Northern Italy

Map showing Northern Italy as defined by the Italian statistics institute (istat): the sum of the NUTS regions of Italia Nord-Ovest and Italia Nord-Est

Northern Italy is a wide cultural, historical and geographical definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the northern part of the Italian state, also referred as Settentrione or Alta Italia. It coincides with two areas belonging to Italian first level NUTS of the European Union:

• North-West (Nord-Ovest) that includes the regions of: Aosta Valley, Liguria, Lombardy and Piedmont

• North-East (Nord-Est) that includes the regions of: Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Veneto

Geography

By far the larger portion of Northern Italy is occupied by the basin of the Po river, which comprises the whole of the broad plain extending from the foot of the Apennines to that of the Alps, together with the valleys and slopes on both sides of it. Throughout its whole course indeed, from its source in Monte Viso to its outflow into the Adriatic Sea—a distance of more than 5 degrees of longitude, or 220 miles in a direct line—the Po receives all the waters that flow from the Apennines northwards, and all those that descend from the Alps towards the south, till one comes to the Adige, which, after pursuing a parallel course with the Po for a considerable distance, enters the Adriatic by a separate mouth.

Economy

Northern Italy is the most developed and productive area of the country, and the first part of Italy to be industrialized in the last half of the 19th century, the so called industrial triangle formed by the manufacturing centres of Milan and Turin and the seaport of Genoa. With a 2008 nominal GDP estimated in €860.6 billion,^[1] Northern Italy accounts for almost 55% of the national economy.

Pollution in Northern Italy

In 2005 the BBC and Meteorologists across Europe revealed that Northern Italy was one of Europe's most polluted areas due to smog, and air pollution. Today, the air quality in Northern Italy still continues to be a major factor that the area has to face.^[2]

Farming

Farming in North Italy has many advantages, including the following:

• It is easy to borrow money.
• Local colleges can show modern farming methods.
• Fertile soil
• Rain falls throughout the year, so there is no summer drought.
• Close to urban markets
• Farmers have their own land

Related categories

• Southern Italy

See also

• Italian NUTS level 1 regions
  • Northwest Italy
  • Northeast Italy
  • Central Italy
  • South Italy
  • Insular Italy

• Padania

Notes

• Larousse's definition of Padania

References

1. ^ http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=tgs00003&plugin=1
2. ^ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=15900