boundary and the Apennine Mountains forming the backbone of the peninsula and extending for 1,350 km (840 mi). In between the two lies a large plain in the valley of the Po, the largest river in Italy, which flows 652 km (405 mi) eastward from the Cottian Alps to the Adriatic. The Po Valley is the largest plain in Italy, with 46,000 km² (18,000 sq mi), and it represents over 70% of the total plain area in the country.
  The Alpine mountain range is linked with the Apennines with the Colle di Cadibona pass in the Ligurian Alps.
  Worldwide-known mountains in Italy are Monte Cervino (Matterhorn), Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso in the West Alps, and Bernina, Stelvio and Dolomites along the eastern side of the Alps. The highest peak in Italy is Mont Blanc, at 4,810 meters (15,780 ft) above sea level.
caption: Mont Blanc seen from Aosta Valley.
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