Chapter 1. Sicily to Australia. a Retrospective Overview 2
Chapter 1. Sicily to Australia. A Retrospective Overview 2 1.1 Elements of geography Sicilia, the island of Sicily, is a Region1 of modern Italy and includes, along with the mainland island, three minor archipelagos, the Aeolian Islands (7 islands), the Egadi Islands (3), the Pelagie Islands (3), and the islands of Pantelleria and Ustica. The largest island of the Mediterranean (27,500 square metres), it is Italy’s fourth most densely populated Region (preceded by the Regions of (in decreasing order): Lombardy, Campania and Lazio). Situated at the centre of the Mediterranean, it is the southernmost Region of Italy and lies about 100 miles northeast of Tunisia (North Africa) and is separated from mainland Italy (Calabrian Region) by the Messina Straits, 10 miles wide. Mostly mountainous in its interior, it hosts three major ranges: the Madonie (northwest), the Peloritani (northeast) and the high plateau of the Monti Iblei, in the southeast. Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe (3340 metres high), stands alone, dominating a vast portion of the northeast territory. Relatively poor in waterways, reservoirs have been created to provide the necessary water supplies. Its vegetation was originally Mediterranean scrub, but through the centuries of different peoples have imported plants and crops from all over the world (including the now widespread Australian eucalyptus) and these have dramatically changed the island’s aspect over time. In the interior of Sicily, since Ancient Roman times, both the lives of its people and the landscape have been heavily characterized by the extensive cultivation of wheat. The Region of Sicily has its capital in Palermo and is administratively divided into nine Provinces, each with its own capital city: Palermo, Catania, Messina, Caltanissetta, Agrigento, Enna, Ragusa, Siracusa, Trapani.
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