Emilia-Romagna
Template:Infobox RegionIT Emilia-Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. It forms a rough triangle, bounded on the East by the Adriatic Sea, on the North by the Po river and on the South by the Appennine range. With 4,030,000 inhabitants in 22,123 sq. km (8545 sq. mi) as of the 2003 census, it is a densely populated region (especially in the plain half). Emilia-Romagna is one of the richest regions of Italy, and its cuisine one of the most characteristic.
Agriculture is the most important economic activity: cereals, potatoes, maize, tomatoes and onions are the most important, along with fruit and grapes for the production of wine (of which the most famous are perhaps Lambrusco, Sangiovese and Albana). Cattle and hog breeding are also highly developed.
The industry of Emilia-Romagna is also healthy, especially the food industry and tourism along the Adriatic coastline.
The principal city is Bologna, an historic, cultural and entertainment center of national importance. Other important cities include Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Rimini, Ferrara, Forlì, Cesena and Ravenna.
The name Emilia-Romangna has roots in the Ancient Rome legacy in these lands. Emilia refers to via Emilia, an important Roman way connecting Rome to the northern part of Italy. Romagna is a corruption of Romània; when Ravenna was the capital of the Italian portion of the Byzantine Empire, the Longobards extended the official name of the Empire to the lands around Ravenna.
Demographics
The population of Emilia Romagna is largely Italian, but there has been a rise in the number of migrants in the area:
- Italian: 3,819,823 or 94.7%
- Moroccan: 39,946 or 1.0%
- Albanian: 28,870 or 0.7%
- Tunisian: 13,800 or 0.3%
- Romanian: 10,848 or 0.2%
