Marche (/ˈmɑːrkeɪ/ MAR-kay, Italian: [ˈmarke] ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches (/ˈmɑːrtʃɪz/ MAR-chiz), is one of the twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the central area of the country, and has a population of nearly 1.5 million people, being the thirteenth largest region in the country by number of inhabitants. The region's capital and largest city is Ancona.
The Marche region is bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the north, Tuscany and Umbria to the west, Lazio to the southwest, Abruzzo to the south, and the Adriatic Sea to the east. Except for river valleys and the often very narrow coastal strip, the land is hilly. A railway from Bologna to Brindisi, built in the 19th century, runs along the coast of the entire territory. Inland, the mountainous nature of the region, even today, allows relatively little travel north and south, except by twisting roads over the passes.