Sicily

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 20 regions of Italy. It is home to the tallest active volcano in Europe, Mount Etna, which is currently 3,329 metres high. Sicily was given special status as an autonomous region on 15 May 1946, 18 days before the Italian referendum of 1946.

About Sicily in brief

Summary Sicily Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 20 regions of Italy. It is home to the tallest active volcano in Europe, Mount Etna, which is currently 3,329 metres high. The island has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature, cuisine, and architecture. Sicily was given special status as an autonomous region on 15 May 1946, 18 days before the Italian institutional referendum of 1946. Much of the autonomy still remains unapplied, especially financial autonomy, because the autonomy-activating laws have been deferred to be approved by the joint committee since 1946. The total area of the island is 25,711 km2, while the Autonomous Region of Sicily has an area of 27,708 km 2. The terrain of inland Sicily is mostly hilly and is intensively cultivated wherever possible. The northern and southern coasts are each about 280 km long measured as a straight line, while the eastern coast measures around 180 km ; total coast length is estimated at 1,484 km. The island is separated from Calabria and the rest of the Italian mainland by the Strait of Messina, about 3 km wide in the north, and about 16 km wide in the southern part. Sicily has a roughly triangular shape, earning it the name Trinacria. To the north-east, the mountain ranges of Madonie, 2,000 m, Nebrodi, 1,800 m, and Peloritani,1,300 m are an extension of the mainland Apennines.

In the southeast lie the lower Hyblaean Mountains,. 1,000m. The mines of the Enna and Caltanissetta districts were part of a leading sulphur-producing area throughout the 19th century, but have declined since the 1950s. In Greek mythology, the deadly monster Typhon was trapped under the mountain by Zeus, the god of the sky. The three volcanoes of Vulcano, Stromboli, and Vulcano Etna rise over the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, to the northeast of mainland Sicily, and form a complex volcanic complex, including Mount Vesuvius and Mount Strombo. The islands are home to some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, such as Capo di Palermo and Capo della Grazia. Sicily is in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of. the Italian Peninsula, from which it is separated by the narrow Strait ofMessina. The earliest archaeological evidence of human activity on the island dates from as early as 12,000 BC. By around 750 BC, Sicily had three Phoenician and a dozen Greek colonies and it was later the site of the Sicilian Wars and the Punic Wars. Sicily became part of Italy in 1860 following the Expedition of the Thousand, a revolt led by Giuseppe Garibaldi during the Italian unification, and a plebiscite.