June 17th, 2010 Category: Image of the day, Mountains, Rivers

Italy - June 6th, 2010

Italy, located in south-central Europe, comprises the boot-shaped peninsula extending far into the Mediterranean Sea as well as Sicily (visible in the lower left corner), Sardinia, and a number of smaller islands. The capital is Rome (central west coast).

Italy has an area of 116,346 sq mi (301,336 sq km) and a population (2009 est.) of 60,325,000. More than three-fourths of the country is mountainous or highland country. The Alps stretch from east to west along Italy’s northern boundary, and the Apennines stretch southward the length of the peninsula. Most of the country’s lowlands lie in the valley of its major river, the Po (visible to the North upon opening the full image).

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May 2nd, 2010 Category: Image of the day, Lakes, Mountains

Italy - April 28th, 2010

Only the peaks of mountains such as the Alps (above) and the Appennines (running down the backbone of the Italian peninsula) are snow-covered in this spring view of Italy.

Upon opening the full image, Lake Garda is visible at the southern foot of the Alps and Lakes Geneva, Neuchâtel and Constance (from west to east) are visible in Switzerland at the northern foot.

Moving to the coasts, the western shores are mostly free of sediments, while the eastern shore is framed by them, particularly near Venice and the River Po to the north and the Gargano Peninsula to the south.

Tags: Alps Apennines Europe Gargano Peninsula Italy Lake Constance Lake Garda Lake Geneva Lake Neuchâtel River Po Swizterland Venice |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

March 27th, 2010 Category: Image of the day, Mountains

Italy - February 17th, 2010

The Italian region of Liguria lies on the Ligurian Sea, and borders France to the west, Piedmont to the north, and Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany to the east. The area visible in this orthorectified image is near the French border.

Liguria is a narrow strip of land, enclosed between the sea and the Alps and the Apennines mountains, it is a winding arched extension from Ventimiglia to La Spezia and is one of the smallest regions in Italy.

Its surface area is 5,416.03 square kilometres, corresponding to 1.18% of the whole national surface area, with the following subdivision: 3524.08 kilometres mountain (65% of the total) and 891.95 square kilometres hill (35% of the total).

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January 4th, 2010 Category: Image of the day

Italy - November 30th, 2009

Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley (Pianura Padana in Italian) of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River.

This orthorectified image shows the contrast between the flat Po Valley and the crests of the Apennines. With regards to weather and temperature, Bologna experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characteristic of Northern Italy’s inland plains, with very hot summers and cold and humid winters.

Tags: Apennines ASAR Bologna Emilia-Romagna Europe Italy Orthorectification Pianura Padana Po River Po Valley Reno River Savena River |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

December 19th, 2009 Category: Image of the day, Lakes

Italy - November 17th, 2009

The city of Rome appears as a grey area near the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is located in the Lazio (Latium) region of central Italy on the Tiber River. The city is also crossed by another river, the Aniene, which joins the Tiber north of the historic centre.

Although the city centre is about 24 km (14.9 mi) inland from the Tyrrhenian Sea, the city territory extends to the shore, where the south-western district of Ostia is located. The altitude of the central part of Rome ranges from 13 m (43 ft) above sea level (at the base of the Pantheon) to 139 m (456 ft) above sea level (the peak of Monte Mario).

The Commune of Rome covers an overall area of about 1,285 km2 (496 sq mi), including many green areas. Visible near the city in this image are three lakes (from top to bottom): Lake Trasimeno, Lake Bolsena and Lake Bracciano. The Apennine Mountains, capped with snow on a few peaks, are visible in the upper part of the image as well.

Tags: Aniene River Apennines Europe Italy Lake Bolsena Lake Bracciano Lake Trasimeno Latium Lazio Ostia Rome Tiber River Tyrrhenian Sea |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

December 16th, 2009 Category: Snapshots

Italy - November 24th, 2009

The mountains of the Pollino Massif, in southern Italy, can be seen on the left side of this orthorectified image, near the Gulf of Taranto.  The massif is part of the southern Apennines, on the border between the regions of Calabria and Basilicata.

