Italy has a strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe. Most of the European capitals are within 3 hours flying time from Rome, not to mention many in the Balkans, North Africa and Middle East.
The country is surrounded by four seas: the Adriatic Sea, the Ionian Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Tyrrhenian Sea. Located between continental Europe, Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Middle-East and North Africa, Italy is currently considered among the most advanced countries in several fields, like the biotech sector, industrial & engineering chemistry, research and development product testing, material science, health and vaccines, chemicals, aerospace, mechanics, renewable energies and many others.
Administrative Division: Italy is subdivided into 15 regions and 5* autonomous regions: Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia*, Lazio (Latium), Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte (Piedmont), Puglia (Apulia), Sardegna* (Sardinia), Sicilia*, Toscana (Tuscany), Trentino-Alto Adige* (Trentino-South Tyrol), Umbria, Valle d'Aosta* (Aosta Valley), Veneto (Venetia).
Italy is for sure one of the most beautiful countries in the world, with an enormous variety of ancient cities, archeological and architectural wonders, mountains which offer outstanding views, splendid countryside, lakes and breathtaking coastlines. Italy is famous for its boot-shaped peninsula. Most of the country is covered by mountains: The Dolomite mountains which are located in northern Italy are part of the Alps range. The Apennine mountains, stretching from north to south, split the center of Italy into the east and west coast. Italy includes two large islands: Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and Sardinia, the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Sardinia is basically mountains rising out of the ocean. Moreover, Italy is a volcanically active country with the only active volcano in mainland Europe, Mount Vesuvius. Other famous volcanoes are: Etna and Stromboli.
There are over 1000 Rivers and Streams in Italy. The major rivers in Italy are: the Po River (which flows from the Alps near the French border, through Turin, and eastward into the Adriatic Sea), the Arno River (which flows from the north-central Apennines, through Florence, and into the Tyrrhenian Sea), and the Tiber River (which flows from the north-central Apennines, south through Rome, and into the Tyrrhenian Sea). In the north of the country are a number of subalpine lakes, the largest of which is Garda.