Animal world of Italy briefly. Flora and fauna of Italy

The vegetation cover of Italy is characterized by
distinct altitude zone The abundance and predominance of vegetation types directly created by man or arising under his influence.

On the Apennine Peninsula, the natural vegetation of the lower zone (up to 500-600 m in the north and up to 700-800 m in the south) is formed mainly by maquis thickets, consisting of evergreen shrubs and some types of trees (myrtle, strawberry tree, tree-like heathers, wild olive, etc. .). Characterized by small forests of evergreen oaks (holm and cork oaks), near the sea there are groves of Mediterranean pine and pine. On rocky slopes, the so-called. gariga - a type of vegetation that occurs, as a rule, in places of former pastures and consists of low-growing evergreen shrubs, semi-shrubs and perennial grasses. However, the predominant vegetation of the middle zone is cultivated, especially cereal fields and vineyards. Plantations of oil and fruit trees (oranges, lemons, almonds, figs, etc.)

The middle altitude zone (up to 800-1000 m in the north and up to 1300-1500 m in the south) is a zone of deciduous shrubs and forests, mainly oak. The most common species are oak, chestnut, beech. Even higher lies the zone of coniferous-broad-leaved forests, consisting mainly of beech, spruce and European fir.

In the Alps, in the lower zone, the natural vegetation is mainly broad-leaved forests; above, beech forests predominate, alternating with spruce and fir. Above coniferous forests subalpine tall-grass meadows begin. They are replaced by alpine mountain meadows, which are used as summer pastures. Above the mountain meadows to the very peaks or glaciers, the slopes are covered with mosses and lichens.

Almost the entire surface of the Padana Plain is covered with cultivated vegetation, the largest area is occupied by crops of wheat, corn and vineyards. The natural vegetation consists of negligible areas of deciduous oak forests, in the river valleys - floodplain forests and meadows. Alleys of poplars, willows, white acacias border roads, banks of canals and rivers.

The fauna of Italy belongs to the Mediterranean, with the exception of the Alps, which belong to the Central European subregion. Due to the destruction of forests and the large area of ​​cultivated land in Italy, few wild animals have survived. Only in remote areas of the Alps and the Apennines, mainly in reserves, are bears, wolves, chamois, roe deer found, on the island of Sardinia - mouflons, fallow deer, wild forest cats. Wild boars are widespread. There are many foxes in the Alps. Much better preserved are small predators and rodents - weasels, martens, marmots, squirrels, as well as hares. Hedgehogs are ubiquitous and the bats. The world of reptiles is rich. Italy abounds with lizards, snakes, turtles. The world of birds is very diverse and numerous - about 400 species. In the mountains there is a goshawk, a vulture, a golden eagle, in the highlands of the Alps - capercaillie, hazel grouse, ptarmigan, swift. There are many geese and ducks on the plains, along the shores of lakes. From marine fish important commercial value have mullet, cod, sardines, tuna, mackerel, flounder, and from the river - carp, trout, eel. There are few large mammals, and all of them have a limited distribution; the most adapted to such a habitat chamois (in the Alps and the Apennines). Of the small mammals found wild cat, ferret, stone and pine martens. Of the rodents, hares and squirrels are common.

In the Alps and the southern Pre-Alps, there is a classic distribution of flora according to natural floors, or belts. Along the lakes of Upper Italy and in the valleys of the great mountain rivers the vegetation becomes distinctly Mediterranean: sessile holm oaks, olive trees, cypresses, laurel, oleander, rosemary and, of course, wild grapes. In especially well-protected places, even - as Goethe told us - lemons bloom. On the middle levels of the mountains grows the noble chestnut tree, whose fruits once - in times of great calamity - served as a substitute for flour, and the leaves were used as bedding for livestock. Up to a height of about 1000 m, oaks and beeches grow well, between them there are also coniferous trees, especially white fir and European spruce, larch, cedar pine and European cedar. Alpine meadows and rock-scree vegetation, adapted to extreme climatic conditions, come across at high altitudes. In contrast to the Alps, where European cedars mark the border of forests, high levels In the Apennines, beeches are most often found growing on predominantly limestone subsoil. To the south of Abruzzo it is so dry that beeches come across starting from a height of 800 m. Only some unpretentious varieties of oak grow well there, but in many - dense shrubs. On two mountain "islands" - in the mountains of Sila and Polino in Calabria - even higher than the beeches grow large massifs of black pine, which may have grown here even in the Ice Age.

