A peninsula and two major islands
The Italian Republic (301,270 kmē) is composed of a peninsula, stretching out into the Mediterranean sea south of the Alpine arc, and several islands. The two major islands of Italy are Sicily in the south-west and Sardinia in the west.
Italy is split up into twenty different regions, five of which enjoy considerable autonomy. These are Trentino, Friuli, Valle d'Aoste, Sardinia and Sicily.
High density
ITALY has a population of almost 58 million and an average density of 189 inhabitants per kmē. 2.7 million people live in the capital ROME.
The dominance of small-scale farming
  • 14,835,000 ha of the land in Italy are used for agriculture.
  • There are 2,315,000 farms in total of which 1% cover more than 100 ha.
  • The average size of an Italian farm is 6.5 ha (EU : 18.5 ha).
  • Agriculture and food production produce 10.5% of the country's wealth (GDP) and employ 10.5% of its workforce.
  • There are 143,900 farms in total.
  • The average size of an Irish farm is 29 ha (EU : 18.5 ha). 47% of Irish farms are smaller than 20 ha
  • Cattle and dairy farming account for 60% of total agricultural production.
Mixed farming at national level
The barren backbone of Italy is surrounded by fertile basins and coastal plains.
The Po Plain, where irrigation is possible, remains the bastion of Italian agriculture and in terms of the islands, Sicily offers better farming conditions than Sardinia.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 National production  
 European Union total 
 Rice producer
 Wheat
 8,000,000 tonnes
 105,000,000 tonnes
 Maize
 10,100,000 tonnes
 38,900,000 tonnes
 Rice
 1,185,000 tonnes
 2,400,000 tonnes
 Olives  3,751,000 tonnes  9,724,000 tonnes
 Olive oil  500,000 tonnes  
 Soya
 1,200,000 tonnes
.
 Sugar beets
 13,000,000 tonnes
 (9th in the world) 
 117,000,000 tonnes
 Sugar
 1,700,000 tonnes
 17,000,000 tonnes
 2nd global wine producer
 Wine
 5,700,000 hl
  (2nd in the world) 
 155,000,000 hl
  .  
 Citrus fruits  2,101,000 tonnes  
(6th in the world)		  8,710,000 tonnes
 Fresh vegetables 
 15,150,000 tonnes
 52,700,000 tonnes
 Fruit 
 (including citrus fruits) 
 10,000,000 tonnes
.
 Livestock farms
 Cattle
 7,000,000 head
 82,000,000 head
 Sheep
 11,000,000 head
 95,000,000 head
 Poultry meat
 1,200,000 tonnes
.
 Cheese  1,000,000 tonnes  
 Eggs  620,000 tonnes  
 Wool
 11,700 tonnes
.
 Wood
 Rough timber
 9,500,000 m3
.
 Fishing
 Fish
 280,000 tonnes
 5,975,000 tonnes