Apennine peninsula

Italian Peninsula Apennine Peninsula Penisola italiana, Penisola appenninica, Terraferma, Continente or lo Stivale (Italian)
Satellite view of the peninsula in March 2003.
Geography
Location	Southern Europe
Coordinates	42°N 14°E / 42°N 14°E / 42; 14 37°N 15°E / 37°N 15°E / 37; 15
Area	131,337 km2 (50,709 sq mi)
Highest point	Monte Bianco
Administration
Italy
Largest settlement	Rome
San Marino
Largest settlement	Dogana
Vatican City
Largest settlement	Itself (City-state)
Demographics
Demonym	Apenninen
Pop. density	199.27 /km2 (516.11 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Italian

42°N 14°E / 42°N 14°E / 42; 14

The Italian Peninsula or Apennine Peninsula (Italian: Penisola italiana, Penisola appenninica) is the central and the smallest of the three large peninsulas of Southern Europe (between the Iberian Peninsula and the Balkan Peninsula). It extends 1,000 km (620 mi) from the Po Valley in the north to the central Mediterranean Sea in the south. The peninsula's shape gives it the nickname lo Stivale (the Boot). Three smaller peninsulas contribute to this characteristic shape, namely Calabria (the "toe"), Salento (the "heel") and Gargano (the "spur").

Geographically, the Italian peninsula consists of the land south of a line extending from the Magra to the Rubicon rivers, north of the Tuscan–Emilian Apennines. It excludes the Po Valley and the southern slopes of the Alps. All of the peninsula lies within the territory of the Italian Republic except for the microstates of San Marino and Vatican City. Additionally, Sicily, Elba and other smaller islands, such as Palagruža (Italian: Pelagosa), (which belongs to Croatia) are usually considered as islands off the peninsula and in this sense geographically grouped along with it.