Veneto

Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.
Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule. Its capital was, and still is, Venice, which ruled for centuries one of the largest and richest maritime republics and trade empires in the world. Due to this rich cultural legacy, a significant number of Venetians consider themselves to have a unique identity which they refuse to subsume within the notion of "Italian", and the regional government has gone so far as to officially define its inhabitants as "a people". This opened the way to a notable nationalist movement and to the election of a "Venetian nationalist", Luca Zaia (Liga Veneta–Lega Nord), as president of the Region in 2010.
Once the heartland of the Venetian Republic, Veneto is today among the wealthiest, most developed and industrialised regions of Italy. Having one of the country's richest historical, natural, artistic, cultural, musical and culinary heritages, it is also one of the most visited regions of Italy, with about 60 million tourists every year (2007). Besides Italian, most inhabitants also speak Venetian. Having been for a long period in history a land of mass emigration, Veneto is today one of the greatest immigrant-receiving regions in the country, with 454,453 foreigners (9.30% of the regional population) in 2008, the most recent of which are Romanian and Moroccan.

Veneto is the 8th largest region in Italy, with a total area of 18,398.9 km2 (7,103.9 sq mi). It is located in the north-eastern part of Italy and is bordered to the east by Friuli Venezia Giulia, to the south by Emilia-Romagna, to the west by Lombardy and to the north by Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. At its northernmost corner it borders also on Austria. The north-south extension of Veneto is 210 km (130 mi) from the Austrian border to the mouth of the Po and its east-west extension is 195 km (121 mi) from the eastern shore of Lake Garda on the west to the mouth of the river Tagliamento on the east.

Veneto can be divided into four areas: the northern Alpine zone, the hill zone, the lower plain and the coastal territory. The climate changes significantly between one area to another. Continental on the plains, the climate is milder along the Adriatic coast, around Lake Garda and in the hilly areas. The lowlands are often covered by thick fog. Precipitations are scarce (750 mm. /year) next to river Po River, more abundant (750-1,100 mm./year) at higher altitudes; the highest values (up to 3,200 mm./year) are recorded in the Bellunese Prealps, near Pasubio and on the Asiago plateau.

Geography and historical events have determined the present social and economic structure of the region, centred on a broad belt running from east to west. The plain and the Alpine foothills are the most developed areas in contrast to the Po delta and the mountainous areas, with the exception of the surroundings of Belluno. This is why the Alps and the province of Rovigo are suffering more than other areas, from a trend of declining and ageing population.

Though being a heavily industrialized region, tourism is one of the main economic resources of Veneto. One-fifth of Italy's foreign tourism gravitates towards Veneto, which is the first region in Italy in terms of tourist presence, attracting over 60 million visitors every year, and the second after Emilia Romagna in terms of hotel industry structures. The business volume of tourism in Veneto is estimated in 12 billion Euros.