Sicily

Sicily Sicilia
Autonomous region
Country	Italy
Capital	Palermo
Area
• Total	25,832 km2 (9,974 sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

Sicily (Italian: Sicilia) is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and an autonomous region of southern Italy. The regional territory covers 25,832 square kilometres and includes the main island together with several smaller islands. Palermo is its capital and largest city.

The Strait of Messina separates northeastern Sicily from Calabria on the Italian mainland. The Tyrrhenian Sea lies to the north, while the eastern coast faces the Ionian Sea. The Strait of Sicily separates the southern coast from Tunisia and forms one of the main maritime passages between the western and eastern Mediterranean.

Geography

Sicily has a roughly triangular shape. The northern coast rises into the Peloritani Mountains near Messina. Farther west, the Nebrodi and Madonie ranges form the main northern highlands.

Mount Etna dominates eastern Sicily above the Plain of Catania. It is the highest point on the island and remains an active volcano. The Hyblaean Plateau occupies much of southeastern Sicily. Central and western areas consist mainly of hills divided by broad valleys.

Most Sicilian rivers are short because the mountains lie close to the coast and rainfall is limited during summer. The Simeto drains much of eastern Sicily before entering the Ionian Sea south of Catania. The Salso crosses the central interior and reaches the southern coast near Licata.

Sicily has a Mediterranean climate. Summers are generally hot and dry, while most rainfall occurs between autumn and early spring. Mountain districts have lower temperatures and receive more precipitation than the southern coastal plains. The northern slopes and the area around Etna are generally wetter than the interior.

The autonomous region also governs the Aeolian Islands north of Sicily and the Aegadian Islands off the western coast. Pantelleria and the Pelagie Islands lie farther south in the Strait of Sicily.

History

Before Greek settlement, the Sicels occupied much of eastern Sicily and the Sicani lived mainly in the interior. Elymian communities controlled parts of the west. Phoenician traders established settlements along the western coast.

Greek colonists began founding settlements during the eighth century BC. Their cities developed mainly along the eastern and southern coasts, with Syracuse becoming the strongest Greek power on the island. Western Sicily remained contested between the Greek cities and Carthage.

Rome conquered Sicily during the First Punic War and organized it as its first province outside the Italian Peninsula. The island became an important source of grain for the Roman state. Its ports also connected Italy with North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean.

After western Roman control ended, the island passed through short periods of Vandal and Ostrogothic rule. The Byzantine Empire recovered Sicily during the sixth century. Muslim forces began their conquest in 827 and controlled most of the island by the early tenth century. Palermo became the capital of the Emirate of Sicily and expanded as a commercial centre.

Norman forces began the conquest of Sicily in 1061 and completed it in 1091. Roger II established the Kingdom of Sicily in 1130 and governed from Palermo. Norman rulers retained parts of the existing Greek and Arabic administration while expanding Latin Christian institutions.

The island later came under the Hohenstaufen dynasty. Angevin rule was overthrown during the Sicilian Vespers of 1282, after which Sicily came under the Crown of Aragon. The island and the mainland kingdom centred on Naples thereafter developed as separate states.

Sicily later formed part of the Spanish monarchy. After brief periods under Savoyard and Austrian rule, the Bourbon dynasty took control in 1735. The Kingdom of Sicily was united with the Kingdom of Naples in 1816 to form the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

A Sicilian revolutionary government declared independence during the revolutions of 1848, although Bourbon forces restored control the following year. Giuseppe Garibaldi landed at Marsala in May 1860 and defeated Bourbon forces during his campaign across the island. Sicily became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Allied forces invaded Sicily on 10 July 1943 during the Second World War. The campaign ended Axis control of the island and contributed to the removal of Benito Mussolini later that month. Sicily received a special autonomous statute in 1946. The statute created the modern regional government and granted it broader powers than those held by ordinary Italian regions.

Post-war land reform altered the system of large rural estates. Coastal cities expanded, while many Sicilians migrated to northern Italy and other countries. Industrial development concentrated around several ports, although unemployment and uneven regional development remained persistent problems.

Administration

Sicily is one of the five Italian regions governed under a special autonomous statute. The Sicilian Regional Assembly and the regional government are based in Palermo. The statute grants the region legislative authority over several local matters and gives it a separate financial arrangement within the Italian state.

Local administration is divided between the metropolitan cities of Palermo, Catania and Messina and the free municipal consortia covering the remaining territories. These bodies replaced the former regional provinces.

Economy and transport

Agriculture remains important in the Sicilian interior. Wheat is grown across the drier central districts. Irrigated coastal land supports citrus orchards, while vineyards occupy parts of western Sicily and the volcanic slopes around Etna.

The largest service and manufacturing economies are centred on Palermo and Catania. Heavy industry developed around the petrochemical ports near Syracuse and Gela. Tourism draws on the island's archaeological and architectural sites. Coastal resorts and Mount Etna form other major destinations.

Messina controls the shortest maritime crossing between Sicily and mainland Italy. Palermo is the principal port on the northern coast, while Catania serves the main eastern urban region. Augusta contains a major commercial and industrial harbour farther south. Palermo's port also connects Sicily with other Mediterranean routes.

Road and railway lines follow much of the coast and cross the interior between the main cities. Train ferries carry railway vehicles through the Strait of Messina. The largest airports serve Palermo and Catania.

Culture

Italian is used in government and education. Sicilian remains widely spoken in everyday life and has several local varieties. Sicilian writers and theatre companies have produced works in both languages.

Ancient Greek temples survive at Agrigento and Selinunte. Palermo and nearby towns preserve churches and palaces built during the Arab-Norman period. Many towns in southeastern Sicily were rebuilt in a Baroque style after the earthquake of 1693.

See also

• Italy
• Palermo
• Calabria
• Mediterranean Sea
• Ionian Sea
• Tyrrhenian Sea
• Strait of Messina
• Kingdom of Sicily
• Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
• Kingdom of Italy