Murgia

For The infantry division, see 154 Infantry Division Murge.

Murgia (plural: Murge) is a sub-region of Apulia (Puglia) in southern Italy, corresponding to a karst topographic plateau of rectangular shape, occupying the central area of the region. The name stems from the Latin murex, meaning "sharp stone".

Geography

Landscape of the Murge plateau.

The Murge plateau covers a surface of c. 4,000 km², bordered by the Ofanto river and the Tavoliere delle Puglie on the north, the Adriatic Sea on the northeast, and by the so-called Messapic depression, which separates it from the Salento peninsula, on the south. It is usually divided into Alta Murgia (High Murgia), the highest area, with poorer vegetation, and Bassa Murgia (Lower Murgia), with more fertile land, prevalently cultivated with olives.

The highest elevation of the plateau is the Monte Caccia, at 679 m. The rocks are mostly composed of Cretacic limestone, so that karst landscapes prevail in the area, with doline fields, some large dolines, sinkholes, and caves. The largest dolines may be found near Altamura, Gravina and Molfetta. Near Castellana there is the most important show cave of Apulia region.

Economy

The Murgian economy has been based for a long time on sheep farming and agriculture, with herding (transumanza) of the flocks from the Abruzzo in winter. Besides olives, the other main agricultural staples are vegetables and fruits.

Today also the extraction of marble is important, as well as the furniture industry in the comuni of Gravina in Puglia, Altamura, Santeramo in Colle, and the nearby Matera, in Basilicata.

Of recent creation is the Alta Murgia National Park.