Milan

**Milan** (; , ) is a ceety in Italy an the caipital o the region o Lombardy an o the province o Milan. The ceety proper haes a population o aboot 1,315,000, while the urban aurie is the lairgest in Italy an the fift lairgest in the European Union wi a population o 4,345,000 ower an aurie o 2,370 km2 (915 sq mi). The Milan metropolitan aurie, bi far the lairgest in Italy, is estimatit bi the OECD tae hae a population o 7,400,000.

The ceety wis foondit unner the name o *Medhlan*, bi the Insubres,  Celtic fowk.
It wis later captured bi the Romans in 222 BC, an the ceety became vera successfu unner the Roman Empire. Later Milan wis ruled bi the Visconti, the Sforza, the Spaingie in the 16t century an the Austricks in the 18t century. In 1796, Milan wis conquered bi Napoleon I an he made it the caipital o his Kinrick o Italy in 1805. Durin the Romantic period, Milan wis a major cultural centre in Europe, attractin several airtists, composers an important literary figures. Later, durin Warld War II, the ceety wis badly affectit bi Allied bombins, an efter German occupation in 1943, Milan became the main hub o the Italian resistance. Despite this, Milan saw a post-war economic growthe, attractin thoosans of immigrants frae Soothren Italy an abroad.

An internaitional an cosmopolitan ceety, 15.2% o Milan's population is foreign born. The ceety remains ane o Europe's main transportation an industrial hubs, an Milan is the EU's 10t maist important centre for business an finance (2009) wi its economy (see economy o Milan) bein the warld's 26t richest bi purchasin pouer,. The Milan metropolitan aurie haes Europe's 7t GDP in 2008. The province o Milan (which increasinly is becomin a single administrative urban unit tae supersede the leemitit commune) haed a GDP pp per caipita o aroond €40,000 in 2007 (161% o the EU 27 average) which wis the heichest o ony Italian province  (Il Sole 24 Ore Quality of life survey 2008) an the ceety's wirkers hae the heichest average income rates in Italy, an 26t in the warld. In addition, Milan is the warld's 11t maist expensive ceety for expatriate employees, an accordin tae a 2010 study bi the Economist Intelligence Unit, the ceety is the warld's 12t maist expensive tae live in. Its economic environment haes made it, accordin tae several studies, the warld's 20t an Europe's 10t tap business an financial centre, haein been heichly successfu in terms of ceety branding.

Milan is recognised as a warld fashion an design caipital, wi a major global influence in commerce, industry, muisic, sport, literature, airt an media, makin it ane o GaWC's major Alpha warld ceeties. The Lombard metropolis is especially famous for its fashion hooses an shops (sic as alang Via Monte Napoleone) an the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in the Piazza Duomo (reputit tae be the warld's auldest shoppin mall). The ceety haes a rich cultural heritage an legacy, a vibrant nichtlife, an haes a unique cuisine; it is hame tae numerous famous dishes, sic as the *[[Panettone]]* Christmas cake an the *[[risotto]] alla Milanese*. The ceety haes a parteecularly famous muisical, parteecularly operatic, tradeetion, bein the hame o several important composers (sic as Giuseppe Verdi) an theatres (sic as the Teatro alla Scala). Milan is an aa well-kent for containin several important museums, varsities, academies, pailaces, kirks an libraries (sic as the Academy o Brera an the Castello Sforzesco) an twa renowned fitbaa teams: A.C. Milan an F.C. Internazionale Milano. This maks Milan the 52nt Europe's tourist destination, wi ower 1.914 million foreign arrivals tae the ceety in 2008.

Inhabitants o Milan are referred tae as "Milanese" (Italian:  or informally  or ). The ceety is nicknamed bi Milan's indwallers the *"moral caipital o Italy"*.

## Internaitional relations

### Sister ceeties

Milan haes fifteen offeecial sister ceeties as reportit on the ceety's wabsteid. The date column indicates the year in which the relationship wis established. São Paulo wis Milan's first sister ceety.

### Ither forms o cooperation, pairtnership an ceety friendship

*  Amman, Jordan
*  Bangkok, Thailand
*  Belgrade, Serbie
*  Belo Horizonte, Brazil
*  Buenos Aires, Argentinae
*  Medellin, Colombie
*  Minsk, Belarus
*  Montreal, Canadae
*  Sofia, Bulgarie

## References