[Music] The history of the American continent is intertwined from its beginnings to Italy: When the Spanish arrived on this continent, they did so with the Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus as the leader of the mission. Since then, Italians and their descendants have had a great impact on the culture of many American countries from customs, gastronomy and even leaving descendants who became prominent figures in the history of several countries. In this video we will explore the migratory flows from Italy to America, in which countries they settled in greater numbers and what they contributed to the local culture in the places where they settled. Don't miss it! Italians have been a fundamental contribution to the population in many countries of the New World: in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil or the United States, this immigration transformed everything from gastronomy to the local culture of these nations. Italians have also had an important presence in countries such as Canada, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela. During the 19th and 20th centuries, millions of Italians emigrated to America. But what reasons prompted them to cross the ocean and abandon the lands of their ancestors for new ones where their language was not spoken and in many cases the future was uncertain? To understand this it is important to review a little the history of Italy. Italy has always been a country of emigrants; In fact, before Italian unification in 1871 there were several states that were heavily involved in international trade; establishing colonies in different parts of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea such as present-day Istanbul, Crimea, Odessa and the Greek island of Corfu among others. These were mainly commercial establishments from the republics of Genoa and Venice; where tens of thousands of Italians came to live. Many thousands also settled in North Africa during the Italian colonial period. Italy was full of impoverished peasants and Libya has land suitable for agriculture. In fact; If we go back several centuries in history; In Roman times Libya was Rome's largest supplier of wheat. But for mainly political reasons, many of those overseas Italians were absorbed by the local population, eliminated, or returned to Italy. In the case of the American continent, the most important wave of Italian migration occurred between 1870 and 1940. Although after the Second World War there was emigration to America; but in much smaller numbers. Although wars are often talked about as the main reason for the emigration of Italians; The reality is that the first big wave was not due to that but because the country was overpopulated and the divisions of land into small or unproductive plots condemned farmers to poverty and unemployment; especially in the south of the country. At the end of the 19th century; Italy did not have large industries nor large urban centers that absorbed unemployed labor. So the idea of emigrating to other countries became evident in society. Thanks to modern shipping by ship it was possible to export large quantities of products and also move workers from one continent to another. Italy had an abundance of labor and many parts of America needed workers; so the migratory flood did not wait. After the Second World War there continued to be emigration to America until the 1970s; But post-war Europe became more interesting in terms of employment possibilities and the flow was more oriented towards the same continent to countries such as Germany, France or Switzerland. Latin America no longer had the shine of previous decades. The main ports of departure for Italians to America were: Genoa, Naples and Palermo. Although there is a myth that the Italians who emigrated to America were only those from southern Italy; this is not entirely true. For example, in Argentina, immigration from the north from regions such as Piedmont, Liguria and Lombardy was the majority from 1870 to the beginning of the 20th century. Gradually, the southern Italians gained more weight and by 1914 southern Italians represented 40%. of Italians in the country. On the other hand, in the United States, most Italian immigration came from the South and Sicily. Immigration had a different degree of impact on the society and culture of each country; depending on the number that settled and the percentage they represented in the total population. For example, in Brazil from 1870 to 1920, just over 1,400,000 Italians arrived from a total population that was around 30 million in 1920. While in Argentina for that year; There were 2,270,000 Italians and the total population barely exceeded 8 million. Today 16% of Brazilians have some degree of Italian ancestry; while in Argentina 62% of the inhabitants have at least some ancestor of that origin. The countries with the largest number of Italians and descendants on the American continent are: Paraguay with 600,000 descendants. They were brought in by the government that was looking for skilled labor in agriculture and to work in public administration. They also contributed by setting up factories and as quite successful import traders. Mexico with 850,000. In Mexico they are a small minority; less than 1% of the total population. The government encouraged Italians to found towns where many of their descendants reside today. In general they were farmers, workers and some artists and craftsmen. Their descendants managed to elevate their status and are part of the country's middle and upper classes. Peru with 1,400,000 descendants. They represent 3% of the total population; They are mainly found in large coastal cities and especially in Lima. Uruguay: as with Argentina, they present a significant percentage of the local population; about 45%. It is estimated that the descendants of Italians would be one and a half million people. Venezuela where there are around 5 million descendants and represent 15% of the total population. They arrived mainly with the boom of the oil industry and in many cases mixed strongly with the local population. United States with 17.5 million. Italian Americans make up about 5% of the total population. They settled mainly in the cities of the East Coast, the industrial centers of the great lakes such as Chicago and also in California. Argentina: With approximately 25 million. More than 60% of the country has some Italian ancestor. The Italian influence is perceived in the diet; where the consumption of Italian dishes became part of the everyday meal from ravioli or Sunday pasta to the much maligned polenta. The Italian language also influenced local Spanish, contributing to the creation of the River Plate dialect; incorporating the Italian tonality and numerous words into the everyday speech of much of Argentina and Uruguay known as "lunfardo". Brazil with 30 million descendants. They are mainly concentrated in the three southern states of Paraná, Río Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. They are also very important in Rio and Sao Paulo where pizza is extremely popular thanks to Italian immigrants. There are 5,600 pizzerias in the city of Sao Paulo and around 40,000 pizzas are consumed per hour. Brazilians with some degree of Italian ancestry make up around 16% of the total population. And do you have Italian ancestors? Do you know any anecdotes about your ancestors when they arrived in America OR do you know what part of Italy they came from? If you want, you can share a little of that story in the comments box. Don't forget to leave a like and we'll meet you in another Detrás del Dato video; greetings !!!
