Geography and history
The Veneto region covers 18 391 km2 and is divided into 7 provinces and 581 municipalities. Its capital, Venice, a city rich in art and culture, is built on small islands in the lagoon. Some 29% of the territory is mountainous with peaks rising to over 3 000 m in the extreme north, while approximately 56% lies in the eastern Po plain, where numerous alpine rivers provide abundant supply of water.

To the east the region overlooks on the low-lying sandy Adriatic coast, remarkable for its lagoons and for the extensive Po delta, an area of great interest to naturalists. The topographic diversity of the region leads to great differences in climate, from the harsh weather conditions in the high Alps to a broad range of seasonal temperatures with a constant high level of humidity which may cause fog banks in autumn and winter, in the plain. Rainfall is abundant with minimum levels between 600 and 800 mm in the plain. The soils are mainly of limestone origin in the mountains and of alluvial origin in the plain.

Strength and weakness of the Veneto development model
Some of the main region's strengths are as follows:

- a well-balanced distribution of population, with the exception of the gradual depopulation of mountainous areas;
- the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Venice and of many other small and large centres;
- the Veneto development model - characterised by a wide export-oriented entrepreneurship in traditional sectors and a strong social cohesion - which explains the relatively high level of employment.

Of course strengths may have their side effects. The fact that the industrial base is fragmented in small units does not favour research investments and access to technology and modern forms of business and financial management. Furthermore, the rising of industrial districts has only reduced the handicaps deriving from small-sized firms while specialisation in mature industries with a relatively low level of investments in capital assets, exposes the region to competition from emerging countries.

The territory is already saturated: only a few areas, in the central plain, are left for eventual new productive units. Some segments of the production processes have been delocalised, mainly in the Eastern European Countries. Part of the mobility infrastructure is also saturated and the bulk of the main road network is often congested.

Even the huge influx of tourists may have undesirable consequences. If it is too heavy and unregulated, as it is the case in Venice, it jeopardises the conservation of the artistic heritage, mainly because of the lack of adequate facilities. Environmental pollution has become particularly serious in the area of the Venice lagoon, which hosts the greater chemical industry site in Italy, Porto Marghera.
 

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