Puglia (Italy)

Apulia ( ə-POO-lee-ə), also known by its Italian name Puglia (Italian: [ˈpuʎʎa]), is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Otranto and Ionian Sea to the southeast and the Gulf of Taranto to the south. The region comprises 19,540.90 square kilometers (7,544.78 sq mi), and has 3,865,277 inhabitants as of 2026. It is bordered by the regions of Molise to the north, Campania to the west, and Basilicata to the southwest. The regional capital is Bari. In ancient times, more precisely at the beginning of the first millennium BC, the region of Apulia was inhabited by the Iapygians, while during the 8th century BC its coastal areas were populated by ancient Greeks. Later, the region was conquered by the ancient Romans. It was then conquered by the Byzantines, followed by the Normans, the Aragonese and the Spanish. Subsequently, it became part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, to then be annexed to the unified Kingdom of Italy after the Expedition of the Thousand.