BASILICATA - Geography and history
Basilicata covers an extensive part of the southern Apennines, between the river Ofanto in the north and the Monte Pollino massif in the south. It is bordered on the east by a large part of the Bradano depression which is traversed by numerous streams and declines to the coastal plains on the Ionian sea. The region has a short coastline on the Tyrrhenian side of the peninsula.
Basilicata is the most mountainous region in the south of Italy, with 47% of its area of 9 992 km2 covered by mountains, whereas 45% is hilly and 8% is made up of plains.
Geological features of the region include the volcanic Monte Vulture and the seismic faults in the Melfi and Potenza areas in the north and around Monte Pollino in the south. There is also a problem of landslides, which are caused not only by the lithological structure of the substratum and its chaotic tectonic deformation, but also by the lack of forested land.
The variable climate is influenced by three coastlines (Adriatic, Ionian and Tyrrhenian) and the complexity of the region's physical features. The climate is continental in the mountains and Mediterranean along the coasts.
Strengths and weaknesses
The strengths of the region include:
- a natural environment which in many respects is still unpolluted;
- very interesting historical and archaeological remains, with some sites of world-wide renown (Matera?s stones);
- a low standard of organised criminality, which has favoured the installation of big firms (Parmalat, Ferrero, FIAT, Natuzzi);
- agriculture, no longer used for subsistence farming (especially in the 'key' areas) but geared towards the market;
The weaknesses are:
- a low level of sharing in the working market and unemployment rates above the national average;
- the subdivision of landholdings, particularly in the interior;
- difficulty of access caused by the hilly relief of the region;
- a weak productive system because of lacking infrastructures.
Two worlds separated by the Apennines
Basilicata comprises two provinces, Potenza and Matera, which for historical reasons have different dialects. The dialect in the villages close to Apulia, from Matera to Melfi, is generally Pugliese while in the western part of the region the dialect is closer to that of Campania. The dialect along the Tyrrhenian coast is different from that spoken in the villages of the Sinni basin. Other dialects are found in the villages of the middle Basente valley, in the valley of Camastra and among the Albanian communities.
In the same way as its language, the economic structure of the villages in the region is geared to Apulia in the east and to Campania in the west.
|
|