Return to Scale View
About News Create With Us
Return to Scale View

How big is Italy?

Italy is 1,100 kilometers

Introduction

Imagine standing at the top of the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa and gazing across the beautiful landscapes of Italy, a country rich in history, culture, and delicious cuisine. But have you ever wondered how big Italy actually is? Italy’s size is an intriguing aspect that makes it unique among other countries in the world. Let’s embark on a journey to explore the size of Italy and how it compares to other countries and interesting objects around the world.

Explore the Size of Italy

Italy, officially known as the Italian Republic, is located in Southern and Western Europe. Nestled in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, the country is mainly a peninsula surrounded by the Alps and several islands. Its size is approximately 301,230 square kilometers or 116,310 square miles. To put it into perspective, Italy is:

  • About 1.3 times smaller than Texas, USA - Roughly the same size as Arizona and Nevada combined - Three times bigger than the United Kingdom - Nearly 80 times bigger than Rhode Island, the smallest US state Italy’s population is about 60 million people, making it the third-most populous member state of the European Union and the sixth-most populous country in Europe.

Italy’s Physical Features and Their Sizes

Italy’s geographical features contribute significantly to its overall size. The country is defined by the Alps, a large mountain range, and the Mediterranean Sea that surrounds it.

  • The Alps: The Italian portion of the Alps mountain range stretches for about 1,200 kilometers. These mountains act as a natural border between Italy and its northern neighbors. - The Mediterranean Sea: Italy’s coastline along the Mediterranean Sea is roughly 7,600 kilometers long. This includes the coastline of the mainland and the various islands that are part of Italy.

Size of Italy’s Islands

Apart from the mainland, Italy also includes several islands. The two largest islands are Sicily and Sardinia.

  • Sicily: Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and covers an area of about 25,711 square kilometers. - Sardinia: The second largest island, Sardinia, covers an area of around 24,090 square kilometers.

Italy’s Borders and Their Sizes

Italy shares its borders with several countries including France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia.

  • France: The border with France is approximately 488 kilometers long. - Switzerland: The border with Switzerland stretches about 740 kilometers. - Austria: The border with Austria is roughly 430 kilometers long. - Slovenia: The border with Slovenia is about 232 kilometers long. Italy also has two unique enclaved microstates within its borders, Vatican City and San Marino.

Conclusion

Italy, with its diverse landscapes and geographical features, is a country that is not just large in terms of size, but also in terms of its cultural richness and historical significance. From the Alps to the Mediterranean coastline, and from the mainland to its islands, each part of Italy adds to its overall size and charm. So, the next time you think of Italy, you’ll not just think of pizza and pasta, but also about its impressive size!

Smaller By Category
Sedna
Sedna has a very elliptical orbit. It is so far away it takes 10,000 Earth years to complete one orbit. You probably realized that "Sedna" backwards is "Andes”, the world's longest mountain range (It's in South America). Both may seem other-worldly!
Ceres
Ceres is not a very good place for humans to live. Ceres is also the largest asteroid, and began the debate over the definition of "planet". For a time, Ceres was considered a planet, but then it wasn't.
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is one of the largest canyons on Earth. It was carved by the Colorado River. All that carving took around 17 million years! The layers of rock exposed were even older, some as old as 1.8 billion years old!
Larger By Category
Charon
Charon is Pluto's only large moon. They are very close in size. They are so close, some people used to consider Pluto and Charon to be a double planet. Did you know the same side of Charon always faces Pluto, and the same side of Pluto always faces Charon?
California
California is nicknamed "The Golden State". In the United States, it is ranked first in population, third in land area, and eleventh in name length. California is home to roughly 40 million people, which is less than one percent of the world's population.
Texas
Texas is the only state to have the same rank in both population and land area, which is second. If Puerto Rico were to be counted, Mississippi would rank in 32nd in both categories, but it's not, because Puerto Rico is not a state.