South Italy facts for kids
South Italy (also called Italia meridionale or Sud Italia in Italian) is one of five main areas in Italy. The Italian government uses these areas for statistics and elections. It's like a way to group parts of the country together for official information. The National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) defines these regions. This region is part of a system called NUTS1, which helps organize data across Europe.
It's important not to mix up "South Italy" with the Mezzogiorno, or Southern Italy. The Mezzogiorno usually means the entire southern part of Italy. This includes the islands of Sicily and sometimes Sardinia. However, Sicily and Sardinia are their own separate statistical region.
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| Regional statistics | |
|---|---|
| Composition |  Abruzzo Apulia Basilicata Calabria Campania Molise |
| Area - Total |
73,223 km2 (28,272 sq mi) |
| Population - Total |
14,071,161 (2016 est.) |
| GDP | €245.8 billion (2008) |
Geography of South Italy
South Italy is located in the southern part of the Italian peninsula. To the north, it shares borders with Central Italy. Specifically, it borders Lazio to the northwest and Marche to the northeast.
The Adriatic Sea is to the east of South Italy. The Tyrrhenian Sea is to the west. To the south, you will find the Ionian Sea.
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Lazio | Marche | |
|
| Tyrrhenian Sea |  |
Adriatic Sea | ||
 South Italy  |
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| Ionian Sea |
The Apennines are a long chain of mountain ranges. They run from north to south right through South Italy. The highest point in this region is a peak called Corno Grande. It is part of the Gran Sasso mountain group. Corno Grande stands at 2,912 metres (9,554 ft) tall.
Regions of South Italy
South Italy includes six of the 20 regions that make up Italy. These regions are further divided into 24 provinces. Within these provinces, there are 1,789 smaller areas called comuni (which are like towns or local districts).
| Region | Capital City | Population (2016) |
Area (km²) |
People per km² | Provinces | Comuni |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abruzzo | L'Aquila | 1,326,513 | 10,831.84 | 122.5 | 4 | 305 |
| Apulia | Bari | 4,077,166 | 19,540.90 | 208.6 | 6 | 258 |
| Basilicata | Potenza | 573,694 | 10,073.32 | 57.0 | 2 | 131 |
| Calabria | Catanzaro | 1,970,521 | 15,221.90 | 129.5 | 5 | 409 |
| Campania | Naples | 5,850,850 | 13,670.95 | 428.0 | 5 | 550 |
| Molise | Campobasso | 312,027 | 4,460.65 | 70.0 | 2 | 136 |
| Total | 14,110,771 | 73,799.56 | 191.2 | 24 | 1,789 | |
Here are some of the largest comuni (towns or cities) in South Italy. Each of these has more than 100,000 people living in it:
| City/Town | Population | Province | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naples | 974,074 | Naples | Campania |
| Bari | 326,344 | Bari | Apulia |
| Taranto | 201,100 | Taranto | Apulia |
| Reggio Calabria | 183,035 | Reggio Calabria | Calabria |
| Foggia | 151,991 | Foggia | Apulia |
| Salerno | 135,261 | Salerno | Campania |
| Giugliano in Campania | 122,974 | Naples | Campania |
| Pescara | 121,014 | Pescara | Abruzzo |
| Andria | 100,861 | Barletta-Andria-Trani | Apulia |
Related pages
- NUTS level 1:
- Northwest Italy
- Northeast Italy
- Central Italy
- South Italy
- Insular Italy
- Northern Italy
- Southern Italy
See also
In Spanish: Italia meridional para niños
