Venice is spread across 118 small islands separated by 177 canals, giving it a total area of 414.6 km². The islands are historically divided into 6 sections: Cannaregio, San Polo, Dorsoduro, Santa Croce, San Marco, and Castello. The houses and streets are held above the water by submerged, closely spaced wooden poles. The city itself very old, with its origins dating back over 1000 years ago.
Besides being a tourist hotspot and thus an important economic location for Italy, Venice is also important for being a religious and historical city. St. Mark's Basilica, one of the city's main attractions, claims to have the remains of Mark the Evangelist. Also, Venice gained priceless treasures from the failed Fourth Crusade. Venice is also the capital of the Veneto region.
The primary modes of transportation around Venice are boats and walking. Traditional gondolas and motorboats share the canals. “Water busses” and “water taxis” are available for public use around the mainland and through the larger canals. The narrow passageways and 400 plus bridges make driving impossible through the city, also giving Venice the status as Europe's largest urban car-free area. A train going across a bridge connects Venice to the Italian mainland, and an airport connects the city to the entire world. People come and go often around Venice, seeing as so many tourists flock there. Summer sees higher traffic of visitors, while fewer people visit during winter and many locals leave when the tides partially flood the city.
The city of Venice was raised from the marshy lagoons, creating a habitable location for humans where