Province of Foggia

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**Province of Foggia**


Nation	Italy
Region	Apulia
Capital	Foggia
Area	7,190 km²
Population (2005)	686,856
Density	96
Comuni	64
Vehicle Registration	FG
Postal Code	71100
Telephone Prefix	0881
ISTAT	071
President	Carmine Stallone

Map highlighting the location of the province of Foggia in Italy

The Province of Foggia (Italian: Provincia di Foggia) is a province in the Apulia (Puglia) region of Italy.

This province is also known as Capitanata because during Middle Ages it was governed by a capatano (old Italian for captain). Its capital is the city of Foggia.

It has an area of 7,190 km², and a total population of 686,856 (2005). There are currently 64 comuni (singular: comune) in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Foggia. The number of comuni will be reduced to 61 in the year 2009 when three of its comuni, with a total population of 41,394 (2005 census) leave to form part of the new Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani. The three comuni, along with their 2005 census populations, are Margherita di Savoia (12,749), San Ferdinando di Puglia (14,457), and Trinitapoli (14,414). (The seven other comuni that will comprise the new province will come from the current Province of Bari.) The resulting loss would leave the remaining territory of the Province of Foggia with an adjusted population of 645,236 as of the 2005 census.[1].

Important centers in the Province are:

Foggia, the capital and native city of opera composer Umberto Giordano
San Giovanni Rotondo, home of Padre Pio and place of the church devoted to him.
Manfredonia and Vieste archiepiscopal see of Apulia
Vieste and Peschici, notorious sea-side resorts
Lucera, residence of Frederick II at the beginning of the 13th century. During Middle-Ages it has been the most important town of the province.

Other centers of interest are:

Cerignola, native town of philologist Nicola Zingarelli founder of the Zingarelli Italian dictionary and syndicalist Giuseppe Di Vittorio
Torremaggiore, native town of Nicola Sacco
Troia, belongs a cathedral of the 10th century
Margherita di Savoia, major center of salt production (and will be one of the three municipalities leaving the province in 2009 to form the new Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani)
Faeto/Fayet and Celle di San Vito, two towns where an extremely rare dialect of the Franco-Provençal language is spoken since the 14th century. The dialect, called Faetar, is only spoken by 1,400 people in the world.

The province of Foggia can be divided in two parts: the one centered in its capital Foggia called Tavoliere and the other one that represents the spur of the boot-shaped Italian peninsula called Gargano.

The Tavoliere, a term that recalls the word tavolo, table, it is so called because it is lowland and it is important for agriculture (grapefruit, olives, wheat, tomato).

The Gargano is a peninsula partly mountainous and partly covered by a forest, Foresta Umbra with vegetation typical of Central Europe, the only lasting part in Italy of the ancient Black Forest. Allegedly its name comes from the word ombra (shadow) because of its thickness that prevents the light to enter in contrast with the typical flora. The coast of Gargano is rich in beaches and touristic facilities. In the north are two major salt lakes Lesina and Varano. It is also important for the production of olives, olive oil and both mountain and sea typical food products.