Apulia is a region of Italy (called Puglia in Italian), bordering on Molise to the north-west, Campania to the south-west, Basilicata to the south, the Adriatic Sea to the east and the Ionian Sea to the south-east. It is close to Albania, which is 80 km across the Adriatic. The region covers 19,223 km² and has a population of 4.02 million.
The region encompasses the "heel" of Italy, the peninsula known as Salento or Terra di Lecce.
The regional capital is Bari.
The most important towns are: