Bari  listen  (Bari dialect: Bare; Latin: Barium; Ancient Greek: Βάριον) is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia (or, in Italian, Puglia) region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas. The city itself has a population of about 320,475, as of 2011, over 116 square kilometres (45 sq mi), while the fast-growing urban area counts 653,028 inhabitants over 203 square kilometres (78 sq mi).