Backgrounder: Quake-stricken L’Aquila to host G8 summit

Posted by admin On luglio - 8 - 2009

Backgrounder: Quake-stricken L’Aquila to host G8 summit
www.chinaview.cn 2009-07-07 23:27:51 Print
L’AQUILA, Italy, July 7 (Xinhua) — Leaders of the Group of Eight industrialized nations are slated to hold a three-day summit in L’Aquila that begins Wednesday. Here is a brief introduction to the Italian city.

L’Aquila, which means “the eagle” in Italian, is located in central Italy, about 100 kilometers to the east-north-east of Rome. The city has a population of about 72,950 people.

L’Aquila, surrounded by the Apennine Mountains, with the Gran Sasso d’Italia to the north-east, is situated within medieval walls in the valley of the Aterno river.

L’Aquila is the capital city and the primary historical and artistic center of Italy’s Abruzzo region. The city boasts many historic buildings, including the 16th century “Spanish Castle.”

The history of L’Aquila is marked by earthquakes because part of the city is located on an ancient lake-bed that amplifies seismic activity.

More than 6,000 people died when the city was struck by an earthquake on July 31, 1786.

On April 6, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck near L’Aquila, killing 296 people and injuring about 1,500 others. The earthquake, which was felt throughout Abruzzo and as far away as Rome, damaged many buildings in the city and drove about 54,000 people from their homes.

Following the earthquake, the Italian government decided to move the G8 summit venue from the island of Sardinia to L’Aquila to show support for the earthquake victims.

The site of the summit now is a police academy located on the outskirts of L’Aquila.

The decision to relocate the summit venue raised safety concerns because several strong tremors have struck the area around L’Aquila since the April 6 earthquake. The Italian government, however, has assured the foreign leaders that the school can withstand a major earthquake.

Popularity: 1% [?]