Molise

Molise [mō′lē zā΄]

region of SC Italy: 1,714 sq mi (4,439 sq km); pop. 331,000

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Mo·li·se (mōʹlĭ-zā')

A region of south-central Italy bordering on the Adriatic Sea. Conquered by the Romans in the 4th century B.C., it was ruled by a Lombard duchy from the 6th to the 11th century A.D.

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Autonomous region (pop., 2001 prelim.: 316,548), south-central Italy.

Its western sector is part of the Apennines, and the remainder consists mostly of low mountains and hills. Under Lombard rule during the early Middle Ages, it was controlled by the duchy of Benevento. In the 13th century it successively came under Angevin, Spanish, and Bourbon rulers. In 1860 it was joined to Abruzzi to form Abruzzi e Molise, which was incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy. In 1965 Abruzzi e Molise was divided back into the separate regions of Abruzzi and Molise. It is one of Italy's most rural regions; its capital, Campobasso, is the only city of any size.

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▪ region, Italy

      regione, southeast-central Italy. It consists of the provinces of Campobasso and Isernia and was created in 1965 from the southern portion of the former region of Abruzzi e Molise. The region's western sector is part of the mountainous Apennines; it is drained by the Volturno River westward to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The rest of Molise consists mostly of low mountains and hills, with a narrow strip of lowlands along the Adriatic coast; 90 percent of the region is considered upland. Central and eastern Molise are drained by the Biferno River to the Adriatic Sea.

      One of the nation's most rural regions, Molise is unique in showing virtually no change in population during the first century of existence of the Italian state; from 1861 to 1961 its population increased approximately 1 percent, mainly because the growth rate was offset by constant emigration, mostly to other regions within Italy. Wheat and potatoes are the principal crops, and livestock raising (pigs, sheep, goats, cattle) is extensive. Industrial development is slight, though there are small plants associated with the food and garment industries. Campobasso, the regional capital, is the only city of any size. The history of Molise is closely connected with that of neighbouring Abruzzi. Area 1,713 square miles (4,438 square km). Pop. (2006 est.) 320,907.

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