TOSCANA - Geography and history
Roughly triangular in shape and situated between the northern part of the Tyrrhenian Sea, the central Apennines and a traditional boundary with the old Papal State, the part of Italy formerly known as the Grand Duchy of Tuscany was referred to in the first General Census of Population, carried out on 31 December 1861, as the 'administrative district of Tuscany'.
A hundred and ten years later (June 1970), elections were held for the first Regional Council of a Tuscany whose administrative boundaries were much the same as in 1860. Subdivided into ten provinces, Tuscany has an area of approximately 22 993 km2. Surrounded and crossed by major mountain chains, and with few plains, the region has a relief that is dominated by hilly country; whereas mountains cover 5 770 km2 (25% of the total area) and plains a mere 1 930 km2 (8.4% of the total area), hills make up two-thirds (66.5%) of the region's total area, covering 15 292 km2. The climate, which is fairly mild in the coastal areas, is harsher and rainy in the inland, with considerable fluctuations in temperature between winter and summer.
General well-being, pockets of marginality
The subsoil in Tuscany is relatively rich in mineral resources, with iron ore, copper, mercury and lignite mines, the famous soffioni (fumarole) at Larderello and the vast marble mines in Versilia. Although its share is falling all the time, agriculture still contributes to the region's value-added. In the region's inland areas cereals, potatoes, olives and grapes (for the world-famous Chianti wines) are grown. The swamplands, which used to be marshy, now produce vegetables, rice, tobacco, beet and sunflowers. The industrial sector is dominated by mining, given the abundance of underground resources. Also of some note are the textiles, chemicals/pharmaceuticals, metalworking and steel, glass and ceramics, clothing and printing/publishing sectors. Leather goods, footwear and articles of gold are also produced. Of world-wide renown is the artistic and cuItural heritage of Tuscany's towns and villages, which have always attracted vast numbers of visitors from all over the world. The growth of the industry and services sector is hampered by the low level of schooling of the population and the fairly widespread practices of having a second job or employing illegally, particularly the large numbers of non-EU immigrants in recent years.
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