Venice - statistics & facts
Ranking among the largest Italian cities, Venice is one of the major centers of the Veneto region, in the north-east of the country. Located on 118 islands in the middle of the Venetian lagoon, it represents one of the most renowned global and European travel destinations. Thanks to millennia of history and its unique landscape, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The municipality's territory is constituted by the two main areas of Venice historical center and Mestre, the mainland, in addition to smaller villages located in the estuary, where the lagoon meets the Adriatic Sea. For around 1,100 years, Venice was the capital of the Republic of Venice (Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia), a sovereign state able to extend its political and commercial dominion from the north-eastern Italian peninsula to the western Balkan coast and the eastern Mediterranean.
The Serenissima annexed Istria and Dalmatia in the 11th century, followed by the coasts of Montenegro and Albania, the Ionian islands, Cyprus and Crete. These overseas territories constituted the Stato da Mar, which included some commercial hubs in the Black Sea, in Constantinople, and in the Middle East, too. Moreover, on the Italian mainland, it seized Veneto, Friuli, and eastern Lombardy, which comprised the Stato da Tera, the most populous territory of the Republic. As a capital of a large empire, Venice grew in residents, recording 170,000 inhabitants in the 1570s, and was one of the majors centers of the Italian Renaissance, sponsored by the wealthy oligarchy of merchants. However, from the 18th century, the Serenissima started to lose its influence confronted with other European colonial powers, and, in 1796, it capitulated to Napoleon, who turned it over to Austria. In 1866, Venice finally joined the Kingdom of Italy.
Growth and decline of a maritime and commercial superpower
The Venetian Republic was founded in the late 7th century. Between the 9th and the 10th century, the state expanded its commercial routes in the Adriatic Sea and in the eastern Mediterranean, thanks to trade agreements with the Byzantine Empire and the Arab states. These were the roots of a large mercantile and territorial dominance, which made the Serenissima a superpower of the European Middle Ages. Venice secured the control of the import of exotic goods from Asia and established many diplomatic ties with the Mongol dynasty governing the Chinese empire thanks to Marco Polo. The explorer travelled to China in 1271 and resided at Kublai Khan’s court till 1295. Polo introduced some Western customs to the Mongols and learned local practices, such as the use of banknotes, which were unknown in Europe, while his book The Travel offers an account of the habits and culture of the peoples of the Far East.The Serenissima annexed Istria and Dalmatia in the 11th century, followed by the coasts of Montenegro and Albania, the Ionian islands, Cyprus and Crete. These overseas territories constituted the Stato da Mar, which included some commercial hubs in the Black Sea, in Constantinople, and in the Middle East, too. Moreover, on the Italian mainland, it seized Veneto, Friuli, and eastern Lombardy, which comprised the Stato da Tera, the most populous territory of the Republic. As a capital of a large empire, Venice grew in residents, recording 170,000 inhabitants in the 1570s, and was one of the majors centers of the Italian Renaissance, sponsored by the wealthy oligarchy of merchants. However, from the 18th century, the Serenissima started to lose its influence confronted with other European colonial powers, and, in 1796, it capitulated to Napoleon, who turned it over to Austria. In 1866, Venice finally joined the Kingdom of Italy.
