PUGLIA - Geography and history
Situated at the south-eastern tip of the Italian peninsula, Puglia covers over 19 357 km2 in succession of broad plains and low-lying hills.
The only mountainous areas, the Gargano promontory and the Dauno sub-Apennines, do not exceed 1 150 m and are to be found in the north of Puglia, which is the least mountainous region in Italy.
Puglia is a very dry region. Its few rivers are torrential and are to be found on the Tavoliere, 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.
A thriving industrial base with inadequate infrastructure
Among the region's strong points are:
- an urban development widely scattered throughout the territory. This encourages decentralised urban growth based on the various poles of development around Foggia, Barletta, Bari, Monopoli-Putignano, Taranto, Brindisi, Lecce and Casarano;
- a number of major research and development centres for new technology, among which are Tecnopolis-CSATA near Bari and the ?Centro ricerche dei nuovi materiali? (New materials research centre) near Brindisi;
- an industrial base composed of small and medium-sized firms engaged in both traditional manufactures (textiles, clothing, wood and furniture, footwear) and modern industry (mechanical engineering, rubber, plastics and automotive).
Among the region's weak points are:
- a lack of integration between sectors of the economy ? agriculture, industry, services ? (especially in the provinces of Foggia, Brindisi and Taranto);
- the uncertainty as to the objectives and time-scale of restructuring in the major depressed industries (the iron and steel industry in Taranto and the power and chemicals industries in Brindisi);
- the fact that the infrastructure programme prompted by the emergency action plan has not yet been completed, and the situation is particularly serious in the area of water supply and transport;
- Puglia contains extensive depressed areas mainly in the interior and periphery of the region (Dauno hills, Murgia hills and lower Salente peninsula).
Economic development more vigorous along the coast
Puglia is divided into five provinces: Bari (the region's capital), Foggia, Taranto, Brindisi and Lecce.
There is great disparity of economic development within the region. Some areas are economically developed (province of Bari), some are starting to take off economically (Lecce), and others are in economic decline (Taranto) or suffering severe economic crisis (Foggia and Brindisi).
Disparities between provinces are overlaid by disparities between coastal areas and the interior, with the latter suffering as much from depopulation, as from declining industry.
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