Molise (pronounced molize) (Molisano: Mulise) is a region of Southern Italy the second smallest of the regions. It was formerly (until 1963) part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise (with Abruzzo) and now a separate entity. The region covers 4438 km and has a population of about 300000.

Molise is the newest Italian region since it was established in 1963 when the region Abruzzi e Molise was split in two. It became effective only in 1970. Contents 1 Economy 2 Demographics 3 Government and politics 4 Administrative divisions 5 International relations 5.1 Twin towns Sister cities 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Economy

Though there is a large Fiat plant (Termoli) the industrial sector is dominated by the building industry with small and medium-sized firms spread widely throughout the region. Another important industry is food processing: pasta meat milk products oil and wine are the traditional products of the region. In the services sector the most important industries are distribution hotels and catering followed by transport and communications banking and insurance. With few exceptions in all sectors firms are small and this explains the difficulties encountered when marketing products on a national scale.2

After the earthquake of 2002 some of the communities in Molise became the focus of a generous government policy which contributed state money to individuals willing to make their homes more resistant to seismic activity. Larino near Termoli was a particular beneficiary of this policy and the town already one of the most beautiful in the province has been transformed. It was policy to return the houses to their historical colours and based on careful research the structures were painted in a range of soft pastel tones. As a result Larino has become an important centre for tourism and scores of expatriates from all over the world are returning to live in the revived centro storico (antique centre).

International tourism is becoming more evident largely as a result of the international flights from other European states Great Britain and North America which enter Pescara not far to the north in Abruzzo. The tourists are attracted by large expanses of unspoiled beaches a relative lack of congestion and the gentle pace of life.

Molise is the second smallest region of Italy Molise has one of the most famous buildings in the world. Which is the great fish (grandi pesci). Molise is famous for its cheese however the Great Fish was made because the people in Molise have scales on their tongues like a fish and Michael Angelo sculpted the great fish in order to represent peoples tongues in Molise. Demographics Historical populations Year Pop.  % 1861 355000 1871 374000 5.4% 1881 382000 2.1% 1901 395000 3.4% 1911 396000 0.3% 1921 383000 3.3% 1931 377000 1.6% 1936 388000 2.9% 1951 407000 4.9% 1961 358000 12.0% 1971 320000 10.6% 1981 328000 2.5% 1991 331000 0.9% 2001 321000 3.0% 2010 (Est.) 319000 0.6% Source: ISTAT 2001

The density of the population in Molise is well below the national average. In 2008 Molise registered 72.3 inhabitants per km2 compared to a national figure of 198.8. The region is subdivided into two provinces: Campobasso and Isernia covering together 1.5% of the Italian territory and less than 1% of its population. The larger province in terms of surface area is Campobasso (2909 km2) and the smaller is Isernia (1529 km2). The province of Campobasso is the more densely populated of the two provinces with 79.4 inhabitants per km2 whereas Isernia registered 58.9 inhabitants per km2.3 At the end of 2008 the most populous towns were Campobasso (51247 inhabitants) Termoli (32420) and Isernia (21811).

In the period 1951-71 large-scale emigration to other countries of the European Union to other parts of Italy and overseas led to a significant decline in the population of Molise. Negative net migration persisted until 1981. Large-scale emigration has caused many of the smaller towns and villages to lose over 60% of their population while only a small number of larger towns have recorded significant gains. From 1982 to 1994 net migration has been positive then followed by a negative trend until 2001. Between 1991 (330900 inhabitants) and 2001 (320601 inhabitants) the population of the region decreased by 3.1%;3 since 2001 the population remained stable. In the region there are two ethnic minorities: the Molisan Croats (5000 people who speak an old Dalmatian dialect of the Croatian language) and the Molisan Albanians (who speak a divergent variety of Albanian Arbresh very different from the Albanian spoken on the other side of the Adriatic Sea). Molisan Albanians are generally of the Orthodox religion while Molise Croats are generally Catholics. Government and politics Main article: Politics of Molise Although the region has a center-right local government at the April 2006 elections Molise gave 50.5% of its votes to Romano Prodi of the centre-to-left Olive Tree party. Nonetheless in November of the same year Michele Iorio (centre-right candidate) won the regional election with over 54% of votes. Administrative divisions Molise comprises two provinces: Province Area (km) Population Density (inh./km) Province of Campobasso 2909 231921 79.7 Province of Isernia 1529 88931 58.2 International relations See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Italy Twin towns Sister cities Molise is twinned with: Nowy Scz in Poland 4 See also 2002 Molise earthquake Ndocciata a torchlight parade traditionally held in Molise on Christmas Eve Molise Croatian dialect References http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.dotabtable&init1&languageen&pcodetgs00003&plugin1 "Eurostat". Circa.europa.eu. http://circa.europa.eu/irc/dsis/regportraits/info/data/en/itf2eco.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-05.  a b "Eurostat". Circa.europa.eu. 2001-01-01. http://circa.europa.eu/irc/dsis/regportraits/info/data/en/itf2pop.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-05.  "Nowy Scz - Partner Cities". 2008-2009 Urzd Miasta Nowego Scza Rynek 1 33-300 Nowy Scz. http://www.nowysacz.pl/p1&p2167&maininc-miastapar. Retrieved 2009-08-03.  External links Official Site of the Regione Molise (Italian) Molise Region information site (Italian) Images of Molise v d e Molise Provinces and places Campobasso Isernia Politics and government Elections in Molise List of Presidents of Molise v d eRegions of Italy     Abruzzo Aosta Valley Apulia Basilicata Calabria Campania EmiliaRomagna FriuliVenezia Giulia Lazio Liguria Lombardy Marche Molise Piedmont Sardinia Sicily Trentino-Alto Adige/Sdtirol Tuscany Umbria Veneto v d e Italy topics History Prehistory  Etruscan Civilization  Magna Graecia  Ancient Rome (Kingdom  Republic  Empire)  Regnum Italicum  Middle Ages  Years of the 12th 14th century  Renaissance  Italian Wars  Foreign domination  Unification  Monarchy and the World Wars  Republic  Historical states  Fashion history  Wine history  Language history  Railway history  Postal history  History of the Jews  Citizenship history  Musical history Geography Areas Alps  Apennines  Northern / Central / Southern / Insular Italy Topics Major cities  Cities by population  Metropolitan areas  Regions by area  Islands  National parks  Plants  Regions  Regional rankings  Volcanism  Volcanoes  Provinces  Municipalities Governance Judiciary and legal system  Constitution  Law enforcement  President  Parliament  Senate  Prime Minister  Chamber of Deputies Politics Elections  Political parties  Political scandals Military Military history  Army  Navy  Air force  Carabinieri Economy Economic history under Fascism  Post-war economic miracle  Currency history  Bank of Italy  Companies  Stock exchange  Nuclear energy  Renewable energy  Taxation  Transportation  Automotive industry  Communications  Tourism  Banking  Euro coins  Regions by GDP (PPP)  Regions per capita (nominal)  Economic growth and statistics Demographics Regions by population  Immigration  Education  Healthcare  International rankings Society Crime  Social class  Customs and etiquette  Women  Media  Telecommunications  Public Holidays  Health and nutrition  LGBT rights Culture Cultural history (14th century)  Cultural history (15th century)  Cultural history (16th century)  Cultural history (17th century)  Cultural history (18th century)  Architecture  Art  Sculpture  Cinema  Cuisine  Folklore  Folk dance  Languages and dialects  Design  Literature  Theatre  Philosophy  Science and technology  Music  Opera  Sport  Fashion  Wines  Alcoholic beverages and beer  Olympics  World Heritage Sites Religion Freedom of religion  Christianity (Roman Catholicism  Old Catholicism  Eastern Orthodoxy  Protestantism  Baptism)  Judaism  Islam  Buddhism  Hinduism  Sikhism  Bah'  Neopaganism  Witchcraft  Cathedrals  Basilicas People Ancient people  List of people (Actors  Actresses  Architects  Billionaires  Chefs and cooks  Comedians  Composers  Designers  Explorers  Filmmakers  Painters  Poets  Politicians  Writers) Symbols Coat of arms  National flag  Regional flags Category  Portal  WikiProject