Very little forest has survived on the Italian islands - they are characterized by cork oak, cultivated mainly in Sardinia and northern Sicily.

In the Padana Plain, only in some places the remains of the original vegetation have been preserved. The most characteristic plant in this region, where all sorts of grains and even rice are grown today, is the silver poplar, which was formerly bred for the production of pulp. Eucalyptus plantations, which were planted in the 1930s and 1940s, immediately attract attention in the wet and swampy lowlands. in order to drain vast areas and thereby localize the malaria that was widespread in Italy in the old days. On the flat stretches of the coast, for example, near Ravenna, in the northern part of the Adriatic coast, extensive massifs of pine - Italian pine - have survived to this day. Today, some advocate other uses of the land, but deforestation is stubbornly opposed by activists. Seaside sprawling pines are not only a good shelter from the sun - their wood is also highly valued in the furniture industry.

In the vast expanses of Italy today, secondary vegetation has spread, which is usually called "poppies" in business. (macchie). We are talking about extremely tenacious, most often low, wild shrubs and grasses with thick leaves, and sometimes with thorns and a deep root system. Most known species- these are mastic and laurel bushes, thyme, peppermint and gorse. The poorer the terrain, the lower the thickets, which in some places reach only up to the knee, and in some places have “degraded” to wasteland.

The vegetation of Italy, of course, also includes more attractive representatives of the flora - such as almond trees, hazel, lemon and orange trees. (there are whole plantations of them here), fig and pistachio trees, as well as olives (unforgettable olive groves). Cultivated plants include grapes, cereals, rice and corn, whose fields can be found in the lowlands of Upper Italy, as well as vegetable and flower crops, growing wherever the quality of the soil and climatic conditions. Some time ago, even date palms were grown in Italy. Cedar, pine, silver poplar and eucalyptus are the most important source of timber.

Fauna

Wild animals are found in Italy only occasionally, they are almost completely exterminated or have retreated to more protected places. In any case, only in remote mountainous regions - and then, if you're lucky - you can still see eagles, ibex, fallow deer and marmots. In warm rocky places lower, the usual inhabitants are lizards and snakes, living quite freely due to a sharp decrease in the number of their natural enemies.

The elongated Apennine Peninsula is the main route for migratory birds that return from Northern and Central Europe to winter in Africa. It is depressing that songbirds are still being hunted on a large scale in Northern Italy. In some areas of Italy, the presence of a myriad of mosquitoes is more than palpable. In Northern and Central Italy, you can see many varieties of butterflies, and in the evenings, especially summer and warm, you can hear the singing of cicadas. In distant warm areas, beware poisonous spiders and scorpions. Due to pollution and overfishing, the number of fish in coastal waters greatly reduced. And yet - shellfish, sea snails, sea ​​urchins, lobsters, crayfish, squid, conger eels, mackerel, sole, flounder, bream and barbel are quite common inhabitants of the sea. Dolphins and whales, which used to be often seen in the Tyrrhenian Sea, are now almost never found here, but there are more of them in the Ligurian Sea. Fresh lakes and rivers are the habitat of eels, trout, perches and tench.

Protection of Nature

About 30,400 sq. km of Italian territory are protected. Along with national parks, there are other protected areas, such as regional parks (Parco regionale), natural parks (Parco naturale), protected reserves (Riserva naturale), as well as swamp areas (Zone umide). Despite all these environmental institutions, Italy - like other industrial the developed countries Europe is facing major environmental problems. How much industrialization has brought nature out of balance, says, for example, the threatening position of Venice or Ravenna. In northern Italy, gas pollution caused by a large traffic and high density of industrial enterprises, leads to such serious environmental issues like smog, dust and ozone pollution. However, much is being done in the country to protect environment: in Milan, where until recently there was not a single treatment plant, four such facilities are being built. In many Italian cities, traffic is prohibited in the center.

