Molise

Molise (mōlē`zā), region (1991 pop. 330,900), 1,714 sq mi (4,439 sq km), S central Italy, bordering on the Adriatic Sea in the east. Campobasso is the capital of the region, which is divided into the provinces of Campobasso and Isérnia. Mostly mountainous, Molise is crossed by the Apennines; there is a narrow coastal strip. The main occupation in the generally poor region is farming; cereals, pigs, and sheep are raised. Molise's few industries include the processing of food and the manufacture of clothing. Molise was conquered by the Romans in the 4th cent. B.C. After the fall of Rome it came under the Lombard duchy of Benevento (6th–11th cent.). From the 12th cent., it shared the history of Abruzzi.

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Molise

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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Molise

a region of S central Italy, the second smallest of the regions: separated from Abruzzi e Molise in 1965. Capital: Campobasso. Pop.: 321 047 (2003 est.). Area: 4438 sq. km (1731 sq. miles)

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Molise 

a region in southern Italy, on the Italian Peninsula. Area, 4,400 sq km; population, 319,600 (1971).

Formed in 1965, Molise consists of the provinces of Campobasso and Isernia. The city of Campobasso is the regional capital. A hilly plain stretches along the Adriatic Sea in the northeast. The Molise plateau, which occupies the central part of the region, is composed mainly of flysch. In the south the Matese mountain range, composed of limestone, leads into the Apennines and reaches an elevation of 2,050 m (Mount Miletto).

Agriculture is the chief economic activity of the region. Less than 50 percent of the land is under cultivation; wheat and legumes are among the principal crops. Grapes and olives are cultivated in the foothills and on the gentle slopes of the lower belt of the mountains. In the mountain pastures, livestock raising, chiefly of sheep (138,000 head in 1971), is predominant. Agricultural products are processed, and there are various cottage industries. Molise is a growing tourist center, and facilities such as hotels and swimming pools have been built since 1973.