ITALIAN PENINSULA

one of the three great peninsulas of southern Europe, the other two being the Balkan (to the east) and the Iberian (to the west). The Italian Peninsula extends from the region of the Po River southward for some 600 miles (960 km); it has a maximum width of 150 miles (240 km). To the east lies the Adriatic Sea, to the south the Ionian Sea, and to the west the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian seas. The Apennines, a volcanic mountain chain subject to frequent earthquakes, extends the length of the peninsula; lowlands are mostly along the coasts. The peninsula comprises much of Italy and includes the independent republic of San Marino as well as Vatican City.