What are the natural conditions and natural resources of Italy? What are the natural resources of Italy?

Italy is a sunny state in the southern part of Europe with an unusually beautiful and diverse nature. What are the resources and natural conditions of Italy? This will be discussed later.

Natural Resources of Italy (briefly)

Italy - the largest country in the Mediterranean, which is located in Southern Europe. Most of it is located on the Apennine peninsula - it is on the one that in shape is very similar to the elegant female boot. This article will discuss the extent to which the natural resources of Italy contribute to the development of various sectors of the national economy.

So, the country has an extremely poor mineral resource potential. The reserves of minerals do not satisfy the domestic needs of Italy, so the country has to import energy resources, as well as ferrous ores. The metallurgical industry of the state fully operates on imported raw materials.

Italy is not very rich in forest resources, as well as water resources. There are very few complete rivers, and most of them are represented by mountain streams.

Thus, if we conduct a short analysis, the resources of Italy do not contribute much to the development of the national economy. Most of the mineral raw materials the country has to import. On the other hand, Italy's climate and natural resources allow us to develop a recreational and tourist farm here. This is precisely what Italy is doing successfully and is doing, receiving huge revenues in its state budget from the influx of foreign tourists.

Nature of the country's terrain

The natural resources of Italy are not only minerals, lands and forests. Characterizing the natural resource potential of a particular country, it is necessary to dwell in detail on the features of its relief. After all, it plays an important role in the development of the national economy and the location of its enterprises.

Italy can be safely attributed to the mountain countries. After all, about 70 percent of its territory is occupied by mountains, as well as hills with altitudes above 700 meters. Lowlands and valleys occupy only 1/4 of the state. The largest of these, the Padan Lowland, is in the Po River basin. A fairly large number of people are concentrated here.

In the north of Italy are the southern spurs of the largest mountain system in Europe - the Alps. These spurs are of great importance for the formation of the nature of Italy. After all, they protect the country from the penetration of cold and damp northern air masses.

It should be noted that Italy is characterized by a sufficiently high level of seismic instability. This significantly complicates the economic development of some of its regions. In Italy there are volcanoes. And as extinguished, and still operating. The most famous of them are the volcanoes of Etna, Stromboli and Vesuvius. Regularly in different parts of the country earthquakes of various scores are recorded. The last major earthquake occurred here in 2012.

Climatic conditions in the country

Italy is located in a zone of subtropical (Mediterranean) climate. A huge role in the formation of the climatic situation in the country is played by the Alpine mountain ranges in the north. They are the natural barrier that protects the Apennines from the cold winds from the north.

In general, climatic conditions contribute not only to the development of recreation and resort facilities. They are also very favorable for the country's agro-industrial complex. True, in many regions of Italy there is insufficient moisture. Nevertheless, on the territory of this country, nature itself created excellent conditions for the cultivation of excellent grapes, as well as fruits.

Mineral resources of Italy

As already noted above, Italy does not have significant reserves of minerals. And in general, its mineral and raw materials base does not provide domestic needs of the country's economy.

If we consider fuel resources, then in Italy there are insignificant deposits of coal. And also some fairly large gas fields, which can meet the country's needs in this resource by only 15-20%.

Own reserves of iron ore , which are so necessary for the operation of metallurgy, Italy also does not. Iron ore concentrate, manganese and chrome the country purchases from other European countries. However, in Italy, large deposits of mercury, as well as zinc and lead, have been identified. Thus, the development of non-ferrous metallurgy can be very promising and profitable.

In addition, Italy's mineral wealth is rich in non-metallic minerals, as well as raw materials for the construction industry. In particular, within the country there are deposits of white marble and granites of worldwide importance.

Water resources of the country

Nature also does not spoil the water resources of Italy . Most of the rivers in the country are not full-water, and in the summer they dry up completely. On many mountain rivers of the Apennine peninsula, as well as the foothill areas of the Alps, the hydropower industry can be successfully developed.

The largest water system in Italy is in its northern part. This is the Po river with a length of 650 kilometers with numerous tributaries. Within the Apennine peninsula, there are also quite a few rivers. But almost all of them are short, mountainous and very shallow.

Water resources of Italy are represented not only by rivers, but also by lakes. There are at least one and a half thousand lakes in the country. The origin of most of them is mountain-glacial. Some lakes in Italy are successfully used for recreational and tourist purposes.

Land and forest resources of the country

The land resources of Italy are also rather poor. Lands suitable for growing crops are concentrated in the north of the country, within the Po Valley. Recently, there has been a decrease in the area of arable land in Italy. And the share of pastures in the land fund of the country is about 15%.

Italy is also poor in forest resources. The country is forced to buy them abroad. The level of forest cover in Italy does not exceed 20%. In addition, most of the forests in the country are various low-growing formations with an admixture of thorny bushes.

Finally

Thus, we can say that the natural resources of Italy are rather scarce. In its territory there are not enough reserves of mineral raw materials, forests and surface waters. However, thanks to its beautiful landscapes, mild climate and a rich historical and cultural heritage, Italy was able to achieve significant success in the tourism sector. The main recreational resources of Italy are concentrated in the Alps, on the Adriatic coast, as well as in beautiful ancient cities such as Rome, Venice or Verona.