Editing Apulia

{{Short description|Region of Italy}}
{{Other uses|Apulia (disambiguation)|Puglia (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Expand Italian|Puglia|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| official_name      = Apulia
| native_name        = ''Puglia''{{efn|name=a}}
| native_name_lang   = it
| other_name         = 
| settlement_type    = [[Regions of Italy|Region]]
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| image_map          = Apulia in Italy.svg
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| coordinates        = {{Coord|41|N|16|E|type:adm1st_region:IT|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint      = 
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| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = [[Italy]]
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = 
| founder            = 
| named_for          = 
| seat_type          = Capital
| seat               = [[Bari]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_party       = [[Democratic Party (Italy)|PD]]
| leader_title       = President
| leader_name        = [[Michele Emiliano]]
| leader_title1      = Vice President
| leader_name1       = [[Raffaele Piemontese]]
| total_type         = 
| unit_pref          = 
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_total_km2     = 19358
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_max_m    = 
| elevation_min_m    = 
| population_footnotes = <ref name="population">{{cite web|title=Monthly Demographic Balance|url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?l=en&a=&i=D7B|publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]]}}</ref>
| population_total   = 3874166
| population_as_of   = 2025
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym = {{langx|en|Apulian}}<br />{{langx|it|Pugliese}}
| population_note    = 
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| demographics1_info1 = 
| demographics1_title2 = 
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| demographics1_title3 = 
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| demographics_type2 = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{citation|title=Population on 1 January by age, sex and NUTS 2 region|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/DEMO_R_D2JAN/default/table?lang=en|website=www.ec.europa.eu}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = Total
| demographics2_info1 = €77.984 billion (2021)
| timezone1          = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1        = +01:00
| timezone1_DST      = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = +02:00
| postal_code_type   = 
| postal_code        = 
| area_code_type     = [[ISO 3166]] code
| area_code          = IT-75
| blank2_name_sec1   = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2021)
| blank2_info_sec1   = 0.856<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|title=Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=2023-03-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923120638/https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|archive-date=23 September 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><br/>{{color|green|very high}} · [[List of Italian regions by Human Development Index|18th of 21]]
| blank_name_sec2    = [[First-level NUTS of the European Union#Italy|NUTS Region]]
| blank_info_sec2    = ITF
| website            = {{URL|http://www.regione.puglia.it/|regione.puglia.it}}
| footnotes          = 
| governing_body     = [[Regional Council of Apulia|Regional Council]]
}}

'''Apulia''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|p|uː|l|i|ə}} {{respell|ə|POO|lee|ə}}), also known by its [[Italian language|Italian]] name '''Puglia''' ({{IPA|it|ˈpuʎʎa|lang}}),<ref>{{Cite web|title=Puglia travel|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/puglia|access-date=2021-07-18|website=Lonely Planet|language=en}}</ref>{{efn|name=a|
Local names:<br>
:{{langx|nap|label=[[Bari dialect|Barese]]|Púgghie}} {{IPA|nap|ˈpuɟːə|}}
:{{langx|nap|label={{ill|Foggiano dialect|lt=Foggiano|it|dialetto foggiano}}|Puie}}
:{{langx|nap|label=[[Tarantino dialect|Tarantino]]|Puje}} {{IPA|nap|ˈpuːjə|}}
:{{langx|scn|label=[[Salentino dialect|Salentino]]|Puia}} {{IPA|scn|ˈpuːja|}}
:{{langx|frp|label=[[Faetar language|Faetar]]|Poulye}} {{IPA|frp|ˈpujə, ˈpuʎə|}}
:{{langx|el|label=[[Griko language|Griko]]|Απουλία}} {{IPA|el|apuˈli.a|}}
:{{langx|aae|Pulia}}}} is a [[Regions of Italy|region of Italy]], located in the [[Southern Italy|southern peninsular section]] of the country, bordering the [[Adriatic Sea]] to the east, the [[Strait of Otranto]] and [[Ionian Sea]] to the southeast and the [[Gulf of Taranto]] to the south. The region comprises {{convert|19345|sqkm|sqmi|0|sp=us}}, and has 3,874,166 inhabitants as of 2025.<ref name="population" /> It is bordered by the other Italian regions of [[Molise]] to the north, [[Campania]] to the west, and [[Basilicata]] to the southwest. The regional capital is [[Bari]].

In ancient times, more precisely at the beginning of the first millennium BC, the region of Apulia was inhabited by the [[Iapygians]], while during the 8th century BC its coastal areas were populated by [[Magna Graecia|ancient Greeks]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Popoli e culture dell'Italia preromana. Gli Iapigi, gli Apuli e i Dauni - Treccani |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/popoli-e-culture-dell-italia-preromana-gli-iapigi-gli-apuli-e-i-dauni_(Il-Mondo-dell'Archeologia)/,%20https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/popoli-e-culture-dell-italia-preromana-gli-iapigi-gli-apuli-e-i-dauni_(Il-Mondo-dell'Archeologia)/ |access-date=2024-03-25 |website=Treccani |language=it}}</ref> Later, the region was conquered by the [[ancient Romans]]. It was then conquered by the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]], followed by the [[Normans]], the [[Kingdom of Aragon|Aragonese]] and the [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]]. Subsequently, it became part of the [[Kingdom of the Two Sicilies]], to then be annexed to the unified [[Kingdom of Italy]] after the [[Expedition of the Thousand]].

