Why is Southern Italy poorer than Northern Italy?

**Damião de Góis** · 05-19-2013, 10:48 PM

Originally Posted by Peyrol

Nope.

Friuli has 1 million people, is heavy periferical (almost in Slovenia) and is almost all mountainous, but the region produce about the double of calabrese GDP (a region with 3 million people, natural gas and also a little oil wells)

I meant geographically. North Italy are a part of the blue banana, and i wouldn't say Friuli is peripherical since you can travel easily to Austria or Slovenia from there, and Venice used to be a major trade center since the renaissanse from that position.
From Calabria you can't go anywhere too easily. This is important in terms of trade and commerce.

**~~American_Hispanist~~** · 05-19-2013, 10:50 PM

2010 Gross Domestic Product in Italy (2013 data)[63]

NUTS-1 region

mil. €

€ per cap.

% of the EU average

North-Western Italy

501,862

31,200

123

North-Eastern Italy

353,484

30,500

120

Central Italy

334,803

28,100

111

Southern Italy

242,532

17,100

67

Insular Italy

117,860

17,500

69

**Wolf** · 05-19-2013, 10:51 PM

Originally Posted by ABest

the South remained more traditional because it was part of a different cultural sphere.

To which cultural sphere does Southern Italy belong, in contrast to Northern Italy?

**Graham** · 05-19-2013, 10:52 PM

Originally Posted by Alex Delarge

While southern Italy does worse than northern Italy, they don't do that bad on the wider scale. The reason for their worse results, among others, is surely their more peripherical position in comparison to north Italy.

There's a divide between South Spain,Portugal & the richer Basques, Catalans also. looking at it. Thanks for the map.

Peyrol · 05-19-2013, 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by Wolf

But Friuli is also nearer to Austria, Germany and Switzerland, while Calabria is nearer to Greece and Albania.

Well, venetic and forlan (forlan is the ethnic adjective for friulians, the inhabitants of Friuli...and ancient rhaeto-romanic ethnic group) have a very mittleleuropean mentality, that's for sure (while we northeastern are more...uuh, franco-swiss IMHO)...calabrese are generally lazy, but the main problem are two: collective mentality (i sincerely don't like calabrese people) and organized crime (Ndrangheta...you remember the 2007 murder in a pizzeria in Duisburg?...).

Lombardy is another thing since the region has 10 million people (even if ethnic lombars are only 30% of the population)...almost the entire swedish and portuguese population)...very high standard of living (as here, btw).

Originally Posted by American_Hispanist

2010 Gross Domestic Product in Italy (2013 data)[63]

NUTS-1 region

mil. €

€ per cap.

% of the EU average

North-Western Italy

501,862

31,200

123

Well, we're proud cisalpine gaul-italics, after all...

**~~American_Hispanist~~** · 05-19-2013, 11:01 PM

California has a similar divide, a costal and interior divide (the wealthy areas are in the coast and the poor areas are in the interior).

**Damião de Góis** · 05-19-2013, 11:06 PM

Originally Posted by American_Hispanist

California has a similar divide, a costal and interior divide (the wealthy areas are in the coast and the poor areas are in the interior).

In terms of GDP per capita maps it doesn't show, and California comes out as a rich state. In fact North America shows up as much richer than Europe in general if we are going to measure this by GDP per capita.

Peyrol · 05-19-2013, 11:08 PM

Originally Posted by Alex Delarge

In terms of GDP per capita maps it doesn't show, and California comes out as a rich state. In fact North America shows up as much richer than Europe in general if we are going to measure this by GDP per capita.

Lol @ Campeche...

**Wolf** · 05-19-2013, 11:09 PM

Originally Posted by Graham

There's a divide between South Spain,Portugal & the richer Basques, Catalans also. looking at it. Thanks for the map.

That's another topic.

Originally Posted by Peyrol

Well, venetic and forlan (forlan is the ethnic adjective for friulians, the inhabitants of Friuli...and ancient rhaeto-romanic ethnic group) have a very mittleleuropean mentality, that's for sure (while we northeastern are more...uuh, franco-swiss IMHO)...calabrese are generally lazy, but the main problem are two: collective mentality (i sincerely don't like calabrese people)

So, you regard the mentality as crucial for the economic problems of Southern Italy. But I'm still wondering if the mentality has been the reason, or if it has been the result of the economic situation.

Originally Posted by Peyrol

and organized crime (Ndrangheta...you remember the 2007 murder in a pizzeria in Duisburg?...).

This is certainly a very important problem today, and I've also taken it into consideration.

Originally Posted by Wolf

organized crime

**~~American_Hispanist~~** · 05-19-2013, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by Alex Delarge

In terms of GDP per capita maps it doesn't show, and California comes out as a rich state. In fact North America shows up as much richer than Europe in general if we are going to measure this by GDP per capita.

Do it by county breakdown for California and a whole different picture emerges, some counties even have similar per-capita incomes as second-world/third world countries.

Spoiler!