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is an administrative
Region of
Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of
Emilia and
Romagna . It forms a rough triangle, bounded on the East by the
Adriatic Sea , on the North by the
Po river and on the South by the
Appennine Range . With 4,030,000 inhabitants in 22,123 sq. km (8545 sq. mi) as of the
2003 census, it is a densely populated region (especially in the plain half). Emilia-Romagna is one of the richest regions of Italy, and its cuisine one of the most characteristic.
s,
Potato es,
Maize ,
Tomato es and
Onion s are the most important, along with
Fruit and
Grape s for the production of
Wine (of which the most famous are perhaps
Lambrusco ,
Sangiovese and
Albana ).
Cattle and
Hog breeding are also highly developed.
The
Industry of Emilia-Romagna is also healthy, especially the food industry, mechanical and automotive (e.g.
Ferrari ,
Ducati ,
Lamborghini ), and
Tourism especially along the Adriatic coastline.
The principal city is
Bologna , an historic, cultural and entertainment center of national importance. Other important cities include
Parma ,
Piacenza ,
Reggio Emilia ,
Modena ,
Rimini ,
Ferrara ,
Forlì ,
Cesena and
Ravenna .
The name ''Emilia-Romagna'' has roots in the
Ancient Rome legacy in these lands. ''Emilia'' refers to ''
Via Emilia '', an important Roman way connecting
Rome to the northern part of Italy. ''Romagna'' is a corruption of ''Romània''; when Ravenna was the capital of the Italian portion of the
Byzantine Empire , the
Lombards extended the official name of the Empire to the lands around Ravenna.
Politically, Emilia-Romagna is a stronghold of the left, despite being one of the wealthiest parts of Italy. This is because of a strong tradition of
Anti-clericalism dating from the 19th century, when Emilia-Romagna was part of the
Papal States . At the
April 2006 Elections , Emilia-Romagna gave 60% of its votes to the left-wing
Olive Tree coalition of
Romano Prodi .
The population of Emilia Romagna is largely Italian, but there has been a rise in the number of migrants in the area:
