Umbria, Italy

Interactive Map of Umbria, Italy

Umbria, Italy Map Links:

Taking a look at the map of Italy, there is a region in the very center of the country, completely surrounded by neighboring territories. This is the region of Umbria.

Umbria is an inland region of Italy that is completely surrounded by Italian territories. It is relatively small, covering a total area of approximately 3,265 square feet. This makes it the 5th smallest region out of the 20 regions of Italy.

Cities as Seen on a Map of Umbria, Italy:

Perugia
Assisi
Spoleto
Todi
Montefalco
Terni
Foligno
Citta di Castello

Quick Facts:

Population = 884,000

Language = Italian

Ethnicities = Italian, Latin, Roman, Umbri
Capital = Perugia

The History of Umbria

The first inhabitants of the region were the Umbri people; this is who the city is named after. The Umbri people spoke the native language, Umbrian, which is a language that is no longer used in the area.

During the Roman expansion, the Romans took over the region around 300 BC. The Roman Empire fell in 476 and gave control of the region to the Byzantine Empire. In the 770s, Charles the Great conquered many territories within the region and designated that they are ruled by the Pope. Territories that were under the rule of the Pope were often at war with territories that were under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire.

During the renaissance period of the 15th century, the region was officially given the name of Umbria, an homage to the native ancient Umbri people who first settled in the area.

After the French Revolution of 1798, Umbria became part of the Roman Republic. A few years later, when Napolean gained control of the region, he annexed Umbria into the French Empire under the name Trasimene. Napolean was overthrown shortly thereafter in 1815, and control of Umbria went back to the Papal States until the Italian Unification in 1860.

In 1923, a portion of Umbria was split and added to the Italian region of Lazio, making the territory smaller today than it was when it was originally formed. A few years later, Umbria was split into two provinces: Perugia and Terni. After the Second World War, the two provinces were combined back into one, and the region of Umbria was incorporated into the Italian Republic (modern-day Italy).

Language

Italian is spoken throughout the region of Umbria, as well as the surrounding regions of central and southern Italy. Before the region was ruled by the Romans, the native Umbri people inhabited the territory. The Umbri people spoke Umbrian, a language native to the territory during their control. Since then, the Umbri language has been extinct, leaving only Italian in its place.

Religion

Umbria is known as the spiritual heart of Italy because of the number of churches and places of worship in the area. Christianity is practiced throughout the region with Roman Catholicism, the primary denomination of Christianity that is practiced in the area.

Geography

Because Umbria is a landlocked region completely surrounded by Italian regions, there are no coastlines in this southern Italian region. However, the region is home to both hilly and flat topography that gives the area an ever-changing landscape throughout the region.

Agriculture has been a success in the region. There are many tobacco and olive oil farms in the area, as well as a wide variety of vineyards. A species of mushroom called black truffle is located in this region, producing around 45% of the area’s black truffle harvest.

These crops have given the people of Umbria job opportunities in agriculture throughout the landlocked region.

Migration Patterns

There was a major emigration from southern Italy after the Italian Unification during 1860. There was a lack of work and overpopulation in the region, which caused millions of Italians to emigrate from the area in search of work. Only a fraction of the emigrants who left the southern territories of Italy repatriated.

Most emigrants who left southern Italy during the second wave of emigration in the 1950s and 1960s relocated to northern Italy or other neighboring European countries. This is because the Italian Industrial Revolution had given way to many manufacturers and industries in the north than what was available in the south.

As of today, it is estimated that only 8% of the population in Umbria is from foreign immigration.

Genealogy

The dominant ancestry and genealogy of the territory is Italian. There are likely Latin, Roman, and Umbria connections to this heritage. A person who has a dominant ancestry from the Umbria region likely has characteristics and features of Italian, Latin, and Roman people. This will likely include dark complexion, brown eyes, and dark hair.

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About the author

Caleb Pike is an avid hiker and nature lover, with a passion for exploring the great outdoors. He's a writer, photographer, and adventurer, always seeking new trails to blaze and peaks to conquer.