Geography, climate, fauna and flora of Italy

Geographically, Italy is divided into three parts: continental in the north, peninsular (Apennine peninsula, the so-called Italian boot) and insular, which includes Sardinia, Sicily and numerous other islands.

There are also three mountain ranges in Italy: Alps, with which Italy fenced off from the rest of Europe, and where the highest mountain is located - Mont Blanc (4807 meters), Apennines stretching from northern Italy to Sicily, and Sardinian-Corsican Massif adjoining the island of Sardinia. In the southern part of the country, the highest point is Mount Etna (3.323 meters).

Plains. Almost 70% of the country's flat terrain is occupied by the Po Valley. In addition to it, one can single out the Padana, Apulian plain, Campagna Romana, Veneta and several others. Basically, on the plains and on the coast, the bulk of cities, resorts, entertainment and attractions are located, for which tourists come here.

Rivers, lakes and seas.

It so happened that the most big rivers Italy flows into the Adriatic Sea. Among them are Po, the famous Rubicon, Adige, Tagliamento and many others.

Most of the lakes are located where the process of melting glaciers took place, mainly at altitudes from 1800 to 2800 m. In the foothills of the Alps, there are lakes Como and Garda, which are chosen by tourists.

Italy is washed by five seas: Ligurian, Tyrrhenian, Ionian, Adriatic and Mediterranean, which includes the above four.

Ligurian the coast stretched from the border with France to Genoa. It is not so popular among mass tourists, it is more rocky, there are no long sandy beaches, but the sea is much cleaner.

Adriatic the coast is familiar to the tourist for the three main resorts: Rimini, Lido di Jesolo and Ricchina. The entire coastal strip is a chain of resorts that replace each other.

Tyrrhenian the coast is predominantly rocky, very clean and picturesque. The resort of Amalfi stands out here.

Ionian coast Russian tourist less familiar, but the blame for this lies not with the coast itself, which has the most beaches awarded the Blue Flag, but with travel agents who have not yet mastered this part of Italy. On the other hand, while the places are not promoted, and hotels here are cheaper.

Flora of Italy

Due to the diverse climate, the vegetation of Italy is no less diverse. About 68 thousand km2 is covered by forests, almost half of which is under state protection as nature reserves and national parks.

The foothills of the Alps are overgrown mainly with oak, beech, chestnut, pine, spruce and olive.

The valleys of the peninsula are overgrown with Mediterranean forests, various types oaks, pines, chestnuts and beech. Typical crops for these places are citrus fruits, olives, almonds and vineyards, there are also date palm, pomegranate.

The main vegetation of Sardinia is cork oak, myrtle and Mediterranean shrub, while Sicily is the most the best place for growing citrus fruits, pistachios and grapes.

Fauna of Italy

Civilization has long supplanted animal world, as in any other European country, but in some places there are still corners of nature, now carefully protected by the state. And now in national parks in the Alps and Abruzzo can be found brown bear, deer, roe deer and chamois, in the Apennines you can add a wolf to these animals, in Sardinia there are wild sheep, wild boars and fallow deer.

Rodents are ubiquitous, such as hares, rabbits, marmots, squirrels, and even porcupines. Rats and mice can be omitted, it is easier to list places where they are not.

Little is left small predators like wild cats, ferrets, martens and weasels.

The main representative of the feathered family is the sparrow, however, in some places there are also falcons, hordes and other predators. waterfowl are represented very poorly due to uncontrolled hunting for them.

The fauna of the seas and other water bodies is somewhat richer, fishing for tuna, sardines and anchovies is quite active. There are many turtles, and, remarkably, it was in Italy, near Naples, that even a hospital for turtles was opened.

Climate of Italy

Italy is strongly stretched from north to south, in addition, its northern part is covered with rather high mountains, so the country boasts a wide variety of climates - high in the Alps reigns arctic climate, in the south of the peninsula - subtropics. Rainfall is also uneven, northern regions near the Alps falls up to 1200 mm, with heavy snowfalls in winter, while in the south the precipitation is not more than 500 mm.

In Lombardy, the climate is continental, due to which in winter the thermometer sometimes drops to -15 o C, and it is hot in summer, the air can warm up to 40 o C.

in winter average temperature ranges from +10 o C in Milan to + 15 o C in Rome and +16 o C in Naples, in summer, respectively, +27 o C and +29 o C. southern regions from March to October, the sirocco wind from the Sahara often blows, raising the temperature to +35 ° C

For sightseeing, the most convenient and comfortable months for tourists will seem to be May - June, and the velvet period - September - October.

Italy is a country located in the south of Europe, occupying a whole peninsula that looks like a boot, this peninsula is called the Apennine. Nature of Italy spread its majestic expanses over a large number of small and several relatively large islands, such as Sicily Sardinia. Most of Italy is occupied by mountains, the most remarkable and world-famous of which are the Alps, probably there is not a single person on earth who would not have heard of these wonderful snow-covered mountain valleys, the beauty of which can be admired for hours if you are not afraid of the cold and do not want to go down, enchanted by the splendor of forest valleys, consisting mainly from coniferous trees.

in Italy a large number of mountains, also suggests the presence of volcanoes, some of which are still active, among which Vesuvius, which is considered the highest in all of Europe. Vesuvius during the eruption of which many cities died, as well as Vulcano and Stromboli. The nature of Italy has experienced 10 enough major earthquakes, because of the faults rocks. In the plains of the valleys of Italy located south of the Alpine mountains, great development has agriculture. Agriculture supported by the river, which with its clean and fresh water washes this territory and saves it from drought, but in Italy there are other saving rivers Tiber and Arno descending from the Apennine ridge and irrigating the western plains of Italy. Summer in Italy is set warm weather and in winter it becomes severe, in the mountainous regions, but in the plains it is calmer. As far as minerals are concerned, the nature of Italy contains a huge variety of this natural resource. These resources are distributed throughout Italy in a small amount, the most common mineral in Italy at one time was iron ore, whose mining is currently prohibited. also in various parts In Italy, small deposits of peat, manganese, bitumen, salt, etc. can be found. Among the energy resources, one can single out the origin of hard and brown coal. It is also necessary to highlight the presence natural gas, as well as recently discovered relatively large oil resources that organize additional assistance to the country's economy. But they cannot fully satisfy the need for energy resources. A special role in the Italian economy with its rich history plays of course tourism. Finally, I would like to pay special attention the famous Italian city of Venice, the second name of which is a city on the water, the fame of which went around the whole world, is a city that literally sinks into the sea, but at a relatively low speed. So the tourists for a long time will attack this city with their visits, and it is impossible not to visit it after visiting Italy. Because it is very beautiful and interesting both for people who have never been there, or who have visited it an incredible number of times, and for permanent residents of this wonderful city. In conclusion, I would like to add that the nature of Italy endowed the inhabitants with all the necessary natural resources.

The nature of Italy, stretching from north to south for more than 1100 km, is very diverse.

The far north of the country is located in the zone of the Alpine mountain system with a highly dissected relief and amazing natural diversity. Southern slopes of the Alps with the highest point Western Europe- Mount Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco, 4807 m) - form a complex system of ridges and valleys, overgrown at the foot with thick deciduous forests, changing as you climb coniferous and mixed, and at the very tops turning into beautiful belt alpine meadows and high mountain wastelands. Many rivers and streams flow down from the mountains, merging into a complex network. major rivers Padana lowland. Springed by landslides and tectonic processes, water flows form many mountain lakes of all shapes and sizes (about 7000, among them the largest lakes in the region - Garda and Lago Maggiore), whose shores have been inhabited since ancient times and are actively used as excellent resort areas.

