Murgia

Murgia (plural: Murge) is a sub-region of Apulia (Puglia) in southern Italy, corresponding to a karst topographic plateau of rectangular shape, occupying the central area of the region. The name stems from the Latin murex, meaning "sharp stone".

Geography

The Murge cover a surface of c. 7,000 km², being bordered by the Ofanto river and the Tavoliere delle Puglie on the north, the Adriatic Sea on the northeast, and by the so-called Messapic depression, which separates it from the Salento, on the south. It is divided into Alta Murgia (High Murgia), the higher and rockier area with poorer vegetation, and Bassa Murgia (Lower Murgia), with more fertile land, prevalently cultivated with olives.

The highest elevation of the plateau is the Monte Caccia, at 679 m. The rocks are mostly composed of Cretacic limestone, but karst topography landscapes, such as sinkholes (doline in local terminology), are frequent. The greatest doline are those in Altamura and Molfetta, while also notable are the Castellana's grottoes.

Economy

The Murgian economy has been based for a long time on sheep farming and agriculture, with herding (transumanza) of the flocks from the Abruzzo in winter. Besides olives, the other main agricultural staples are vegetables and fruits.

Today also the extraction of marble is important, as well as the furniture industry in the comuni of Gravina in Puglia, Altamura, Santeramo in Colle, and the nearby Matera, in Basilicata.

Of recent creation is the Alta Murgia National Park.