==Geography==
[[File:Monopoli-ItalyiDec052021.jpg 03.jpg|thumb|[[Monopoli]]]]
[[File:Torre Sant'Andrea (Lecce).jpg|thumb|[[Torre Sant'Andrea]], [[Salento]]]]
Apulia's coastline is longer than that of any other mainland Italian region. In the north, the [[Gargano]] promontory extends out into the Adriatic sea like a "sperone" ("spur"), while in the south, the [[Salento]] peninsula forms the "tacco" ("heel") of [[Italy]]'s boot.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/puglia/introduction|title=Introducing Puglia| publisher=[[Lonely Planet]]| access-date=8 July 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170701043906/http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/puglia/introduction|archive-date=1 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The highest peak in the region is [[Monte Cornacchia (Daunian Mountains)|Monte Cornacchia]] {{cvt|1,152|m}} above sea level) within the [[Daunian Mountains]], in the north along the [[Apennine Mountains|Apennines]].

It is home to two national parks, the [[Alta Murgia National Park]] and [[Gargano National Park]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jul/04/puglia-guide-italy-hotels-bari-brindisi-foggia-salento| title=Holiday guide to Puglia, southern Italy: the best towns, restaurants and hotels|date=4 July 2015|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=15 November 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161116103109/https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jul/04/puglia-guide-italy-hotels-bari-brindisi-foggia-salento| archive-date=16 November 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Outside national parks in the North and West, most of Apulia particularly the Salento peninsula is geographically flat with only moderate hills.

The climate is typically Mediterranean with hot, dry and sunny summers and mild and rainy winters. Snowfall, especially on the coast is rare but has occurred as recently as January 2019 (following on from snow in March 2018 and January 2017).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Santolo |first=Alessandra Scotto di |date=2019-01-05 |title=Europe weather: Shocking southern Italian beach covered in SNOW |url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/weather/1067358/Europe-weather-snow-Italy-UK-Puglia-Taranto-Naples-Meteo-BBC-Weather-latest |access-date=2024-05-20 |website=Express.co.uk |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Faranda |first=Davide |date=2020-09-04 |title=An attempt to explain recent changes in European snowfall extremes |url=https://wcd.copernicus.org/articles/1/445/2020/ |journal=Weather and Climate Dynamics |language=English |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=445–458 |doi=10.5194/wcd-1-445-2020|doi-access=free |bibcode=2020WCD.....1..445F }}</ref> Apulia is among the hottest and driest regions of Italy in summer, with temperatures sometimes reaching and exceeding {{cvt|40|C}} in [[Lecce]] and [[Foggia]].

The coastal areas, particularly on the Adriatic Sea and in the southern Salento peninsula, are frequently exposed to winds of varying strengths and directions, strongly affecting local temperatures and conditions, sometimes within the same day. The Northerly [[Bora (wind)|Bora]] wind from the Adriatic Sea can lower temperatures, humidity and moderate summer heat while the Southerly [[Sirocco]] wind from [[North Africa]] can raise temperatures, and humidity and occasionally drop red dust from the [[Sahara|Sahara Desert]].{{cn|date=December 2023}} On some days in spring and autumn/fall, it can be warm enough to swim in [[Gallipoli, Apulia|Gallipoli]] and [[Porto Cesareo]] on the Ionian coast while at the same time, cool winds warrant jackets and jumpers/sweaters in [[Monopoli]] and [[Otranto]] on the Adriatic coast.{{cn|date=December 2023}}

The area between Otranto and [[Santa Maria di Leuca]] is part of the Regional Natural Coastal Park of "Costa Otranto — [[Santa Maria di Leuca]] e Bosco di [[Tricase]]" wanted by the Apulia Region in 2008. This territory has numerous natural and historical attractions such as '''Ciolo''', which is a rocky cove.
In 2010 the Ministry of Health declared 98.6% of the Apulian coasts suitable for bathing.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.greenme.it/ambiente/acque-di-balneazione-2010-ecco-il-rapporto-del-ministero-della-salute-che-presenta-il-nuovo-portale-caserta-fanalino-di-coda/ | title=Acque di balneazione 2010: Ecco il rapporto del ministero della salute che presenta il nuovo portale. Caserta fanalino di coda | date=25 June 2010 }}</ref>
[[File:Murge Castel del Monte.jpg|thumb|Landscape of the [[Murge]] plateau]]

==History==

[[File:Castel del Monte - Andria.jpg|thumb|[[Castel del Monte (Apulia)|Castel del Monte]], built by the [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|King of Sicily and Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II]] between 1240 and 1250 in [[Andria, Italy|Andria]]]]
[[File:Ostuni col drone.jpg|thumb|The medieval town of [[Ostuni]]]]

=== Antiquity ===
Human settlement in Apulia dates back to at least 250,000 years ago, as evidenced by the fossil remains of the [[Altamura Man]], an archaic form of [[Neanderthal]]. There are numerous finds from the prehistoric era, including several [[menhir]] and [[dolmen]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-10-27 |title=Dolmen e Menhir di Puglia |url=http://geocities.com/liceo_livio/archeo/iperPuglia/dolmen_e_menhir_di_puglia.htm |access-date=2024-05-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027121059/http://geocities.com/liceo_livio/archeo/iperPuglia/dolmen_e_menhir_di_puglia.htm |archive-date=27 October 2009}}</ref>

