Umbria

Umbria
Region
Coat of arms
ISO 3166 code		IT-55
GDP (nominal)	€22.5 billion (2018)[1]
GDP per capita	€25,400 (2018)[2]
HDI (2021)	0.900[3] very high · 12th of 21
NUTS Region	ITE
Website	www.regione.umbria.it

Umbria (

.

The region is characterized by hills, mountains, valleys and historical towns such as the university centre of

and other small cities.

Geography

Umbria is bordered by Tuscany to the west and the north, Marche to the east and Lazio to the south. Partly hilly and mountainous, and partly flat and fertile owing to the valley of the Tiber, its topography includes part of the central Apennines, with the highest point in the region at Monte Vettore on the border of the Marche, at 2,476 metres (8,123 feet); the lowest point is Attigliano, 96 metres (315 feet). It is the only Italian region having neither a coastline nor a common border with other countries. The comune of Città di Castello has an exclave named Monte Ruperto within Marche. Contained within Umbria is the hamlet of Cospaia, which was a tiny republic from 1440 to 1826, created by accident.

Umbria is crossed by two valleys: the Umbrian valley ("Valle Umbra"), stretching from Perugia to Spoleto, and the Tiber Valley ("Val Tiberina"), north and west of the first one, from Città di Castello to the border with Lazio. The Tiber River forms the approximate border with Lazio, although its source is just over the Tuscan border. The Tiber's three principal tributaries flow southward through Umbria. The

, flowing into the Tiber further south, at Terni; its valley is called the Valnerina. The upper Nera cuts ravines in the mountains; the lower, in the Tiber basin, has created a wide floodplain.

In antiquity, the plain was covered by a pair of shallow, interlocking lakes, the Lacus Clitorius and the Lacus Umber. They were drained by the

monks started the process in the 13th century, and the draining was completed by an engineer from Foligno in the 18th century.

The eastern part of the region, being crossed by many faults, has been often hit by earthquakes: the last ones have been that of 1997 (which hit Nocera Umbra, Gualdo Tadino, Assisi and Foligno) and those of 2016 (which struck Norcia and the Valnerina).^[4]

In literature, Umbria is referred to as Il cuore verde d'Italia or The green heart of Italy. The phrase is taken from a poem by

in Umbria.

History

Antiquity

The region is named for the

tribes.

The Umbri probably sprang, like neighbouring peoples, from the creators of the

The

After the downfall of the Etruscans, Umbrians aided the Samnites in their struggle against Rome (308 BC). Later communications with Samnium were impeded by the Roman fortress of Narnia (founded 229 BC on the place of the umbrian Nequinum, conquered in 299 BC).^[11][12][8] Romans defeated the Samnites and their Gallic allies in the battle of Sentinum (295 BC).^[12] Allied Umbrians and Etruscans had to return home and defend each of their territories against simultaneous Roman attacks, leaving the Samnites without their help at Sentinum.

The Roman victory at Sentinum initiated a period of integration under the Roman rulers, who established some colonies, such as

but the local people did not aid the invader.

During the

Modern Umbria is different from

After the collapse of the

Middle Ages

Soon after the end of the

Ghibellines

.

In the early 14th century, the

Modern history

After the

Napoleonic Empire (1809–1814) under the name of department of Trasimène.^[19]

After Napoleon's defeat, the Pope regained Umbria and ruled it until 1860.

Marmore waterfall and its secluded position.^[22]

The region of Umbria at the time was somewhat larger than today, comprising Rieti to the south, now part of Lazio.^[21] Rieti was detached and added to the Province of Rome (Lazio) in 1923.^[21] In 1927, the region of Umbria was divided into the provinces of Perugia and Terni.^[21]

During WWII, the industrial centers of the region like Terni and Foligno were heavily bombed and in 1944 became a battlefield between the allied forces and the Germans retreating towards the

Italian Republic as a region, comprising the two provinces of Perugia and Terni.^[23]

Economy

The present economic structure emerged from a series of transformations which took place mainly in the 1970s and 1980s. During this period, there was rapid expansion among small and medium-sized firms and a gradual retrenchment among the large firms which had hitherto characterised the region's industrial base. This process of structural adjustment is still going on.[24]

Economically the most important region is the upper Tiber valley with Città di Castello. Terni steelworks (stainless steel, titanium, alloy steel) and processing companies (automotive, stainless steel tubes, industrial food facility) account for 20 to 25% of Umbria's GDP. In Terni there are also many multinational companies in the fields of chemistry, hydroelectric power, renewable sources of energy, and textiles (Alcantara, Cashmere). In the rest of the region the ornamental ceramics industry is much esteemed.^[24]

Umbrian agriculture is noted for its tobacco,

black truffle found in Valnerina, an area that produces 45% of this product in Italy.^[24]

The food industry in Umbria produces processed pork-meats, confectionery, pasta and the traditional products of Valnerina in preserved form (truffles, lentils, cheese).

The unemployment rate stood at 8.2% in 2020.[28]

Umber

Umber
CIELChuv (L, C, h)		(36, 15, 39°)
Source	ISCC-NBS
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Dark grayish yellowish brown
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Main article: Umber