Autonomous region (pop., 2001 prelim.: 1,244,226), central Italy.
Its capital is L'Aquila . Most of the region is mountainous or hilly and includes the Apennines . The ancient Italic tribes of the region long resisted conquest by the Romans. The Normans established themselves in the 12th century, and the region later sided with the Hohenstaufens against the papacy. As Abruzzi e Molise, the area became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861; in 1965 it was divided into the separate regions of Abruzzi and Molise . The economy is primarily agricultural.