Italy is a country in southern Europe, on a long, boot‑shaped peninsula that stretches into the Mediterranean Sea.

Quick Scoop

Where is Italy exactly?

  • Italy is located in south‑central Europe, on the Italian Peninsula.
  • It sits in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, around roughly 43° N latitude and 12° E longitude.
  • The country is surrounded by several seas: the Adriatic to the east, Ionian to the southeast, Tyrrhenian to the southwest, and the wider Mediterranean to the south.

What countries border Italy?

  • To the north and northwest, Italy borders France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia.
  • Inside Italy’s territory are two tiny independent countries (enclaves): Vatican City and San Marino.

A simple way to picture it

If you look at a map of Europe, Italy is the boot‑shaped country kicking a small island (Sicily) into the Mediterranean. Rome, its capital, is roughly in the central‑western part of that “boot.”

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