Po Valley

The Po Valley is a broad, fertile plain in northern Italy, extending across the basin of the Po River. It is bounded by the Alps to the north and west and the Apennines to the south.

Po River: The longest river in Italy, flowing eastward across northern Italy to the Adriatic Sea. Its drainage basin defines the plain and supplies water for farming and settlement.
Italian agriculture: The cultivation of crops and raising of livestock across Italy. The Po Valley is Italy’s largest agricultural region, producing rice, maize, wheat, and dairy.
Northern Italy: The northern part of Italy, encompassing the country’s Alpine and Po basin regions. The Po Valley forms the central lowland core of this broad region.
Venetian Plain: A lowland region in northeastern Italy extending from the Alps toward the Adriatic Sea. It adjoins the eastern Po basin but is often distinguished as a separate plain.
Alluvial plain: A flat or gently sloping area built from sediment deposited by rivers. River-borne sediment created much of the Po Valley’s deep, fertile soils.
Rice cultivation: The growing of rice in flooded or moist fields for food. Irrigated paddies in the western Po Valley make Italy Europe’s leading rice producer.
Italian economic miracle: Italy’s rapid industrial and economic growth from the late 1940s through the 1960s. Po Valley cities became major centers of the postwar industrial expansion.
Maremma: A coastal region of southwestern Tuscany and northern Lazio in central Italy. Its smaller coastal lowlands contrast with the Po Valley’s vast inland basin.
Alps: A major European mountain range stretching across eight countries. The Alps bound the valley to the north and west and feed its rivers.
Milan: A city in northern Italy and the capital of Lombardy. Milan anchors the valley’s largest metropolitan and economic concentration.

Linked from 14 pages