Taranto
Taranto (Italian pronunciation: [ˈtaːranto] ; Tarantino: Tarde)[a] is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the former capital of the province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base.[5]
For the WWII naval battle, see Battle of Taranto.
Taranto
Tarde (Neapolitan)
Taranto (TA)
Talsano, Lido Azzurro, Lama, San Vito, San Donato
Rinaldo Melucci (from 29 June 2017) (IV)
249.86 km2 (96.47 sq mi)
431 m (1,414 ft)
3 m (10 ft)
198,585
790/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
- Tarantino
- Tarentino
(+39)099
Saint Catald of Taranto
10 May
Founded by Spartans in the 8th century BC during the period of Greek colonisation, Taranto was among the most important poleis in Magna Graecia, becoming a cultural, economic and military power that gave birth to philosophers, strategists, writers and athletes such as Archytas, Aristoxenus, Livius Andronicus, Heracleides, Iccus, Cleinias, Leonidas, Lysis and Sosibius. By 500 BC, the city was among the largest in the world, with a population estimated up to 300,000 people.[6][7] The seven-year rule of Archytas marked the apex of its development and recognition of its hegemony over other Greek colonies of southern Italy.
During the Norman period, it became the capital of the Principality of Taranto, which covered almost all of the heel of Apulia.
Taranto is now the third-largest continental city in southern Italy (south of Rome, roughly the southern half of the Italian peninsula), with well-developed steel and iron foundries, oil refineries, chemical works, naval shipyards and food-processing factories. Taranto will host the 2026 Mediterranean Games.
Environment[edit]
In 1991 Taranto was declared a high environmental risk area by the Ministry of Environment. As a consequence of the pollutants discharged into the air by the factories in the area, most notably the ILVA steel plant, part of Gruppo Riva. 7% of Taranto's pollution is produced by the public; 93% is produced by factories. In 2005, the European Pollutant Emission Register estimated dioxin emissions from the Taranto ILVA plant were responsible for 83% of Italy's total reported emissions.[21] Every year the city is exposed to 2.7 t (2.7 long tons; 3.0 short tons) of carbon monoxide and 57.7 t (56.8 long tons; 63.6 short tons) of carbon dioxide. In 2014, the Italian National Institute of Emissions and their Sources,[22] stated that Taranto stands third in the world behind China's Linfen, and Copşa Mică in Romania, the most polluted cities in the world due to factories' emissions.
In particular, the city produces ninety-two percent of Italy's dioxin. This is 8.8 percent of the dioxin in Europe. Between 1995 and 2004, leukaemias, myelomas and lymphomas increased by 30 to 40 percent. Dioxin accumulates over the years. Over 9 kilos of dioxin have been discharged into the city's air by its factories. Grazing is banned within 20 km (12 mi) of the ILVA plant.[23]
In 2013, the ILVA plant was placed under special administration when its owner, the Riva family, was accused of failing to prevent toxic emissions,[24] which caused at least 400 premature deaths.[25] Emissions of both carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and dioxin have decreased. Animal species have returned that had left, including swallows, cranes, dolphins, seahorses and the coral reef.
Education[edit]
Among the various school are: Liceo Scientifico Battaglini, Liceo Archita (the most ancient), Liceo Quinto Ennio (in Literature), Liceo Aristosseno (Languages, Science, Humanistic), Galileo Ferraris, ITCS Pitagora da Taranto, Vittorino da Feltre, Cabrini, ITIS Righi and ITIS Pacinotti (in IT) and ITC V. Bachelet (in Commercial and Accounting – famous for the activities at BIT MILANO).
Taranto is twinned with:
These historical figures have had a relationship with the city. Not all of them were actually born in Taranto.