This KS3 Geography quiz is our second on Italy, comparing north and south. South Italy boasts a unique and diverse culture. It has many tourist attractions, in particular the ruins of ancient Pompeii, one of the world's most visited tourist attractions. At its height, the Roman Empire ruled over most of Europe. The culture of northern Italy is more associated with the Renaissance. That was the time that Europe came out of the Dark Ages and both science and the arts became more important to people.
Many of the differences between northern and southern Italy are created by the climate and landscape. The climate of southern Italy is hot and dry in the summer and the soils are very poor. The land of northern Italy is flatter and more fertile. Northern Italy is closer to the rest of Europe so Italian industries were able to sell their goods more easily and cheaply to neighbouring countries. Marshy areas have been drained and trees planted. New dams, irrigation schemes and motorways have been built and slowly, the economy of the south is improving.
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This translates as 'midday'
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The north is a well irrigated and flat plain
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Limestone is permeable so soil is very thin and dry
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As it is so dry during the summer, grass and other small plants do not grow very well but trees have bigger root systems that can take water from the ground better. The roots hold the thin soils in place
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Dijon is in France
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The land of the Po basin is more fertile than the thin limestone based soils of the south
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In Italian it is called 'Cassa per il Mezzogiorno'
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The other three are physical factors
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Many companies that operate in southern Italy were attracted by generous grants
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This enables them to carry out subsistence farming to feed their families
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