View source for Basilicata

== Geography ==
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2025}}
[[File:Dolomiti lucane e Pietrapertosa.jpg|thumb|left|[[Dolomiti lucane]] and [[Pietrapertosa]]]]
Basilicata covers an extensive part of the southern [[Apennine Mountains]], between the [[Ofanto]] river in the north and the [[Pollino]] massif in the south. It is bordered on the east by a large part of the [[Bradano]] river depression, which is traversed by numerous streams and declines to the southeastern coastal plains on the [[Ionian Sea]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Portrait of the Regions – Italy: Basilicata – Geography and history |website=Eurostat |url=https://circabc.europa.eu/webdav/CircaBC/ESTAT/regportraits/Information/itf5_geo.htm |access-date=24 November 2025}}</ref> The region also has a short coastline to the southwest on the [[Tyrrhenian Sea]] side of the peninsula.<ref>{{cite web |title=Geografia Basilicata |website=Comuni-Italiani.it |url=https://www.comuni-italiani.it/17/geografia.html |access-date=24 November 2025}}</ref>

[[File:Calanchi1.jpg|thumb|[[Badlands]] in [[Aliano]]]]
Basilicata is the most mountainous region in the south of [[Italy]], with 47% of its area of {{convert|9,992|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} covered by mountains. Of the remaining area, 45% is hilly, and 8% is made up of plains. Notable mountains and ranges include the [[Pollino]] massif, the [[Dolomiti lucane]], [[Monte Vulture]], [[Monte Alpi]], [[Monte Carmine]], [[Monti Li Foj]] and [[Toppa Pizzuta]]. Geological features of the region include the volcanic formations of [[Monte Vulture]], and the seismic faults in the [[Melfi]] and [[Potenza]] areas in the north, and around Pollino in the south. Much of the region was devastated in the [[1857 Basilicata earthquake]]. In the 20th century, the [[1980 Irpinia earthquake]] destroyed many towns in the northwest of the region.

The mountainous terrain combined with weak rock and soil types makes [[landslide]]s prevalent. The lithological structure of the substratum and its chaotic tectonic deformation predispose the slope to landslides, and this problem is compounded by the lack of forested land. In common with many another Mediterranean regions, Basilicata was once rich in forests, but they were largely felled and made barren during the time of Roman rule. The variable climate is influenced by three coastlines ([[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]], Ionian and Tyrrhenian) and the complexity of the region's physical features. In general, the climate is [[Continental climate|continental]] in the mountains and [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]] along the coasts.