Campania

About Campania

Campania is an administrative region of Italy, located in the south of the country; most of it is in the southwestern portion of the Italian Peninsula, but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands - Ischia, Procida, Vivara, and Nisida - and the island of Capri. The capital is Naples. Campania has a population of 5,568,703 as of 2026, making it Italy's 3rd-most populous region, and, with an area of 13,670.95 km2 (5,278 sq mi), its 2nd most densely populated. Based on its GDP, Campania is also the most economically productive region in Southern Italy and the 7th most productive in the whole country. Naples' urban area, which is in Campania, is the seventh most populous in the European Union. The region is home to 10 of the 58 UNESCO sites in Italy, including Pompeii and Herculaneum, the Royal Palace of Caserta, the Amalfi Coast, the Longobardian Church of Santa Sofia in Benevento, and the Historic Centre of Naples. In addition, Campania's Mount Vesuvius is part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The region plays a key international role in international diplomacy, since it is home to NATO's Allied Joint Force Command Naples and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean. The Campania's hinterland was inhabited from the beginning of the 1st millennium BC by the Osci, Samnites, and Etruscans, while between the 8th and 7th centuries BC its coastal areas were colonised by the ancient Greeks. At that time, Capua was Campania's leading city, while Naples was an anomaly, being predominantly Greek-speaking. Campania is rich in culture, especially food, music, architecture, and archaeological and ancient sites such as Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, Paestum, Aeclanum, Stabiae, and Velia. The name "Campania" derives from Latin; the Romans knew the region as Campania felix. Campania's rich natural beauty makes it important to the tourism industry: Naples, the Amalfi Coast, Mount Vesuvius, and the islands of Capri and Ischia have long been major attractions.