Apulia (from
Greek Ἀπουλία, in
Italian:
Puglia, ) is a region in southeastern
Italy bordering the
Adriatic Sea in the east, the
Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the
Strait of Òtranto and
Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its southern portion known as
Salento, a peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises 19,345 km² (7,469 square miles), and its population is about 4 million. It is bordered by the other Italian regions of
Molise to the north,
Campania to the west, and
Basilicata to the southwest. It neighbors
Greece and
Albania, across the Ionian and Adriatic Seas, respectively. The region extends as far north as
Monte Gargano, and was the scene of the last stages in the
Second Punic War.
Geography
thumb|left|Landscape of the Murge plateau.
Situated at the south-eastern tip of the Italian peninsula, Apulia covers over 19,357 km2 in succession of broad plains and low-lying hills. The only mountainous areas, the
Gargano promontory and the
Monti Dauni, do not exceed 1,150 m and are to be found in the north of Apulia, which is the least mountainous region in Italy.
Apulia is a very dry region. Its few rivers are torrential and are to be found on the
Tavoliere delle Puglie, a tableland at the foot of the Gargano promontory that is one of the largest and agriculturally most productive plains in Italy. Elsewhere, rainwater permeates the limestone bedrock to form underground watercourses that resurface near the coast. Groundwater is therefore abundant, and there are many caves and potholes. The caves at
Castellana Grotte are particularly spectacular.
The climate is hot and dry in the summer, and what rain there is falls in the winter months and averages no more than 500 mm per year.
History
thumb|left|[[Castel del Monte (Apulia)|Castel del Monte, built by the
Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II between 1240 and 1250.]]
In ancient times only the northern part of the region was called Apulia; the southern peninsula was known as
Calabria, a name later used to designate the "
toe" of the Italian "
boot."
One of the richest in Italy for archeological findings, the region was settled from the 1st millennium BC by several
Illyric and
Italic peoples. Later, the
Greeks expanded until reaching the area of
Taranto and the
Salento. In the fifth and fourth centuries BC, the Greek settlement at
Taras produced a distinctive style of pottery (
Apulian vase painting).
Apulia was an important area for the ancient
Romans, who conquered it during the course of wars against the
Samnites and against
Pyrrhus in the fourth and third centuries B.C.
in the 4th century BC but also suffered a crushing defeat here in the
battle of Cannae against
Hannibal. However, after the Carthaginians left the region, the Romans captured the ports of Brindisi and Taranto, and established dominion over the region. During the Imperial age Apulia was a flourishing area for production of grain and oil, becoming the most important exporter to the Eastern provinces.
After the fall of Rome, Apulia was held successively by the
Goths, the
Lombards and, from the 6th century onwards, the
Byzantines. Bari became the capital of a province that extended to modern Basilicata, and was ruled by a
catepano (governor), hence the name of
Capitanata of the Barese neighbourhood. From 800 on,
Saracen domination in the area was intermittent, but Apulia was mostly under Byzantine authority until the 11th century, when the
Normans conquered it with relative ease.
thumb|right|The medieval town of Ostuni.
Robert Guiscard set up the duchy of Apulia in 1059. After the Norman conquest of
Sicily in the late 11th century,
Palermo replaced Melfi (just west of present day Apulia) as the center of Norman power, and Apulia became a mere province, first of the
Kingdom of Sicily, then of the
Kingdom of Naples. From the late 12th to early 13th centuries, Apulia was a favorite residence of the
Hohenstaufen emperors, notably
Frederick II. After the fall of the latter's heir,
Manfred, under the
Angevine and
Aragonese/Spanish dominations Apulia became largely dominated by a small number of powerful landowners (
Baroni). In 1734 there were the
battle of Bitonto, a Spanish victory over Austrian forces. The coast was occupied at times by the
Turks and by the
Venetians. The French also controlled the region in 1806-1815, resulting in the abolition of feudalism and the reformation of the justice system.
Liberation movements began to spread in the 1820s. In 1861, with the fall of
Two Sicilies, the region joined
Italy. Social and agrarian reforms that had proceeded slowly from the 19th century accelerated in the mid-20th century.
The characteristic Apulian architecture of the 11th–13th centuries reflects
Greek,
Arab,
Norman, and
Pisan influences. Universities are located in Bari, Lecce and Foggia.
Economy
thumb|left|The city and seaport of Bari.
