is a coastal
Region of north-western
Italy , the third smallest of the Italian regions. It borders
France to the west,
Piedmont to the north, and
Emilia-Romagna and
Tuscany to the east. It lies on the
Ligurian Sea , a part of the
Tyrrhenian Sea (northern
Mediterranean Sea ).
The coastal strip forms the
Italian Riviera ; further inland are the Ligurian
Alps , on the west, and the Ligurian
Apennines on the east. The regional capital is
Genoa .
Ancient
Ligures settled the Mediterranean coast from
Rhone to
Arno , but later Gallic migration mixed and produced the Gallo-Ligurian culture.. The region was officially subdued by the
Roman Republic during the
2nd Century BC . During the
Middle Ages , Genoa gradually gained control of most of Liguria, which shared most of the city's history, and, with a few breaks in the 15th and early 16th century when the area was under either
Milanese or
French control, the
Republic Of Genoa ruled the area until
1796 , when the French Revolutionary general
Napoleon Bonaparte reorganized the area into the
Ligurian Republic . The Ligurian Republic proved short-lived, however, and was annexed directly by France in
1805 . Following the end of the
Napoleonic Wars in
1815 , the area was annexed by the
Kingdom Of Sardinia .
The Ligurian coast enjoys a mild maritime
Climate , compared to the semi-
Continental one of the
Po valley, a few kilometers northward; in January, Genoa records an average temperature of about 8-10°C, with no frost, which can occur only in the mountainous interior. Summer averages about 24-25°C.
Rainfall can be very abundant at times; mountains very close to the coast create an
Orographic effect, so Genoa can see up to 2000 mm of rain in a year; other areas instead show the normal values of the Mediterranean area (500-800 mm).
It is noticeable that, despite the high population density, woods cover half of the total area.
''Liguria'' is a very old name, dating back to pre-
Roman times.
See also
Finale Ligure ,
Seborga ,
Parodi Ligure .
Principal towns:
