POPULATION DISTRIBUTION AND DENSITY


Case Study: Population distribution in the Italian Mezzogiorno


Revise


pages 306–307 of your


Changing World core textbook.


The Mezzogiorno region of southern Italy is home to almost 21 million people and has an average population density of 140 per square kilometre. Its population is, however, very unevenly distributed (see Figure 4 on page 6). Some coastal areas are densely populated and experience population increase, while much of the interior is sparsely populated and experiences population decline. The basic reason for this is that coastal areas are generally more economically developed than interior areas.


Coastal areas  The Mezzogiorno’s best agricultural land is


in coastal areas. Such areas include places of rich volcanic soil close to Mount Vesuvius and small but fertile alluvial coastal plains in places such as the Metapontino area in the ‘instep’ of Italy. The Cassa per il Mezzogiorno and the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) set up irrigation schemes and other initiatives that allowed small but intensive farms to prosper in such coastal areas.


 The Mezzogiorno’s largest cities are all on or near the coast. They include Naples, Palermo, Bari, Brindisi and Taranto. The Cassa per il Mezzogiorno chose such urban areas as ‘growth-poles’ of manufacturing industry and helped to develop in them heavy industries such as steel mills, oil refineries and petro- chemical plants. Light, footloose industries such as computer manufacturing were also attracted to coastal cities because of the large and relatively low-wage labour force that was available there.


 Tertiary activities such as tourism have provided valuable employment in coastal resorts such as Sorrento and in historic sites such as Pompeii.


 Job opportunities in coastal cities have attracted in-migration from economically depressed interior areas. Such migration has further boosted the populations of coastal areas.


Interior areas  The interior of the Mezzogiorno is dominated


by the rugged and steep-sided Apennine Mountains. Agriculture in such areas is confined mainly to sheep farming – an activity that can maintain only sparse human population densities.


 Hilly terrain, poor roads and an absence of vibrant urban areas prevent the development of large-scale industry throughout most of the interior.


 Tertiary economic activities are also poorly developed. Tourism, for example, is severely hampered by poor access to many upland areas and by a general shortage of hotels and other amenities.


Terms to know


 With few employment opportunities outside farming, many young people are forced to leave remote interior villages in search of work. The mountain village of Aliano in Basilicata provides a typical example of this. Since the 1960s the population of Aliano has fallen by more than 25 per cent as a result of out-migration. Most migrants are young adults and this has contributed to steadily falling birth rates and to an ongoing spiral of population decline.


Types of industry Heavy industries process large amounts of bulky raw materials. They include steel making, chemical manufacturing, etc. Light industries concentrate mainly on the manufacture of smaller consumer goods such as computers, clothing etc. Footloose industries are those that can thrive in a wide range of locations.


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