ABRUZZO - Geography and history
Abruzzo is subdivided into four provinces ? L'Aquila, Teramo, Pescara and Chieti. They comprise 305 'comuni' of which one has more than 100 000 inhabitants and only 25 more than 10 000 inhabitants. The region is situated at the centre of the Italian peninsula facing the Adriatic, which it follows along 150 km of beaches and rocks. With an area of 10�794 km2, and bordered on the east by the Adriatic and on the west by the Apennines, it is one of the most mountainous regions in Italy (the Corno Grande in the Gran Sasso massif, at 2�914 m, is the highest summit in the Apennines). The rivers, although numerous, are all seasonal except for the biggest ? the Pescara and the Sangro. In the interior are the 500 km2 of the ?Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo?, where rare examples of Mediterranean flora and fauna survive (chamois, wolves, bears, golden eagles).
The climate is varied ? hot and dry on the coast, harsh and cold in the interior. Major roads and railway lines link the region to the south, west and north of Italy and the rest of Europe.
A bridge between the south and north of Italy
Until a few decades ago, Abruzzo was a region of poverty in the Italian 'Mezzogiorno'; over the past decades, however, it has developed to such an extent that it has escaped from the spiral of underdevelopment to become the 'first' region of the Mezzogiorno. This confirms its pivotal role in the national economic system.
Its strong points are:
- its location at the centre of the peninsula and its function as a bridge between north, south and west;
- a balanced structure of production: flourishing agriculture with high-quality products; a system of widespread small and medium-sized businesses alongside large undertakings. A crafts sector with a long tradition of artistic work in copper, iron, wood and ceramics; a highly developed tourist industry for both winter (in the mountains) and summer (at the seaside);
- an absence of pollution and organised crime.
The weaknesses are:
- the economic development is still insufficient to ensure prosperity at the level of the national average;
- government support is needed, as the economy is still incapable of developing under its own steam;
- too many small and medium-sized businesses in traditional sectors;
- as yet insufficient firms in the industrial sector;
- preponderance of traditional services and the public sector.
Depopulation of the mountains and urbanisation of the coast
The most serious imbalance is between the mountainous areas of the interior and the coastal strip. The largest province, L'Aquila, is situated entirely in the interior and has the lowest population density. The movement of the population of Abruzzo from the mountains to the sea has led to the almost complete urbanisation of the coastal strip. The effects on the interior have been impoverishment and a demographic ageing, reflected by an activity rate in the province of L'Aquila which is the lowest of the provinces in Abruzzo ? accompanied by geological degradation as a result of the absence of conservation measures. In the coastal strip, on the other hand, there is such a jumble of accommodation and activities that the environment has been changed with negative effects. The policy of providing incentives for development has resulted in the setting-up of industrial zones, some of which (Vasto, Avezzano, Carsoli, Gissi, Val Vibrata, Val Sangro) have made genuine progress, while others (Val Pescara, L?Aquila) have run into trouble after initial success. The zones of Sulmona and Guardiagrele have turned out to be more or less failures. Outside these zones the main activities are agriculture and tourism.
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