In the The Garden of Peace project, the olive tree is presented through territories rather than States.
This choice makes it possible to move beyond political borders and to include all communities living in the different geographical contexts in which the olive tree grows and adapts.
References to States are used exclusively to indicate the areas where the olive tree is considered autochthonous from a historical and botanical perspective. They do not represent national identities, but serve as orientation tools to understand the origin and spread of a plant that belongs to the shared history of humanity.
The olive territories of the world
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Valli caldo-secche e altipiani dell’Asia interna — sviluppo olivicolo e adattamento climatico in Asia centrale.
E3S Web of Conferences – Research of olive sprouts and fruits grown in Uzbekistan -
Versanti e vallate del sistema himalayano — presenza di Olea ferruginea fino a 2.400 m.
Fruits – Olea ferruginea Royle, Indian olive: an underutilised fruit tree crop of north-west Himalaya -
Regione di Longnan (Cina nord-occidentale, Gansu) — oltre 40.000 ha di oliveti.
Our China Story – Olive oil in Gansu -
Regione desertica del Rajasthan — progetto pilota nel deserto.
The Guardian – Greening India’s deserts with olives -
Alture del Potohar e regioni aride — nuova frontiera olivicola in Asia.
Pakistan Business Council – Potential of olives -
Coste egee, del Mar di Marmara e mediterranee della Turchia — grande territorio olivicolo che attraversa regioni costiere diverse, dove quota e rischio di freddo/gelate definiscono limiti di coltivazione e distribuzione varietale.
Agronomy (MDPI) – An Overview of Olive Cultivation in Turkey: Botanical Features, Eco-Physiology and Phytochemistry -
Penisola di Crimea (bacino del Mar Nero) — coltivazione dell’olivo in microclimi costieri, vicino al limite climatico settentrionale, con selezione di cultivar più resistenti al freddo.
Genes (MDPI) – Genetic Diversity of Common Olive (Olea europaea L.) Cultivars from Nikita Botanical Gardens Collection -
Isola di Shōdoshima (Giappone) — primo territorio orientale dell’olivo (dal 1908).
Japan Guide – Olive Park · JCB Japan Tips · LLA NBS -
Regioni desertiche e vallate aride dei Paesi del Golfo — olivicoltura emergente in ambienti iper-aridi (es. Al Jouf con ~5 milioni di alberi).
AGSI – Trees of the Gulf · IOC – Olive growing in Saudi Arabia
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Coastal terraces and slopes of the Serra de Tramuntana (Mallorca) — a terraced agricultural landscape with historic olive groves, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape.
UNESCO – Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana · Spain.info – Serra de Tramuntana -
The Umbrian slope between Assisi and Spoleto — terraced olive groves and an agricultural landscape recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS).
FAO – Olive Groves of the Slopes between Assisi and Spoleto -
Plains and plateaus of Puglia (Apulia) — a key olive territory shaped by vast groves, long-lived trees, and strong varietal identity (e.g., Coratina).
Regione Puglia – Olio di Puglia IGP (overview and documents) -
Hills and valleys of Tuscany — a mosaic of production zones where relief, microclimates and harvesting/milling choices translate into distinct sensory profiles.
Olio Toscano IGP – Production and areas (Consortium) -
Coastal terraces and slopes of Liguria (Riviera Ligure) — hillside olive farming and dry-stone walls, where manual work and coastal microclimates are decisive.
Riviera Ligure PDO Consortium – The Territory -
Western Sicily (Val di Mazara) — a major Mediterranean olive territory with extensive groves and strong local cultivars (e.g., Biancolilla, Nocellara del Belice, Cerasuola).
DOP Val di Mazara – Extra Virgin Olive Oil -
Olive grove landscapes of Andalusia (“Sea of Olives”) — a “sea of olive trees” proposed for UNESCO recognition for its historic agrarian landscapes.
UNESCO – The Olive Grove Landscapes of Andalusia · Olive Oil Times – Sea of Olives -
Islands and coasts of the Aegean (Greece) — a mosaic of small parcels and olive groves on slopes and traditional terraces.
Olive Groves and Landscapes in Greece · Landscape Change in Olive Plantations on Lesvos Island -
The Istrian Peninsula (Croatia and Slovenia) — terraced olive groves of the northern Adriatic and award-winning oils.
Why Istrian olive oil is so special · Olive production on cultivated terraces in northern Istria -
The Alentejo region (Portugal) — large olive landscapes across rolling plains, alongside vineyards and cork oak woodlands.
Visit Alentejo – Amazing olives and world-class olive oil -
Cornwall — olive groves in a mild oceanic climate, near the north-western edge of the traditional range.
BBC News – Olive trees in Cornwall · Olive Oil Times – Olive trees take root in England · Cornish Olive Growers
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Arid valleys of Northwest Argentina (Catamarca, La Rioja, San Juan, Mendoza) — olive groves in Andean foothill valleys between 23° and 32° S.
Olive growing in the arid valleys of Northwest Argentina -
Coastal oases of Southern Peru (Tacna, Arequipa, Moquegua) — historic 16th-century olive groves in irrigated desert climates.
Juan Vilar – Olive groves in Peru -
Transverse valleys of Northern Chile (Copiapó, Huasco, Limarí) — olive cultivation in arid valleys between the Andes and the Pacific.