Around the 1st millennium BC, the [[Iapygians]] settled in the territory with the tribes of the [[Daunians]], the [[Peucetians]] and the [[Messapians]], as well as the populations of the Calabri and the Sallentini (both settled in [[Salento]]); later, in the Hellenic era, the [[Magna Graecia]] colonies were quite numerous, especially in the southern part of the region, including the city of [[Taras, Taranto|Taras]], now [[Taranto]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-03-24 |title=History of Puglia |url=https://www.castellodiugento.com/castle-in-puglia/history-of-puglia/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |language=en-US}}</ref>

During the second [[Samnites|Samnite]] war (326–304 BC), the [[Roman army]], in an attempt to provide relief to [[Lucera]], besieged by the Samnites, suffered a serious defeat in the [[Battle of the Caudine Forks]], in 321 BC. Rome soon understood the strategic importance of ''Apulia'' (corresponding only to the central-northern part of present-day Apulia, while the [[Salento Peninsula]] was known as ''Calabria'' in that period), but the occupation of the region, in the third century BC, was not easy, especially for the resistance of Tarentum and Brundisium. In 216 BC in [[Barletta|Cannae]] the Roman army suffered its worst defeat against [[Hannibal]]'s [[Ancient Carthage|Carthage]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=II GUERRA SANNITICA (326-304 a.c.) |url=https://www.romanoimpero.com/2020/08/ii-guerra-sannitica-326-304-ac.html |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=romanoimpero.com}}</ref>

The Roman [[Province of Apulia and Calabria]] was then established, which also included [[Irpinia]]. With the construction of the [[Appian Way]] and, in the imperial era, of the [[Via Traiana]] along which cities such as [[Troia, Apulia|Troia]], [[Ordona]], [[Gravina in Puglia|Gravina]], [[Canosa di Puglia|Canosa]], [[Ruvo di Puglia|Ruvo]] and [[Bitonto]] prospered. The region occupied leading positions in the production of grain and oil, becoming the largest exporter of olive oil in the East.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-05-17 |title=Spazi geografici della Storia Romana: Apulia et Calabria |url=http://www.telemaco.unibo.it/rom/italia/apulia1.htm |access-date=2024-05-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517124845/http://www.telemaco.unibo.it/rom/italia/apulia1.htm |archive-date=17 May 2008}}</ref>

=== Middle Ages and Renaissance period ===
At the [[Fall of the Western Roman Empire]], Apulia also went through a long period of suffering. [[Heruli]] and [[Ostrogoths]] invaded the territory, but in the end it became the dominion of the [[Eastern Roman Empire]], from the 6th to the 11th century except for a brief partial occupation of the region by the [[Emirate of Bari]]. Bari became the capital of a territory extending up to present-day [[Basilicata]] and subjected to the authority of a [[Catepanate of Italy|Catepanate]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lovelli |first=Giampiero |date=2013-09-11 |title=La Puglia bizantina |url=https://www.imperobizantino.it/la-puglia-bizantina/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=Impero Romano d'Oriente 330-1453 la sua storia |language=it-IT}}</ref> With the [[Norman conquest of southern Italy|advent of the Normans]] in the 11th century, Taranto became the capital of the [[Principality of Taranto]], which extended across the entire [[Terra di Otranto]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arrivano i Normanni |url=https://www.sullaviadelsalento.it/la-storia/il-basso-medioevo/arrivano-i-normanni.html |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=www.sullaviadelsalento.it}}</ref>

In 1043 the Normans founded the county of Apulia which in 1059 merged into the vast [[County of Apulia and Calabria]], whose borders progressively extended up to in [[Principality of Salerno]]. From 1130 it became part of the [[Kingdom of Sicily]]. In the 13th century the name Apulia was used by some authors to indicate the southern part of the Italian peninsula. During the Sicilian domination Apulia achieved great material and civil progress, which reached its peak with [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]], who was responsible for the construction of a series of secular and religious buildings, some of high artistic value, including [[Castel del Monte, Apulia|Castel del Monte]], near [[Andria]]. During this period [[Foggia]] became one of his residences. From 1282, following the separation of the island of Sicily from the rest of the south of the peninsula, Apulia was under the rule of the [[Kingdom of Naples]], from that moment the power of the landowners began to take root in the territory.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Puglia - Treccani |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/puglia_(Enciclopedia-dei-ragazzi)/,%20https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/puglia_(Enciclopedia-dei-ragazzi)/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=Treccani |language=it}}</ref>

=== Early modern period ===
From the middle of the 18th century the region of Apulia experienced a period of strong economic prosperity and excellent development of trade and agriculture. Between 1806 and 1815, during the [[Napoleonic era]], provided the modernization of Apulia with the abolition of feudalism and judicial reforms until the return of the Bourbons and the birth of the [[Kingdom of the Two Sicilies]]. Liberal movements were formed throughout the region in 1820 with the spread of [[Freemasonry]] and  [[Carbonari]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-06 |title=La Puglia ai tempi dei Borboni (1734 - 1861) |url=https://www.algrama.it/cultura/la-puglia-ai-tempi-dei-borboni-1734-1861/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=Algramà |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=La Carboneria |url=https://www.triplov.com/Venda_das_Raparigas/carbonaria_italiana/daniele_failli/introduzione.htm |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=www.triplov.com}}</ref>

With the [[Kingdom of Italy]] established in 1861, Apulia was administratively divided into the provinces of Foggia, Bari and Lecce; to these were added in the twentieth century the provinces of Brindisi and Taranto. In the period following the unification of Italy, various brigand gangs arose, especially in Capitanata and Terra di Bari; among the major exponents are Michele Caruso, Antonio Angelo Del Sambro and Giuseppe Schiavone, the latter a faithful lieutenant of the Lucanian brigand leader [[Carmine Crocco]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Il Risorgimento in terra di Puglia |url=https://www.garibaldini.org/2011/02/il-risorgimento-in-terra-di-puglia/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |language=it-IT}}</ref>

=== Modern period ===
With the progressive decline of the [[latifundium]], the ancient Apulian farms, properties of medium agricultural size, also decayed. During [[Italian fascism|fascism]], Apulia was affected by numerous land reclamations in vast areas and, following the post-war agrarian reform, the region enjoyed strong agricultural development.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-27 |title=Il Fascismo, il Salento e l'amara disillusione |url=https://www.quotidianodipuglia.it/cultura/salento_fascista_ettore_bambi_marcia_roma_libro-7014329.html |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=www.quotidianodipuglia.it |language=it}}</ref> In the 1970s and 1980s the economy of the region moved from the primary sector to the tertiary one, with notable development coming from the tourism sector.<ref>{{Cite web |title=L'agricoltura della Puglia nel XX secolo - Giuseppe Colombo - Libro - Meridiana Libri - Meridiana Libri. Scenari {{!}} IBS |url=https://www.ibs.it/agricoltura-della-puglia-nel-xx-libro-giuseppe-colombo/e/9788886175722?inventoryId=52700451&queryId=b2d9389a9a00c90cc47fdf81345eba97 |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=www.ibs.it |language=it}}</ref>

==Economy==
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 low compared to the national average and represents about 68.1% of the EU average.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greenreport.it/contenuti/leggi.php?id_cont=11969 |title=Eurostat |publisher=Greenreport |access-date=2 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424084354/http://www.greenreport.it/contenuti/leggi.php?id_cont=11969 |archive-date=24 April 2014 }}</ref>

The share of gross value added by the agricultural and services sectors was above the national average in 2000. The region has industries specialising in particular areas, including food processing and vehicles in [[Foggia]]; footwear and textiles in the [[Barletta]] province, and wood and furniture in the Murge area to the west.<ref name="c.europa.eu">{{cite web|url=http://circa.europa.eu/irc/dsis/regportraits/info/data/en/itf4_eco.htm | title = Puglia - Economy | work = Portrait of the Regions | publisher=Eurostat |date= March 2004 |access-date= 8 July 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821143316/http://circa.europa.eu/irc/dsis/regportraits/info/data/en/itf4_eco.htm |archive-date=21 August 2009 }}</ref>

Between 2007 and 2013 the economy of Apulia expanded more than that of the rest of southern Italy.<ref>Massimo Monteduro, Pierangelo Buongiorno, Saverio Di Benedetto, ''Law and Agroecology: A Transdisciplinary Dialogue'' (2015), p. 176</ref> Such growth, over several decades, is a severe challenge to the hydrogeological system.<ref>Amílcar Soares, Maria João Pereira, Roussos Dimitrakopoulos! ''geoENV VI – Geostatistics for Environmental Application'' (2008), p. 191: "The approach highlighted the widespread degradation of water resources in the Apulian groundwater. ... Above all the rapid socio-economic growth over the last decades has caused severe stress to the Apulian hydrogeological system."</ref>

Apulia's thriving economy is articulated into numerous sectors boasting several leading companies, but most of them produce materials or components, not finished goods: 
* Aerospace ([[Leonardo (company)|Leonardo]], [[Avio Aero]], [[:it:Sitael (azienda)|Sitael]], [[:it:Blackshape|Blackshape]]) 
* Automotive ([[Robert Bosch GmbH|Bosch]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bosch.it/la-nostra-azienda/bosch-in-italia/modugno-ba-tecnologie-diesel/|title=Bosch in Italia|language=it}}</ref> [[Magneti Marelli]], [[Getrag|Magna Gertrag]], [[Bridgestone]])
* Mechanics ([[New Holland Construction]], [[Iveco#Engines|Iveco Motori]], [[Isotta Fraschini Motori]], [[MERMEC]]) 
* Furniture ([[Natuzzi]])
* Food and Beverage (De Carlo, [[:it:Divella|Divella]], Quarta Caffé)
* Agriculture (Casillo Group, G.C. Partecipazioni) 
* Publishing ([[:it:Casa editrice Giuseppe Laterza & figli|Laterza]], [[:it:Edizioni Dedalo|Edizioni Dedalo]])
* Tourism (Nicolaus tour)
* Logistics (GTS Rail)
* I.C.T. ([[:it:Exprivia|Exprivia]])

In [[Taranto]], there is the largest metallurgical work ILVA Acciaierie di Taranto (8,200 empl.) in Europe with a full iron and steel production cycle. It will be sold to [[Arcelor Mittal]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ilmessaggero.it/economia/news/arcelormittal_ilva_azienda_dipendenti_numeri_acciaieria-4841602.html|title=Taranto Steelworks|date=5 November 2019 |language=it}}</ref>

In [[Brindisi]], there is a chemical industrial park with an [[Eni]] power station, Eni oil refinery, [[:it:Syndial|Syndial]] chemical factory, and [[Versalis]] chemical factory (basic chemistry, intermediates, polyethene, styrenics and elastomers). [[LyondellBasell]] polypropylene plant, [[Sanofi]] plant (antibiotics). Another Eni oil refinery is located in [[Taranto]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it/news/130-brindisi/1034289/brindisi-fra-le-capitali-industriali-del-mediterraneo-centro-orientale.html|title=Brindisi Industriale|language=it|access-date=13 May 2021|archive-date=13 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513154518/https://www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it/news/130-brindisi/1034289/brindisi-fra-le-capitali-industriali-del-mediterraneo-centro-orientale.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Unemployment ===
The unemployment rate stood at 14.1% in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/lfst_r_lfu3rt/default/table?lang=en |title=Unemployment rate by NUTS 2 regions |at=ITF4 Puglia |website=Statistics / Eurostat |date=2022 |lang=en |doi=10.2908/lfst_r_lfu3rt |doi-access=free |author1=Eurostat }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!2006
!2007
!2008
!2009
!2010
!2011
!2012
!2013
!2014
!2015
!2016
!2017
!2018
!2019
!2020
|-
|'''unemployment rate'''<br/>(in %)
|12.6% 
|11.1% 
|11.6% 
|12.6%
|13.5%
|13.2% 
|15.7% 
|19.7% 
|21.5%
|19.7% 
|19.4% 
|18.8%
|16.1%
|14.8%
|14.1%
|}

===Fishing and aquaculture===
The port of [[Taranto]] hosts numerous fishing boats. The fleet is mainly made up of about 80 fishing boats, which do not exceed 10 gross tonnage and which practice trawling, while the remaining small-scale fishing boats operate with gillnets. The sea, rich and generous, is populated by [[Common dentex|dentex]], [[Gilt-head bream|sea bream]], [[Gilt-head bream|glit-head bream]], [[Epinephelus marginatus|grouper]], [[redfish]], [[Mullet (fish)|mullet]], [[Mussel|mussels]], [[sea urchin]], [[European anchovy|anchovies]], [[Caridea|shrimp]] and [[squid]]. Other significant fishing ports are [[Manfredonia]], [[Trani]], [[Molfetta]], [[Mola di Bari]], [[Monopoli]], [[Castro, Apulia|Castro]], and [[Gallipoli (Italy)|Gallipoli]].

Today [[Taranto]] is the world's largest producer of farmed [[Mussel|mussels]]: with 1,300 employees, around 30,000 tons of mussels are processed per year. Mussel farming has characterized the city's economy for centuries, making the mussel the gastronomic symbol of Taranto. It is said that the first mussel gardens in [[La Spezia]], [[Pula]], [[Olbia]] and [[Chioggia]] were established by mussel farmers who emigrated from this city. The workplace of the Taranto mussel farmers is the boat; every detail of the working method has improved over time.

10 m long structures made of wood or metal, called "pali" (piles), are attached to the seabed, to which ropes and nets are then attached, on which the mussels are grown. The mussels farmed here are particularly tasty and valued because they grow in a special environment, a mixture of salt seawater and karst freshwater. These special environmental conditions of the seas of Taranto are ideal not only for the mussels but also for the fish and crustaceans that find food and shelter between the piles. While there are around 18 submarine freshwater springs, called "Citri", in the Mar Piccolo, there is only one large one in the Mar Grande, which is called "Anello di [[Catald|San Cataldo]]" in honour of the patron saint of the city.
<gallery>
Dentex_dentex_1.jpg|Dentex
Sparus_aurata_juvenile.jpg|Sea bream
pandborealisind.jpg|Shrimp
Cozza_tarantina.jpg|Mussels
</gallery>

===Agriculture===
Agriculture plays a prominent economic role in Apulia. It is mainly intensive and modern agriculture that allows the region to be among the first in Italy for the production of many products:
* [[durum]] wheat which is used to produce pasta
* [[tomatoes]]
* [[grape]]
* [[almonds]]
* [[olive oil]]

Vegetable growing ([[lettuce]], [[artichoke]], [[fennel]], [[cabbage]], [[celery]], [[barattiere]], [[borage]], [[sweet potato]], [[caper]], [[portulaca]], [[Rapini|broccoli rabe]]) and horticulture ([[peach]], [[Orange (fruit)|orange]], [[clementine]], [[lemon]], [[kumquat]], [[fig]], [[pomegranate]], [[persimmon]], [[Opuntia|prickly pear]]) are also developed.

===Viticulture===
[[File: Vigneto_a_tendone_in_agro_di_Barletta.JPG|thumb|right|Awning vineyard in the countryside of Barletta]]
Vineyards cover {{Convert|106,715|ha|acre|abbr=on}} in Apulia, which is first place among Italian grape-growing regions. But in the production of quality DOC and DOCG wines, Apulia has only ranked 12th of 20 with 297,667 hl. 

