Friuli-Venezia Giulia

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Coordinates: 46°9′54″N, 12°54′19″E

Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Image:Italy Regions Friuli-Venezia Giulia Map.png
Geography
Status Autonomous region
Capital Trieste
President Renzo Tondo
(PdL)
Provinces 4
Area 7,856 km²
 - Ranked 17th (2.6 %)
Population (2006 est.)
 - Total 1,208,278
 - Ranked 15th (2.0 %)
 - Density 154/km²

Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Friulian: Friûl-Vignesie Julie, German: Friaul-Julisch Venetien, Slovene: Furlanija - Julijska krajina, Venetian: Friul-Venezsia Jułia) is one of the twenty regions of Italy, and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The capital is Trieste. It has an area of 7,856 km² and about 1.2 million inhabitants. A natural opening to the sea for many Central European countries, the region is traversed by the major transport routes between the east and west of southern Europe.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Located in northeastern Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia borders the region of Veneto to the west, the republics of Austria and Slovenia to the north and east, and the Adriatic Sea to the south. Friuli-Venezia Giulia has an area of 7844 km² and 1.2 million inhabitants. The length of its coast is 111.7 km. Its capital is Trieste (Slovenian: Trst; German: Triest).

Friuli-Venezia Giulia is divided into four provinces:

Provinces of Friuli-Venezia Giulia

[edit] History

Main articles: History of Friuli and History of Venezia Giulia
See also: Gorizia and Gradisca and Austrian Littoral

The name comes from the Latin name of the town of Cividale, ancient capital of the Lombard duchy, which used to be "Forum Iulii" ("Julius' forum", named after Julius Caesar). This region was created after World War II to solve the problem of Trieste, which had lost its natural hinterland, that was the major part of Venezia Giulia and has been included in the then-existing country of Yugoslavia. Therefore it was decided to aggregate the historical region of Friuli to Trieste.

[edit] Economy

See also: Friuli-Venezia Giulia wine

Agriculture gives corn, grapes and sugar beet and fungus cheese. Cattle-breeding is important. Industry is based on the shipyards of Trieste and Monfalcone, the steel factories of Pozzuolo del Friuli, the vineyards that produce wine and grappa. Furniture production is concentrated in Manzano and Brugnera.

[edit] Politics

PdL gained 53.8% of Friuli-Venezia Giulia's votes at the Italian general election in 2008. The region's local government, led by President Renzo Tondo, is center-right.

[edit] Demographics

Apart from Italian, the Friulian language is spoken in most of the region - with a few exceptions, most notably Trieste; there is also a sizeable Slovenian and a small German minority.

The Slovenian language is spoken throughout the province of Trieste, as well as in the eastern parts of the provinces of Gorizia and Udine, in the area called Venetian Slovenia, which comprises the Resia Valley and in the upper valleys of the rivers Torre and Natisone, with many villages having both Italian and Slovenian names.

The number of native German speakers in Friuli-Venezia Giulia is estimated to be around 2,000. They live in the Channel Valley (municipalities of Tarvis, Malborghetto Valbruna, and Pontebba), which is adjacent to Austria, and in the municipality of Sauris (Zahre) and the village of Tischlbong (municipality of Paluzza), which each form a language exclave.

As of 2006, the Italian national institute of statistics ISTAT estimated that 58,915 foreign-born immigrants live in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, or 4.9% of the total regional population.

Towns of Friuli-Venezia Giulia with a population of 50,000 or more:

Comune Population
(2006 estimate)
Trieste 206,058
Udine 96,678
Pordenone 50,926

[edit] Notable residents or natives

[edit] External links