Calabria
Calabria ( Calabria Italian, Albanian Kalabria ) is the southernmost region of the Italian mainland. Figuratively speaking, it occupies the toe of the Italian peninsula. It has an area of 15,080 km ² and 1,958,238 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2012). The regional capital is Catanzaro.
Geography
Calabria is bordered to the north by the Basilicata, to the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea and in the south and east by the Ionian Sea. The coastline stretches over a length of 780 km. The Strait of Messina separates Calabria from Sicily.
Calabria is almost completely covered by mountain ranges. To the south lies the Aspromonte with the Monte Cocuzza (1955 m). The following are the mountains of the Sila and Serre in the north and the massif of Pollino with the highest peak in the area, the Serra Dolcedorme ( 2267 m).
Calabria is crossed by numerous rivers, but the lead in the summer months no water. The longest river is the Crati leading the only water all year round. The largest lakes include the Lago di Cecita reservoirs, Lake Arvo and Lake Ampollino.
In particular, the southern regions of Calabria are exposed due to the Messina Fault repeatedly earthquake. On 5 February 1783 earthquake that destroyed some 300 villages and 30,000 people lost their lives occurred in the southern part. Aftershocks followed on 6 and 7 February and on 1 and 28 March. It is one of the best documented and studied historical seismic events in Italy and also went into the research of Giuseppe Mercalli. The earthquake of 1908 destroyed Messina Reggio Calabria almost completely.
Climate
In Calabria there are three climate zones. On the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west has a subtropical climate with little rainfall in the winter months. On the Ionian Sea prevails hot, dry and low rainfall climate. In the higher elevations of the mountain ranges, it is compared to the coastal regions cooler in the winter months snow falls up to 1200 meters. The average temperature ranges depending on the area between 7 ° C and 15 ° C in January to between 26 ° C and 34 ° C during the months of July and August. Rarely is there ground frost in January and it can ever go to the 20 ° C. Also located in the summer, the temperature is always above 30 ° C, and often reaches 40 ° C. Night temperatures of over 25 ° C are quite normal for this region. Weeks of droughts and forest fires are not uncommon during the peak summer months. Calabria has 320 sunny days a year, making it one of the sunniest regions in Europe.
- In the mountains of Calabria
Flora and Fauna
The region has a rich trees with partly centuries-old beech and pine forests.
The densest forest areas in Italy are in the Aspromonte. Here also flourishes typical of Calabria plant citrus bergamot. In Pollinogebirge the Lorica pine is native, one of Europe's oldest tree species. In the forests wolves, wild cats, snakes and birds of prey live. The typical for the mountains of the Sila and the Serra tree is the pine, which grows up to 50 m high. The forests of this region are also known for their fungal richness. Here foxes, hares and wild boars are predominantly located. In the coastal regions grow palm trees, cactus, cacti, agave, pine, olive, lemon and orange and eucalyptus trees.
To protect flora and fauna, three regional parks have been established. The Parco Nazionale del Pollino to the north extends to the Basilicata. To the south lie the Parco Nazionale della Sila and the Parco Nazionale dell ' Aspromonte.
Geology
Calabria is in large part a mountainous region. The " Calabrian mountains " in the south-western Italy describes an arc, the " Calabrian arc ". This connects the Apennines, so the orographic "backbone " of Italy, with the Maghrebiden, the Hochgebirgszug in the north of Sicily.
The Calabrian mountains is divided into three parts in the Sierra Dolcedorme in the North, the Sila mountains in the middle of Calabria and Aspromonte in the southwestern region. Some even reaches over over the Strait of Messina and forms with the Peloritani the northwest corner of Sicily. However, the Calabrian mountains geologically forms a unit. It consists mainly of Paleozoic granites and gneisses. In places, are Mesozoic to Miocene layers present.
The coastal regions and the valleys of the Crati, Neto and smaller rivers are characterized by sediments of the Middle Miocene to Holocene sediments. The Calabrian mountains comes from the Variscan orogeny phase is thus older than those in the north and southwest subsequent Apennines and Maghrebiden. Since its uplift and a steady erosion of the mountains takes place. The detritus has since been deposited mainly in the west of the Ionian Sea, in part involved in the rising of the mountains with. The north-eastern boundary follows a so-called "Transform fault", ie a position located within the continental plate geological fault zone. There the two adjacent tectonic plates are past one another. Southeast of the Calabrian mountains it comes to subduction, so the sinking of basaltic ocean floor of the African plate under the existing of lighter materials Adriatic plate. The subduction of the African plate has led to the uplift of the Calabrian mountains. Studies have shown that these rocks of the upper layers a bunch of layers, the Apennines and the Sicilian Maghrebiden form.
The Neogene evolution of the Central Mediterranean system is dominated by the migration of the Calabrian arc to the southeast, where the African plate and its Promontori about pushes ( Argand, 1916; Boccaletti and Guazzone, 1972). The main tectonic elements of the Calabrian arc, the southern Italian Apennines, the " Calabria - Peloritans ", or simply " Calabrian block" and the Sicilian Maghrebiden. The mountain foreland consists of the Apulia Platform, which is part of the Adriatic Plate, and the Ragusa or Hybleische platform, which constitutes an extension of the African plate. These platforms are separated from the basin of the Ionian Sea. The basin of the Tyrrhenian Sea is called the back - arc basin. This subduction system shows how the southern African plate with affinity dives beneath the northern plate with a European affinity.
