- Province of Latina
Infobox_ProvinceIT
fullname = Province of Latina
name = Latina
region =Lazio
capital = Latina
commune = 33
area = 2,251
population_as_of = (2005)
population = 519,850
populationdensity = 231
vehicle = LT
postal_code = 04100
telephone_prefix = 0773, 06, 0771
ISTAT = 059
president = Armando Cusani
The Province of Latina ( _it. Provincia di Latina) is a province in theLazio region ofItaly . Its capital is the city of Rome(Roma)It has an area of 2,251 km², and a total population of 519,850 (2005). There are 33 "
comuni " (singular: "comune ") in the province [http://www.upinet.it/indicatore.asp?id_statistiche=6] , seeComuni of the Province of Latina .The main "comuni" by population are:
History
The province of Latina was founded on
December 18 ,1934 , encompassing mainly the dried areas of theAgro Pontino previously part of theprovince of Rome . Apart the Pontine lands, it includes the Aurunci, Lepini and Ausoni mountain ranges, as well as thePontine islands archipelago. The port ofGaeta andFormia , in the southernmost part of the province, belonged traditionally and linguistically toCampania .Geography
Although the smallest of the provinces in the Lazio region, the province of Latina includes a variety of geographical and historical areas.
Hill and mountain areas
The mainland area is, in the south- and north-eastern part, mostly occupied by
limestone hills and mountains. Ranges include the Lepini, Aurunci and Ausoni. The highest altitude are the 1,533 m ofMonte Petrella (Aurunci). The climate is semi-continental with hot summers and cold winters; temperatures rarely fell under 0°C. The mountains are characterized by small medieval settlements ("borghi") and traditionally live of cattle raising and agriculture; however, these activities saw a marked decline in recent times, and today workers usually commute daily to work inRome or Latina.Tourism is an increasing interesting resource, attracted especially by the uncontamined nature and by artistical traces of the Middle Ages (Abbeys of Valvisciolo and Fossanova, whereSt. Thomas Aquinas died). The main centres of this area areCori ,Sezze andPriverno .Agro Pontino
The Agro Pontino occupies the plain extending southwards from
Aprilia toTerracina , along the Tyrrhenian Sea. Until the 1930s it was covered by unhealthy marshes, which were dried up under Fascist government; the area as subsequently settled by immigrants coming from north-eastern Italy, in newly built cities likeSabaudia or Latina itself. The sole mountain peak is that ofCirceo promontory. The climate is mild. The Agro Pontino is the most economically developed part of the province, housing a flourishing agricultural sector and numerous service firms and industries. It also houses much of the water basins of the province, like the coast Lakes of Fogliano, Caprolace and Paola.Apart the capital, the main cities include
Cisterna di Latina , Terracina and Sabaudia, the latter being an important tourist resort.Formia and Gaeta
Cities rich of ancient and medieval history, Gaeta and Formia were traditionally part of the
Kingdom of Naples . They belonged to theCampania region until 1934. Traces of the different cultural milieu can be identified in the costumes and, most of all, in the local dialect, a variant of Neapolitan. Formia and Gaeta constitues a single metropolitan area with an important port (with connection to the Pontine Islands), a station on the main railway line Rome-Naples. Other important centres includeSperlonga andMinturno .Pontine Islands
Once mainly used as penitentiaries, the Pontine Islands are now a renowned touristical resort in summer. The only inhabited islands are
Ponza andVentotene References
External links
* [http://www.provincia.latina.it/ Official website]
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