Province of Potenza

The province of Potenza (Italian: provincia di Potenza; Potentino: provìgnë dë Pùtenzë) is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Potenza.

Province of Potenza Provincia di Potenza (Italian) Provìgnë dë Pùtenzë (Neapolitan)
Province
Provincial seat in Potenza
Flag Seal
Map highlighting the location of the province of Potenza in Italy
Coordinates: 40°38′19″N 15°48′8″E
Country	Italy
Region	Basilicata
Capital(s)	Potenza
Comuni	100
Government
• President	Rocco Guarino
Area
• Total	6,594.44 km2 (2,546.13 sq mi)
Population  (30 April 2017)
• Total	369,538
• Density	56/km2 (150/sq mi)
GDP [1]
• Total	€8.585 billion (2015)
• Per capita	€22,942 (2015)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	85010-85018, 85020-85040, 85042-85044, 85046-85059
Telephone prefix	0971, 0972, 0973, 0975, 0976
ISO 3166 code	IT-PZ
Vehicle registration	PZ
ISTAT	076
Website	Official website

Geography

It has an area of 6,594.44 square kilometres (2,546.13 sq mi) and a total population of 369,538 (as of 2017). There are 100 comuni (singular: comune) in the province (see communes of the province of Potenza).^[2]

The province is characterized by various natural landscapes, ranging from the mountain lakes of Monticchio, the Lucan forest, the Monte Sirino massif, the large National Park of Pollino (shared by Calabria) and the Tyrrhenian coast of Maratea. The largest city is Potenza, followed by Melfi.

History

In 272 BC, the province was conquered by the Romans. The new rulers named the region Lucania. In the 11th century, the area became part of the Duchy of Apulia, which was at the time ruled by the Normans. From the 13th century, it was part of the Kingdom of Naples, though Potenza was ruled by local vassals. In 1861, the province was unified with the rest of Italy in the newly formed Kingdom of Italy.

The region has suffered from numerous earthquakes in historic times, and is still a seismically active area.