There are four DOCG wines:
* Castel del Monte Bombino Nero 
* Castel del Monte Nero di Troia Riserva
* Castel del Monte Rosso Riserva 
* Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale

===Oliviculture===
[[File:Terre_Tarentine.jpg|thumb|right|Terre Tarentine extra-virgin olive oil]]
[[File:Ulivi_modugno2.jpg|thumb|right|Olive trees near Modugno]]
There are an estimated 50 to 60 million olive trees in Apulia, and the region accounts for 40% of Italy's olive oil production. There are four specific [[Protected designation of origin|Protected designations of Origin]] (PDO) covering the whole region.<ref>[https://www.oliveoilsitaly.com/extra-virgin-oil/apulia/ PDO status] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706050340/https://www.oliveoilsitaly.com/extra-virgin-oil/apulia/ |date=6 July 2018 }}- Retrieved 6 July 2018</ref> Olive varieties include: ''Baresane'', ''Biancolilla'', ''Brandofino'' (Castiglione), ''Buscionetto'' ([[Biancolella|Biancolilla]]), ''Carolea'', ''Cellina di Nardò'', ''Cerasuola'' (Ogliara), ''Cerignola'' ([[Cerignola olive|Bella di Cerignola]]), ''Cima di Bitonto'', ''Cima di Mola'', ''Coratina'',<ref>[http://www.artecibo.com/the-coratina-olive Coratina olive] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706074950/http://www.artecibo.com/the-coratina-olive |date=6 July 2018 }}- Retrieved 5 July 2019</ref> also grown in Corning, California, a 2018 Gold Medal New York International Olive Oil Competition (NYIOOC) winner,<ref>[https://www.lucerooliveoil.com/coratina-extra-virgin-olive-oil.html Coratina olives in Ca.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706051827/https://www.lucerooliveoil.com/coratina-extra-virgin-olive-oil.html |date=6 July 2018 }}- Retrieved 5 July 2018</ref> ''Frantoio'', ''Garganica'', ''La Minuta'', ''Leccino'', ''Moresca'', ''Nocellara Etnea'', ''Nocellara Messinese'', ''Ogliarola'', ''Ogliarola Barese'', ''Ogliara Messinese'', ''Ottobratica'', ''Peranzana'', ''Rotondella'', ''Santagatese'', ''Saracena'', ''Tonda Iblea'', and ''Verdello'' (subspecies of San Benedetto).<ref>[http://www.dopitalianfood.com/en/brands-dop-italian-food/olive-oil-pdo-pgi/item/437-land-of-bari-olive-oil-p-d-o.html Apulia region cultivars] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706075050/http://www.dopitalianfood.com/en/brands-dop-italian-food/olive-oil-pdo-pgi/item/437-land-of-bari-olive-oil-p-d-o.html |date=6 July 2018 }}- Retrieved 20180-7-05</ref><ref>[https://www.thethinkingtraveller.com/thinkpuglia/guide-to-puglia/geography-of-puglia/a-carpet-of-olive-trees.aspx Puglia olive cultivars] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706075026/https://www.thethinkingtraveller.com/thinkpuglia/guide-to-puglia/geography-of-puglia/a-carpet-of-olive-trees.aspx |date=6 July 2018 }}- Retrieved 5 July 2018</ref>

====''Xylella fastidiosa'' disease====
Since 2008–2010, the olive oil industry in Apulia has been under threat from the pathogen ''[[Xylella fastidiosa]]'', a disease that inhibits the trees' uptake of water and nutrients. The epicentre of the epidemic is the southeastern part of the region.

=== Tourism ===
Apulia has many small and picturesque villages, 14 of them have been selected by {{lang|it|[[I Borghi più belli d'Italia]]}} ({{langx|en|The most beautiful Villages of Italy}}),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://borghipiubelliditalia.it/puglia/|title=Puglia|date=10 January 2017 |access-date=1 August 2023|language=it}}</ref> a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.repubblica.it/viaggi/2023/01/16/news/borghi_piu_belli_italia_14_nuovi_2023-383794441/|title=Borghi più belli d'Italia. Le 14 novità 2023, dal Trentino alla Calabria|date=16 January 2023 |access-date=28 July 2023|language=it}}</ref> that was founded on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities.<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://borghipiubelliditalia.it/ |title = I Borghi più belli d'Italia, la guida online ai piccoli centri dell'Italia nascosta|access-date=3 May 2018|language=it}}</ref>

==Transport==
The region has a good network of roads, but the railway network is less comprehensive, particularly in the south. There are no high-speed lines, but a high-speed line between Naples and Bari is under construction, which should be completed in 2027.<ref>{{cite web |title=Naples - Bari |url=https://www.fsitaliane.it/content/fsitaliane/it/opere-strategiche/napoli---bari.html |publisher=Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane |access-date=15 August 2023 |language=it}}</ref> The region is crossed northwest to southeast by the [[Autostrada A14 (Italy)|A14 highway]] ([[Bologna]]–[[Taranto]]), which connects the region's capital, [[Bari]], to [[Taranto]], the second most populous city in the region. The A14 also connects [[Foggia]] and points further north along the Adriatic coast to [[Pescara]], [[Ancona]], [[Rimini]] and eventually [[Bologna]]. The only other highway in the region is the [[Autostrada A16 (Italy)|A16]] (Naples–Canosa), which crosses the Italian peninsula east–west and links the region with [[Naples]].

