Garganica
The Garganica is a breed of domestic goat which originated on the Gargano promontory in the Puglia region of southern Italy. From there it has spread to other parts of Puglia and to neighbouring regions.
History
The Garganica is indigenous to the Gargano, and derives from cross-breeding of local animals with goats imported from western Europe, probably at the same time as the importation of Merino sheep that led to the formation of the Gentile di Puglia sheep breed.
The Garganica is one of the eight autochthonous Italian goat breeds for which a genealogical herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders. The breed standard was approved in 1976. Numbers have fallen sharply in recent years; In 1870 there were 33,725 head; by 2002 this had fallen to 18,000. The conservation status of the breed was listed as "endangered" by the FAO in 2007. In 2008 the total population was estimated at 3000, of which 511 were registered in the herdbook. At the end of 2013 the registered population was 773.
Gargano
Gargano is a historical and geographical sub-region in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southeast Italy, consisting of a wide isolated mountain massif made of highland and several peaks and forming the backbone of the Gargano Promontory projecting into the Adriatic Sea, the "spur" on the Italian "boot". The high point is Monte Calvo at 1,065 m (3,494 ft). Most of the upland area, about 1,200 km2 (460 sq mi), is part of the Gargano National Park, founded in 1991. It is within the Italian Province of Foggia.
The Gargano peninsula is partly covered by the remains of an ancient forest, Foresta Umbra, the only remaining part in Italy of the ancient oak and beech forest that once covered much of Central Europe as well as the Apennine deciduous montane forest biome. The Latin poet Horace spoke of the oaks of Garganus in Ode II, ix.
Tourism
The coast of Gargano houses numerous beaches and tourist facilities, including resorts such as Vieste, Peschici and Mattinata. The two major salt lakes of Lesina and Varano are located in the northern part of the peninsula. Monte Gargano is the site of the oldest shrine in Western Europe dedicated to the archangel Michael, Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano.
Gargano (disambiguation)
Gargano is a historical and geographical sub-region in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southeast Italy.
Gargano may also refer to:
See also
Gargano (surname)
Gargano is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