The written recording of the fascinating geology of Calabria takes place for more than a century. For details about the older literature, ie from the period before 1973, the reader is referred to the Systematic review of Ogniben (1973). Ippolito (1959 ) presented a complete bibliography of the literature on the Calabrian geology, published up to that time. The Neogene sedimentary sequences was regarded merely as "post - orogenic " upholstery of the "neo- tectonic " stretch structures. Over time, however, a shift in the temporal meaning of these terms can be found by post- Late Eocene to Early Miocene to post- post- middle Pleistocene.
At the moment the area seismically and volcanically active is high. This is generally attributed to the restoration of equilibrium after the recent ( mid- Pleistocene ) deformation phase. Some authors believe that the Subduktionsprozess still ongoing.
History
Finds and stone carvings show that Calabria was inhabited in the Stone Age. From the period of 1600 BC to 800 BC first settlements of Enotriern, Bruttians, Italians and Siculi are known. From 800 BC, the original inhabitants were pushed back during the Greek colonization in the interior. By 500 BC all the places on the coast were Greek. After the Second Punic War Calabria became a Roman province.
In antiquity, the present territory of Calabria was called Bruttium. With the heel of Italy's Calabria was referred, the Salento peninsula in Puglia. This designation was transferred in the early Middle Ages, when both territories came under Byzantine rule and administratively formed a unit on the previous Bruttium.
From the 6th to the 11th century Calabria was part of the Byzantine Empire. The coastal towns were struck repeatedly and plundered by Arabs. In the 11th century Calabria was conquered by the Normans. As of 1130 it counted under Roger II, along with other southern Italian regions of the Kingdom of Sicily. End of the 13th century, the southern Italian mainland came under the rule of Anjou and formed the Kingdom of Naples. In the following centuries, the Kingdom came under the control of the Crown of Aragon, the Habsburgs and the Bourbons. In the wake of the Risorgimento 1861 it passed to the united Kingdom of Italy.
In the following years there were constant disputes with the brigands, who rebelled against the new rulers. Economic hardship led end of the 19th century to the fact that one in three people left Calabria.
1946 Italy became a republic and Calabria region of Italy. In the 1960s, emigrated 338,000 Calabrese to find work in the north of Italy or abroad.
Administration and civil
Calabria is divided into five provinces. The southernmost province of Reggio Calabria, the north-west connect the smallest area of Vibo Valentia Province and northeast of the provinces of Catanzaro and Crotone. The northernmost and largest province of Cosenza. The regional capital is Catanzaro. The seat of government is located in Reggio Calabria.
The population is predominantly Roman Catholic, with the veneration of Mary and the worship patron saint in the foreground. The church Calabria region comprises three ecclesiastical provinces and twelve dioceses.
In addition to several Italian dialects are spoken grecanisch in some places of the Aspromonte. Own traditions, and at the places with predominantly Albanian population.
Among the internationally known personalities of Calabria, inter alia, include the fashion designer Gianni Versace and the footballer Gennaro Gattuso.
Economy
Main source of income in Calabria are the agriculture and forestry. In the fertile plains on the coasts and in the river valleys grow citrus fruits, olives and a variety of other fruit and vegetables. Typical products include bergamot, citron and red onions ( Cipolla Rossa di Tropea ). Even the wine plays a role. Especially the DOC regions ( Denominazione d' Origine Controlled ) at Ciro, Lamezia Terme, in Savutotal and Reggio Calabria bring forth good red, Rosato and white wines. Apart from agriculture, forestry, fisheries, livestock and the production of various cheeses play an important role.
There are reduced sulfur and rock salt. Industry developed in Calabria after economic reforms in the 1970s, but still plays a minor role. High hopes on tourism, particularly through the airport Lamezia Terme experienced an upswing lately. Especially the area around Tropea and Capo Vaticano is perfectly developed for tourism with hotels in every category.
The unemployment Calabria is well above the overall average Italian.
Crime
The influence of the mafia 'Ndrangheta in Calabria is very strong. Up to 70 % of the companies there are to pay it protection money, the remaining 30% will be controlled directly from her. The 'Ndrangheta probably generates more than three percent of GDP or € 44 billion tax-free. Corruption leads to an ongoing brain drain to the north and abroad.
Traffic
Calabria is connected via the A3 motorway on the Tyrrhenian Sea and a railway line to the northern regions of Italy. In addition, along the Ionian Sea runs the SS 106 Ionica, which connects the east of the region to the north of the country. Daily from the Lamezia Terme and Reggio Calabria operate scheduled flights to Rome and Milan in the summer months charter flights to other European countries. From Villa San Giovanni and Reggio Calabria from ferries to Sicily. The planned construction of a bridge over the Strait of Messina is again driven since the re-election of Berlusconi in 2008.
Culture
Architecture
The remains of ancient buildings in Calabria can be seen among others in the excavations of Locri and Sybaris. Also, the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia in Reggio Calabria shows antique architectural fragments. From the Byzantine period church buildings have been preserved, such as the Cattolica in Stilo, the oratorio San Marco and Panagia in Rossano and the Chiesa San Giovanello Gerace. Under Norman rule as well as other churches arose numerous fortifications. These include the castles of Vibo Valentia Nicotera, Cosenza and Crotone. Due to severe earthquake, many historic buildings were destroyed and rebuilt. An example neoromanischer architecture is the Cathedral of Reggio Calabria, which was rebuilt after the 1908 earthquake.
Cathedral of Reggio Calabria
Cattolica in Stilo
Cathedral of Cosenza
Scilla castle
Aragonese in Reggio Calabria
Painting
One of the most famous painters of Calabria is Mattia Preti, who was famous for his fresco painting in the Baroque style. Among the representatives of modern art is one of the painter and photographer Mimmo Rotella, who was one of the most important Italian pop-art artist.