There are two international airports, [[Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport|Karol Wojtyła Airport]] in Bari ([[IATA]]: '''BRI''') and [[Brindisi Airport]] (IATA: '''BDS'''), which serve as the principal logistical hub for the United Nations Global Service Center headquartered in [[Brindisi]]. With the approval of a redevelopment project in 2018, the [[Grottaglie Airfield]] (IATA: '''TAR''') will host a [[spaceport]] for the [[Italian Space Agency]] and [[Virgin Galactic]].

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|1861 |1334619|1871 |1440079|1881 |1608766|1901 |1986806|1911 |2195335|1921 |2365169|1931 |2508305|1936 |2642076|1951 |3220485|1961 |3421217
|1971 |3582787
|1981 |3871617|1991 |4031885|2001 |4020707|2011 |4052566|2021|3922941|source=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Popolazione residente e presente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1971|trans-title=Resident and present population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1971|url=https://ebiblio.istat.it/digibib/Censimenti%20popolazione/Censimentipopolazioneresidentedal1861/PUV0027177Pop_res_pres_cens_1861_1971_Tomo1.pdf|date=1971-10-24|lang=it|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Dashboard Permanent census of population and housing|url=https://esploradati.censimentopopolazione.istat.it/databrowser/#/en/censtest/dashboards|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref>}}

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 by a decrease in immigration.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://circa.europa.eu/irc/dsis/regportraits/info/data/en/itf4_pop.htm |title=Eurostat |publisher=c.europa.eu |access-date=22 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721132805/http://circa.europa.eu/irc/dsis/regportraits/info/data/en/itf4_pop.htm |archive-date=21 July 2011 }}</ref>

==Government and politics==
{{Main|Politics of Apulia}}

Since 1 June 2015, former [[judge]] and mayor of [[Bari]] [[Michele Emiliano]] of the [[Democratic Party (Italy)|Democratic Party]] has served as President of the Apulian region.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.regione.puglia.it/index.php?page=presidente&opz=scheda&dp_id=3|title = Scheda Personale|access-date = 17 October 2015|website = Sito web Istituzionale della Regione Puglia|language = it|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150905113948/http://www.regione.puglia.it/index.php?page=presidente&opz=scheda&dp_id=3|archive-date = 5 September 2015|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url = http://www.completamente.org/scarica/MicheleEmiliano.pdf|title = BIOGRAFIA|access-date = 5 September 2015|website = CompletaMente.org|language = it|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041852/http://www.completamente.org/scarica/MicheleEmiliano.pdf|archive-date = 4 March 2016|url-status = dead}}</ref>

===Administrative divisions===
[[File:Map of region of Apulia, Italy, with provinces-it.svg|thumb|Provinces of Apulia]]

Apulia is divided into six provinces:

{| class="wikitable centered"
|-
! style="background:#ccf;"|Province
! style="background:#ccf;"|Population
|-
| [[Metropolitan City of Bari]]
| 1.221.682
|-
| [[Province of Lecce]]
| 767.231
|-
| [[Province of Foggia]]
| 593.078
|-
| [[Province of Taranto]]
| 553.501
|-
| [[Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani]]
| 377.929
|-
| [[Province of Brindisi]]
| 377.240
|}

==Culture==
{{main|Culture in Apulia}}
===Cuisine===
{{main|Apulian cuisine}}
Important locally produced ingredients include olive oil, artichokes, tomatoes, eggplant, asparagus, and various kinds of seafood. Local specialties include the [[Carosello (melon)|carosello]], a variety of [[Cucumis melo|muskmelon]] which is often consumed when unripe. Apulian [[Protected designation of origin]] (PDO) and [[Geographical indications and traditional specialities in the European Union|Protected Geographical indication]] (PGI) products included cheeses, olive oils, fruits and vegetables, and a type of bread.

Typically Apulian pasta shapes are [[orecchiette]], [[cavatelli]], [[troccoli]], [[:it:Strascinati|strascinati]] and [https://www.staffettaincucina.com/2019/01/pizzarieddi-al-sugo.html pizzarieddi], Popular street foods include [[panzerotti]], sgagliozze (fried [[polenta]]), popizze (small fried balls of pizza dough that are sometimes also called [[:it:Pettole|pettule]]), [[Rustico (pastry)|rustici]] (puff pastries stuffed with tomatoes, béchamel sauce, mozzarella, and black pepper), and [[focaccia]] barese (foccaccia with fresh tomatoes and olives).<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Paolo |date=2022-08-18 |title=A Local's Guide to The Best Food in Puglia |url=https://goaskalocal.com/blog/typical-foods-of-puglia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215205504/https://goaskalocal.com/blog/typical-foods-of-puglia |archive-date=Dec 15, 2023 |website=Go Ask A Local. |language=en-US}}</ref> Some popular pastries / desserts include the famous [[Pasticciotto|pasticiotto]] (a flaky shortbread dough filled with custard), [[chiacchiere]], [https://blog.giallozafferano.it/salatoedolcecompagnia/tette-delle-monache/ tette della moniche], [[:it:Sannacchiudere|sannacchiudere]] and [[cupeta]]. A popular snack from Apulia are [[Taralli]].