To the south, flat as a table, the Padana lowland (Pyanura-Padana) is formed by the alluvial activity of the vast Po system and other rivers of the Adriatic basin. An extensive lowland area (almost 200 by 500 km) stretches across the entire northern part of Italy, turning in the northwest into the Lombard lowland (altitude up to 400 m) gradually rising to the spurs of the Alps and the barely hilly Venetian lowland in the east. The lush vegetation of this zone is almost entirely formed by human activity - almost 60% of the territory is occupied by orchards, vineyards and other agricultural lands, and many big cities countries - Venice, Padua, Milan and others.

South of the flat areas of the Po basin, the medium-high mountain system of the Apennines begins, stretching across the entire peninsula. The Ligurian, Tuscany-Emilian, Umbro-Marque, Abruzzo, Central, Southern and Lucan Apennines, as well as the Le Murge range, form a vast mountainous country that occupies almost 90% of the country's territory, stretching from the Alpes-Maritimes in the north to Cape Spartivento in the south. Their continuation can be found even in Sicily, which is geologically one with the massif of the Apennine Peninsula. The total height of the mountain ranges is relatively low (the highest point is Mount Korno, 2912 m), and the slopes are strongly weathered and gentle, but here it is also clearly expressed altitudinal zonality, and the vegetation belongs to the subtropical type. Most of the territory is occupied by thickets of dry Mediterranean shrubs, beech and coniferous forests, and on the tops of some mountains there are meadows and dry mountain wastelands. There are few rivers, and most of the small lakes are ancient reservoirs, so much of the region is dominated by dry subtropical vegetation and artificially cultivated land, including many vineyards and other plantings.

The coastal zone of the central part of the country forms a narrow and discontinuous hilly lowland, which in most cases has a width of no more than 5 km. The coastline of Italy is little dissected, most of the bays are vast and shallow cut into the land, forming long but narrow zones of sandy, pebble and rocky beaches. However, there are also vast bays (Genoese, Neapolitan, Gaeta, Squillace, Policastro, Sant'Eufemia, Taranto and others), most often fenced from the sea by a belt of small islands. The west coast abounds with rocky cliffs and tiny bays, as well as numerous traces of volcanic activity, the most notable of which are famous volcano Vesuvius and the thermal fields of Solfatara in Campania.

Sicily and Sardinia in their natural and climatic conditions differ little from the mainland. Most of these islands are occupied by low mountain ranges with clear traces of ancient and modern volcanism. characteristic feature the landscape of Sicily - the most big island region ( total area about 25.4 thousand sq. km) - is dominant over eastern part the cone of the active volcano Etna (Monguibello, height approximately 3340 m, area - 1250 sq. km) - the highest and most active volcano in Europe. Along the northern and northeastern coast of Sicily stretch the massifs of the Iblean, Ereisky and Pelorite mountains, as well as the ridges of Ficuzza, Nebrodi and Le Madonie (altitude up to 2000 m) and volcanic plateaus. The central part of the island is formed by hilly hills on the foundation of ancient plateaus, and the southern outskirts are more flat. The coastline of Sicily is narrow and rocky in the northern regions and somewhat flatter in the south. The vegetation is Mediterranean evergreen at the foot of the mountains and dry hard-leaved in the mountainous regions.

Sardinia (the second largest island in the Mediterranean, area - 24.1 thousand square kilometers) is also occupied by an extensive system of low mountain ranges and plateaus (the highest point is Mount La Marmora, 1834 m), formed by the spurs of ancient volcanoes. The western shores of the island are mostly low-lying and abound in small bays and bays, the eastern ones are steeper and more rocky. The width of the coastal lowlands of Sardinia in many places does not exceed one kilometer. However, due to somewhat more humid climate and the relative abundance of rivers, a more diverse flora has formed here than in Sicily, numbering as many species in its composition as in the rest of Italy.