The Pollino Massif is made of limestone, and therefore subject to erosion phenomena which have created, especially on the Calabrian side, numerous grottoes and canyons.

The main peaks are that of the Pollino (2,248 m) and the Serra Dolcedorme (2,267 m), which overlooks the plain of Sibari. Since 1992 the massif is part of the Pollino National Park.

Tags: Apennines ASAR Basilicata Calabria Gulf of Taranto Italy Orthorectification Pollino Massif Pollino National Park Serra Dolcedorme Sibari Plain |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

December 12th, 2009 Category: Image of the day

Italy - November 18th, 2009

Part of the region of Calabria is visible to the upper right in this orthorectified image, at the very south of the Italian peninsula. It is connected to the rest of Italy by the Monte Pollino massif, while on the east, south and west it is surrounded by the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas.

The region is a long and narrow peninsula which stretches from north to south for 248 km, with a maximum width of 110 km. Some 42% of Calabria’s area, corresponding to 15,081 km2, is mountainous, 49% is hilly, while plains occupy only 9% of the region’s territory.

It is separated from Sicily by the Strait of Messina, where the narrowest point between Capo Peloro in Sicily and Punta Pezzo in Calabria is only 3.2 km.

The island of Sicily is also characterized by a densely mountainous landscape. The main mountain ranges are Madonie and Nebrodi in the north and Peloritani in the north-east, whereas the south-eastern Hyblaean are considered geologically as a continuation of the Italian Apennines. The volcano Mount Etna is located near the eastern shores.

Tags: Apennines ASAR Calabria Capo Peloro Hyblaean Mountains Ionian Sea Italy Madonie Mountains Monte Pollino Massif Mount Etna Nebrodi Mountains Orthorectification Punta Pezzo Sicily Strait of Messina Tyrrhenian Sea |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

October 23rd, 2009 Category: Lakes

Italy - September 24th, 2009

Sediments swirl in the Adriatic Sea off the east coast of Italy. Located near the center of the shoreline visible here is the port city of Ancona. Moving southwest across the Apennines, two lakes are visible: the green Lake Trasimeno and the dark blue Lake Bolsena.

Lake Trasimeno (or Trasimene) is the largest lake on the Italian peninsula south of the River Po, with a surface area of 128 km², slightly less than Lake Como. Trasimeno is surrounded for half of its shores by hills.

The Tiber River flows some thirty kilometers to the east of the lake, but the lake and the river are separated by hills: no major river flows directly into or out of Lake Trasimeno, and the water level fluctuates significantly according to rainfall levels and the seasonal demands from the towns, villages and farms near the shore.

Lake Bolsena, on the other hand, is a crater lake of volcanic origin, which was formed starting 370,000 years ago following the collapse of a caldera of the Vulsini volcanic complex into a deep aquifer. The lake is supplied entirely from the aquifer, rainfall and runoff, with one outlet at the southern end.

The lake has an oval shape typical of crater lakes. The long axis of the ellipse is aligned in a north-south direction. The bottom is roughly conical reaching a maximum depth at a point in the middle. The entire lake is surrounded by hills on the flanks and summits of which are the comuni. Elevations on the north of the lake are the highest, with a maximum of 702 m (2,300 ft).

Tags: Adriatic Sea Ancona Apennines Crater Lake Europe Italy Lake Bolsena Lake Trasimeno Sediments |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

October 6th, 2009 Category: Image of the day, Lakes, Rivers

Italy - September 1st, 2009

The River Po meanders its way eastward across northern Italy, spilling greenish sediments through its delta into the Adriatic Sea. These sediments flank the coastline from Venice, north of the delta, to Ancona (in the bottom right corner of the full image). Also visible in the full image is the city of Trieste, near the border with Croatia, in the upper right.

To the north, the blue waters of Lake Garda are visible above the River Po at the foot of the Alps. Little snow can be seen on the mountains due to the warm summer temperatures. To the south, below the Po, the Apennines are also visible

Tags: Adriatic Sea Alps Ancona Apennines Croatia Europe Italy Lake Garda Po Delta River Po Sediments Venice |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment