Province of Matera

Province of Matera
Provincia di Matera (Italian)
Provìngë dë Matàërë (Materano)
Province
Flag of Province of Matera
Flag
Coat of arms of Province of Matera
Coat of arms
Map highlighting the location of the province of Matera in Italy
Map highlighting the location of the province of Matera in Italy
Country Italy
Region Basilicata
Capital(s)Matera
Municipalities31
Government
 • PresidentPiero Marrese
Area
[1]
 • Total
3,478.89 km2 (1,343.21 sq mi)
Population
 (2026)[2][3]
 • Total
187,754
 • Density53.9695/km2 (139.780/sq mi)
GDP
[4]
 • Total€3.417 billion (2015)
 • Per capita€17,004 (2015)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
75100
Telephone prefix0835
Vehicle registrationMT
ISTAT077

The province of Matera (Italian: provincia di Matera; Materano: provìngë dë Matàërë) is a province in the region of Basilicata in southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Matera. It has a population of 187,754 in an area of 3,447 square kilometres (1,331 mi2) across its 31 municipalities (comuni).[5][6][1] It is bordered by the province of Potenza in the west and south, the region of Calabria also to the south, the region of Apulia to the east and north, and by the Ionian Sea to the southeast.[7]

The province is known for its history of "cave dwellings" known as sassi.[7]

History

The history of settlement in the region dates back to the Palaeolithic Period and the first instance of organised settlement was in 251 BCE, when Roman Republic consul Lucius Caecilius Metellus founded the town as Matera.[7] Matera was sacked multiple times; initially by the Franks, then by Roman Emperor Louis II of Italy, and then by invading Muslims during the 10th century. Following this, the town was owned by the Capetian House of Anjou and the Crown of Aragon and was sold multiple times to successive wealthy families.[7]

Giovanni Carlo Tramontano, Count of Matera was briefly leader of the city but was despised by the residents, who saw him as tyrannical and rebelled against him, murdering Tramontano on 29 December 1514.[7] The city Matera was announced to be the capital of ancient district Lucania (Basilicata) in 1663; this status was removed from the city in 1806 and 1860. Under the Fascist rule of Italy, the title of Matera serving as the capital of Basilicata was restored in 1927.[7]

Municipalities

Demographics

As of 2026, the population is 187,754, of which 49.7% are male, and 50.3% are female. Minors make up 13.9% of the population, and seniors make up 25.9%.[8][9]

Immigration

As of 2025, of the known countries of birth of 187,287 residents, the most numerous are: Italy (173,040 – 92.4%), Romania (2,814 – 1.5%), Albania (2,633 – 1.4%), Germany (1,048 – 0.6%).[12][13]

References

  1. ^ a b "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011" (in Italian). ISTAT.
  2. ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01. (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)
  3. ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01.The file URL linking on technical dataset.
  4. ^ Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional Gross Domestic Product (Small regions TL3), OECD.Stats. Accessed on 16 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01. (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)
  6. ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01.The file URL linking on technical dataset.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Roy Palmer Domenico (2002). The Regions of Italy: A Reference Guide to History and Culture. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-313-30733-1.
  8. ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01. (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)
  9. ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01.The file URL linking on technical dataset.
  10. ^ "Popolazione residente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1991" [Resident population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1991] (PDF) (in Italian). ISTAT. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2025-11-12.
  11. ^ "Resident population - Time series". ISTAT.
  12. ^ "Resident population by sex, municipality and individual citizenship or country of birth from year 2002". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-02-27. (Click on 'View by country of birth', and on the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)
  13. ^ "Resident population by sex, municipality and individual citizenship or country of birth from year 2002". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-02-27.The file URL linking on technical dataset.

40°40′N 16°36′E / 40.667°N 16.600°E / 40.667; 16.600

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.