<gallery mode="packed" heights="135px">
Spaghetti_con_le_cozze_2.jpg|Spaghetti con le cozze (with mussels)
Munaceddhri.jpg|Monacelle (land snail species ''[[Cantareus apertus]]'')
La_scapece.JPG|Scapece gallipolina: fried fish preserved in red wine vinegar with [[bread crumbs]] and [[saffron]]
Marro_al_forno_con_patate.JPG|Cazzomarro: baked [[Roulade|involtini]] of lamb entrails
Goat_chops.jpg|Goat chops
Lampascioni.jpg|{{lang|it|Lampascioni sott'olio}}, prepared bulbs of the grape hyacinth ''[[Leopoldia comosa]]'' preserved in olive oil
</gallery>

===Language===
As with the other regions of Italy, the national language (since 1861) is Italian. However, because of its long and varied history, other historical languages have been used in this region for centuries. The local languages of northern and central Apulia (roughly the provinces of [[Province of Bari|Bari]], [[Barletta-Andria-Trani]], and [[Province of Foggia|Foggia]] as well as the northwestern parts of the [[Province of Taranto]]) are the Apulian Southern [[Italo-Romance]] dialects, including [[Bari dialect]] and [[Tarantino dialect]]. In the southern region of [[Salento]], an extreme Southern [[Italo-Romance]] language, the [[Salentino dialect]] is widely spoken. There is also an [[Italiot Greek]] language found in Salento called [[Griko]], which is still spoken by a few thousand [[Griko people]] in some areas.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|title=Ethnologue report for language code:ell|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ell|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528151907/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ell|archive-date=28 May 2010|access-date=22 April 2010|publisher=Ethnologue}}</ref> In addition, a rare daughter language of the [[Franco-Provençal language]] called [[Faetar]] is spoken in the mountain villages of [[Faeto]] and [[Celle di San Vito]], in the [[Province of Foggia]]. It is sometimes classified as a pair of dialects of Franco-Provençal, Faetar and Cellese.<ref name="Nagy 2011">{{cite journal|last1=Nagy|first1=Naomi|title=A Multilingual Corpus to Explore Variation in Language Contact Situations|journal=Rassegna Italiana di Linguistica Applicata|date=2011|volume=43|issue=1–2|page=3|url=http://projects.chass.utoronto.ca/ngn/pdf/Nagy_2011_RILA_HLVC.pdf |via=Computing in the Humanities and Social Sciences |access-date=3 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204171730/http://projects.chass.utoronto.ca/ngn/pdf/Nagy_2011_RILA_HLVC.pdf|archive-date=4 February 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Arbëreshë people|Arbëreshë]] dialect of the [[Albanian language]] has been spoken by a small community since refugees settled there in the 16th century.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=aae |title=Ethnologue report for language code:aae |publisher=Ethnologue |access-date=13 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002125012/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=aae |archive-date=2 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Sports===
Apulia is home to several national football, [[water polo]], volleyball, basketball and tennis clubs.

Across the top three levels of [[Italian football league system|Italian football]], the clubs in Apulia include:
* [[U.S. Lecce]] playing in [[Serie A]]
* [[S.S.C. Bari]] playing in [[Serie B]]
* [[Calcio Foggia 1920]] playing in [[Serie C]]
* [[S.S. Audace Cerignola]] playing in [[Serie C]]
* [[S.S. Monopoli 1966]] playing in [[Serie C]]

==See also==
* [[Catepanate of Italy]]
* [[Gravina in Puglia]]
* [[Daunian Mountains]]
* [[Gargano]]
* [[Grecia Salentina]]
* [[Iapygians]]
* [[Magna Graecia]]
* [[Messapians]]
* [[Sacra Corona Unita]]
* [[Salento]]
* [[Tavoliere delle Puglie]]
* [[Terra d'Otranto]]
* [[Trullo]]

== Explanatory notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{See also|:it:Storia della Puglia#Bibliografia}}
*Desmond Seward, ''An Armchair Traveller's History of Apulia'' (Haus Publishing, 2013)
*Stefania Mola, ''Apulia: the Cathedrals'' (Adda, 2008)
*Francesco Carofiglio, ''Apulia, a Tourist's Guide to the Culture of Apulia'' (1988)
*Susanna Gelmetti, ''Italian Country Cooking: Recipes from Umbria & Apulia'' (1996), {{ISBN|1872803229}}
*''Apulia: A Film Tourism Guide'' (Laterza, 2009, 246 pp)
*Tessa Garton, ''Early Romanesque Sculpture in Apulia'' (Courtauld Institute, 1984)
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Apulia|volume=2|pages=235–236|first=Thomas|last=Ashby|author-link=Thomas Ashby (archaeologist)}}
* {{cite book
|title= Regions of Italy: a Reference Guide to History and Culture |author=Roy Domenico |publisher=Greenwood|isbn= 0313307334 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wZ-PMNC5XOkC
|year=2002
|chapter= Apulia 
|ref= {{harvid|Domenico|2002}}
}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Apulia}} {{Wikivoyage|Apulia}}
* [http://www.regione.puglia.it/ Official website] {{In lang|it}}

{{Apulia}}
{{Regions of Italy}}
{{Italy topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Apulia| ]]
[[Category:Coloniae (Roman)]]
[[Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union]]
[[Category:Regions of Italy]]
[[Category:Wine regions of Italy]]