Agricultural ecosystems with olive trees in the Limarí River basin · Frontiers – Olive cultivation in the Southern Hemisphere -
California (inland valleys and central coasts) — the heart of North American olive research and innovation.
UC Davis – Olive Center · Olive Oil Times – Olive Production Manual for California -
Central and southern Texas and the coastal belt — emerging groves at the edge of the range, with potential but winter freeze risk.
Texas A&M – Texas Fruit and Nut Production: Olives -
Northwestern Mexico (Baja California, Valle de Guadalupe) — olive groves and vineyards between the Sonoran desert and maritime influences.
Valle de Guadalupe – Olive grove -
Southern Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul) — new extra virgin oils with awards and geographical indications.
Invest RS – Olive oils and wines from Rio Grande do Sul -
Uruguay (Maldonado, Colonia and other districts) — small production with a high share of award-winning quality extra virgin oils.
Olive Oil Ranking – Extra virgin olive oils from Uruguay
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Rif hills and the Taounate area (Morocco) — hilly olive landscapes and Amazigh villages, with traditional knowledge such as the toasted olive oil “alwana”.
ScienceDirect – Alwana, Amazigh olive oil from the Pre-Rif -
Haouz plain and the Atlas foothills (Central Morocco) — large irrigated perimeters where the olive tree is a cornerstone crop in rural development projects.
Olive Value Chain Analysis in Haouz Area -
Cap Bon Peninsula (Northeastern Tunisia) — coastal olive groves and a multi-millennial olive tree near Al-Haouaria, symbol of olive continuity in North Africa.
Learn more – Cap Bon Peninsula -
Sfax plain and the Tunisian Sahel — one of the largest olive basins in the Mediterranean, with millions of trees, oleotourism and specialized cooperatives.
Olive Oil Times – Sfax and olive oil culture in Tunisia -
Mountain slopes of Kabylie (Algeria) — terraced olive groves on steep slopes, local varieties such as Chemlal de Kabylie, and a strong link between the olive tree and Amazigh identity.
Learn more – Kabylie region -
Siwa Oasis (Egypt’s Western Desert) — a garden system irrigated by springs and wells, where date palms and olive trees coexist in an ancient oasis landscape.
Siwa Oasis – palm and olive landscapes -
Olive valleys of the Western Cape and Swartland (South Africa) — Mediterranean climate in the Southern Hemisphere, expanding groves and award-winning extra virgin oils (Riebeek Valley, Swartland Olive Route).
Table Olives of South Africa – Mediterranean Western Cape -
Juniper–olive afromontane forests on the Ethiopian highlands — a mosaic of woodland and pasture where wild olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) coexists with Juniperus procera, important for reforestation and sustainable management projects.
Wild olive – Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata
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Mediterranean belt of the Murray Valley (Victoria and New South Wales, Australia) — the main producing basin of Oceania, with large irrigated groves between 31° and 38° S.
Hort Innovation – Olive Strategic Investment Plan (Murray Valley) · NSW DPI – Olive industry overview -
Mediterranean regions of Western Australia (Gingin, Chittering, Swan, South-West, South Coast) — groves between 29.5° and 34.5° S, influenced by the Indian Ocean, with high-quality extra virgin oils.
DPIRD – Growing olives in Western Australia · Olives WA – Main growing regions -
Coastal hills of South Australia (Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale & Fleurieu Coast) — vineyards and olive groves in a cool Mediterranean climate, with dedicated oleotourism routes.
Olive Trails – McLaren Vale & Fleurieu Coast · The Olive Groves – Parngutilla (Adelaide) -
Tasmania (Northwest, Derwent and southern coasts) — cool-climate oceanic olive growing, with slow ripening and complex oils at the southernmost latitudes of cultivated olives.
NRE Tasmania – Olive growing factsheet · Tasmanian Olive Grove – Cool climate olive oil -
New Zealand (Wairarapa, Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough, Auckland, Nelson) — small and mid-size groves in a temperate oceanic climate, with PDOs and distinctive monovarietal oils.
Olives New Zealand – Industry overview · Olives New Zealand – Wairarapa growers
The exploration of territories reveals a common thread that runs through diverse contexts.
The language of the olive tree is universal: it speaks through the root that finds water, the leaf that reflects light, and the fruit which, as it ripens, weaves together ecology, culture, and time.
It is the language of the Earth—one that coexists, evolves, and generates balance.
At the foundation of this language, four essential principles can be recognized.
Migration
The shared journey between humans and the olive tree: a history shaped by movement, exchange, and hospitality.
Sustainability
The balance between resources, communities, and landscapes: the art of producing without depleting.
Adaptation
The ability to transform without losing identity: the strength that allows renewal.
Biodiversity
The richness generated through encounter: life that grows stronger when it is able to coexist.
These principles are united by cross-cutting values—resilience, harmony, and coexistence—which make the olive tree the natural symbol of The Garden of Peace:
a plant that preserves memory while, at the same time, opening up new possibilities.
From the Andean slopes to desert wadis, from the Japanese islands to the volcanic soils of the Mediterranean, the olive tree shows that life generates peace when it adapts, when it shares, when it unites.