The region's contribution to Italy's gross value added was around 4.6% in 2000, while its population was 7% of the total. The per capita GDP is very low compared to the national average and represents about 65% of the EU average
[http://circa.europa.eu/irc/dsis/regportraits/info/data/en/itf4_eco.htm].
In comparison with the country as a whole, the economy of Apulia is characterised by a greater emphasis on agriculture and services and a smaller part played by industry. The share of gross value added generated by the agricultural and services sectors in the total gross value added of the region is above the national average in 2000, whereas the share of industry is below
.
In the last 20 years the industrial base of the region's economy has changed radically. Alongside highly capital-intensive large-scale plants - such as
ILVA (steel-making) in
Taranto and
Eni (petrochemicals) in
Brindisi and
Manfredonia - a network of small and medium-sized firms has gradually expanded, and these now provide approximately 70% of the jobs in the region. The majority of such firms are financed by local capital.
As a result, highly specialised areas have developed, producing on a scale not only of domestic but also of international significance: food processing and vehicles in the province of
Foggia; footwear, textiles, wood and furniture in the
Barletta area north of
Bari; wood and furniture in the Murge area to the west; engineering, rubber, wood and furniture and computer software around Bari itself; textiles and clothing at
Monopoli-
Putignano to the south; and footwear and textiles in the
Casarano area.
In certain of these sectors - especially textiles, clothing, footwear, vehicles and food products - the region has attained a significant degree of competitiveness with foreign producers. A major contribution to the competitiveness of the region's economy stems from the existence of important research and development centres such as Tecnopolis-CSATA near Bari, the Cittadella della ricerca (Centre for research and new materials) near Brindisi and the new software development centres, again near Bari
.
The region has a good network of roads but the railway network is somewhat inadequate, particularly in the south. Apulia's 800 km of coastline is studded with ports, which make this region an important terminal for transport and tourism to
Greece and the eastern
Mediterranean.
Demographics
The population density in Apulia is just above the national average. In 2008 it was equal to 211 inhabitants per km2. Foggia is by far the less densely populated province (96 inhabitants per km2 in 2008), whereas Bari is the most densely populated province (308 inhabitants per km2 in 2008).
Emigration from the region's depressed areas to northern Italy and the rest of Europe was very intense in the years between 1956 and 1971. Subsequently the trend declined as economic conditions improved, to the point where there was net immigration in the years between 1982 and 1985. Since 1986 the stagnation in employment has led to a new inversion of the trend, caused not so much by an increase in the number of people leaving but by a fall in the number coming to live in the region , but in the 2000s net immigration has been positive again. As of 2008, the Italian national institute of statistics ISTAT estimated that 63,868 foreign-born immigrants live in Apulia, equal to 1.6% of the total regional population.
Government and politics
Apulia is traditionally a right wing region; despite this at the 2005 regional elections a Communist,
Nichi Vendola, was elected as the region's President. At the
April 2006 elections, Apulia gave about 51.54% of its votes to
Silvio Berlusconi, and at the
April 2008 election apulians gave about 47% of their votes to the
People of Freedom-led coalition, eleven points more than to the
Democratic Party-led coalition.
Administrative divisions
Apulia is divided into six provinces (official data for the 6th province (
Barletta-Andria-Trani), instituted in 2009, will be available only after the 2011 census) :
350pxCulture
Language
The official national language (since 1861) is
Italian. However, as a consequence of its long and varied history, other historical languages have been spoken in this region for centuries. In the northern and central sections, some dialect of the
Neapolitan language are spoken: for example
Bari dialect, spoken in the zone of
Bari or
Foggiano near
Foggia. In the southern part of the region, dialects of the
Sicilian language called
Tarantino and
Salentino are spoken. In isolated pockets of the Southern part of
Salento, a dialect of modern Greek called
Griko, is spoken by just a few thousand people. A rare dialect of the
Franco-Provençal language called
Faetar is spoken in two isolated towns in the
Province of Foggia. In a couple of villages, the
Arbëreshë dialect of the
Albanian language has been spoken by a very small community since a wave of refugees settled there in the 15th century. The
Messapic language formerly spoken in the region was extinct by the 1st century BC due to the
Romanization/Latinization of this area that took place after the definitive conquest of the region by the
Romans during the 3rd century BC (see
Punic Wars).
See also
