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LEFT ITALIAN SOMALILAND 211 ITALY ITALIAN SOMALILAND. See SOMALILAND. ITALY, a kingdom in Southern Europe, consisting in the main of a large peninsula, having a singular resemblance to a boot in shape, stretching S. into the Mediterranean, but also including a con- siderable portion of the mainland and the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, Elba, Ischia, Lipari Islands, etc. It is bounded on the N. and N. W. by the Alps, which sepa- rate it from Austria, Switzerland, and France, and on the N. E. by Austria; elsewhere it is washed by the Mediter- ranean, or by the Adriatic, an arm of the former. The area, exclusive of the Trentino, is about 114,000 square miles, and the pop. (1918) 36,740,000. For ad- ministrative purposes it is divided into departments. By the treaty of St. Ger- main with Austria, Italy was awarded the Trentino and several islands in the Mediterranean. From 1861, when the Kingdom of Italy was constituted, till 1865, Turin was the capital, Florence was then selected, and in 1871 Rome. The largest town is Naples, pop. 697,917. Next in order — Rome 590,960, Turin 451,994, Palermo 345,891. The dependencies comprise the little republic of San Marino in Italy, Italian Somaliland and Erithrea in Africa, and a few islands. The islands of Sicily and Sardinia are not depen- dencies but integral parts of the king- dom. The portion of Italy in the parti- tion of Africa was largely lost to her in 1898 through the operations of Menelik of Abyssinia. Physical Features. — Among the prin- cipal physical features of Italy are the Alps on its N. frontiers, and the chain of the Apennines, which run down the middle of the peninsula through its whole length to the Straits of Messina, while numerous branches are thrown off laterally and form an endless succession of wooded hills,' olive-clad slopes, and fertile valleys. In the N., inclosed be- tween the ranges of the Alps and Apen- nines, is a vast and fertile plain inter- sected by the Po and its tributaries. Two active volcanoes belong to the king- dom, Vesuvius in south Italy and Etna in Sicily. The only river of any magni- tude is the Po, which has a length of about 450 miles before it enters the Adriatic. It is fed by streams both from the Alps and the Apennines. There are a number of lakes, of which the most important are Lakes Maggiore, Lugano, Como, and Garda in the Alpine region; Lakes Trasimeno, Bolsena, and Albano in the Apennine region. Italy is rich in useful minerals, but the scarcity of coal prevents the full developn^nt of mining industry. Sulphur, salt, iron, and marble are the chief, though small quantities of lead, copper, zinc, silver, and borax are also obtained. Mineral Production.— The mineral pro- duction is chiefly developed in Sicily, Tuscany, Sardinia, Lombardy, and Pied- mont. The production of the chief min- erals in 1918 was as follows: mineral fuel, 2,171,397 metric tons; iron, 693,872 metric tons; sulphur ore, 253,390 metric tons; copper, 82,302 metric tons; asphal- tic substances, 22,309 metric tons. ' The total value of the mineral products in 1918 was 369,753,447 lire. There were employed in the mines 52,962 persons. Climate.— In the S. of Italy the climate resembles that of Africa, being dry and burning and subject to the sirocco. In the N. regions, the neighborhood of the Alps and the abundance of water courses serve to maintain a pleasant tempera- ture. Yet this region is at times ex- tremely cold, especially in the interior of the great plains. In general the climate of Italy is healthy, except marshy dis- tricts such as the rice plantations of Lombardy, the Tuscan Maremma, the Campagna of Rome, and the Pontine Marshes, which give rise to exhalations engendering fevers. The Riviera or coast of the Gulf of Genoa is a favorite winter resort from more N. regions. Vegetable Products, Agriculture.— The natural productions of the soil of Italy are as various as its climate. In the Alpine regions all plants belonging to temperate climates flourish, while the S. regions possess almost a tropical flora. Agriculture forms the chief support of the population, and the land, where not mountainous, is generally productive, though the system of culture adopted is in most parts defective, and large areas remain untilled. The best culti- vation, aided by an excellent system of irrigation, is found in Lombardy, Vene- tia. Piedmont, Tuscany, and the parts of Emilia adjoining the Po. Most kinds of cereals, including rice and maize, are cultivated, and the wheat in particular is of fine quality, but is not sufficient for the home consumption. Hemp, madder, flax, tobacco, hops, saffron, and, in the extreme S., cotton and sugarcane are cultivated. Fruit is the object of atten- tion everywhere; and in the cultivation of the olive in particular Italy surpasses all other European states. The fruits include oranges and lemons in the warm regions of the S,, besides figs, peaches, apricots and almonds. There is a very large production of wine, but only a few of the wines have any reputation in other countries. The rearing of live stock is