ITALY

Italy is a peninsula that juts into the Mediterranean Sea from southern Europe. Its shape resembles a high boot. In the north, the wide top of the boot includes part of the Alps and also Italy's major plain, the Po Valley. The spur of the boot, on the eastern side of the country, is formed by the small, rugged Gargano peninsula. In the south, the heel, instep, and toe of the boot each make up a distinct region of Italy. Off the toe lies Sicily, Italy's largest island. The second largest Italian island, Sardinia, is in the Tyrrhenian Sea, opposite south-central Italy's western coast. The only other sizable island, also in the Tyrrhenian, is Elba, which served as Napoleon's place of exile. Much smaller Italian islands form groups the Pontine Islands near Naples; the Lipari, or Eolie, Islands off northeastern Sicily; and the Egadi Islands opposite Sicily's northwestern end.   From northwest to southeast, Italy is a little more than 670 miles (1,080 kilometers) long. The widest part, in the north, measures about 350 miles (560 kilometers) from west to east. The rest of the peninsula varies in width from 100 to 150 miles (160 to 240 kilometers). Italy has a total area of about 116,000 square miles (300,400 square kilometers).