The international geography . in the rivers flowing from the Alps, but inthe centre and south of Italy the rivers are little more than dry stony beds during summer, and artificial irrigationis rendered necessary. The distributionof rainfall is determined by the configu-ration of the land. It is greater on theTyrrhenian than on the Adriatic slope ;greater on the southern margin of theAlps than on that of the Appennines, butgreatest on the slopes of the mountainsnear Genoa, where it is 51 inches, and atTolmezzo in Friaul, where it reaches 100inches. The rainfall of northern Italymay be stated as
The international geography . in the rivers flowing from the Alps, but inthe centre and south of Italy the rivers are little more than dry stony beds during summer, and artificial irrigationis rendered necessary. The distributionof rainfall is determined by the configu-ration of the land. It is greater on theTyrrhenian than on the Adriatic slope ;greater on the southern margin of theAlps than on that of the Appennines, butgreatest on the slopes of the mountainsnear Genoa, where it is 51 inches, and atTolmezzo in Friaul, where it reaches 100inches. The rainfall of northern Italymay be stated as about 40 inches on theaverage, that of central Italy about 32inches, and of southern Italy not muchmore than 27. Malaria, which is characteristic of allthe Mediterranean lands, is particularly common in Italy, and is thegreatest drawback to a land otherwise so favoured. Only six of the69 provinces—Porto Maurizio, Genoa, Messa-Carrara, Florence, Pesaro,and Piacenza—are entirely free from malaria. It makes large areas un-. l-iG 186.—The Malarial Districtsof Italy, shoirn in stipple. 360 The International Geography inhabitable and uncultivable in spite of the fertiHty of the soil, which canonly be utilised for winter pastures, and it hampers the railway of the population of Italy suffers from malaria, which causes14,000 deaths per annum. Flora and Fauna.—The flora of Italy is that typical of the Mediter-ranean region, at least so far as regards the centre and south, and -along abroad belt of the west coast south of Liguria. It includes evergreen treesof kinds fitted to withstand the long drought; and the olive may be lookedupon as the most characteristic growth. The olive is excluded from thePlain of Lombardy by the comparatively severe winter; but it appearsalong the immediate foot of the Alps, especially round the borders of thelakes, and it surrounds the whole coast of Italy, growing in Liguria toaltitudes of nearly 2,000 feet, and in Sicily to 3,000
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectgeography, bookyear19
