Sicily is located in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula, from which it is separated by the narrow Strait of Messina<\/a>. Its most prominent landmark is Mount Etna<\/a>, the tallest active volcano in Europe, and one of the most active in the world, currently 3,329 m (10,922 ft) high. The island has a typical Mediterranean climate.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> and a dozen Greek colonies<\/a> and it was later the site of the Sicilian Wars<\/a> and the Punic Wars<\/a>. After the fall of the Roman Empire<\/a> in the 5th century AD, Sicily was ruled during the Early Middle Ages<\/a> by the Vandals<\/a>, the Ostrogoths<\/a>, the Byzantine Empire<\/a>, and the Emirate of Sicily<\/a>. The Norman<\/a> conquest of southern Italy led to the creation of the Kingdom of Sicily<\/a>, which was subsequently ruled by the Hohenstaufen<\/a>, the Capetian House of Anjou<\/a>, Spain<\/a>, and the House of Habsburg<\/a>. It was unified under the House of Bourbon<\/a> with the Kingdom of Naples<\/a> as the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies<\/a>. It became part of Italy in 1860 following the Expedition of the Thousand, a revolt led by Giuseppe Garibaldi<\/a> during the Italian unification<\/a>, and a plebiscite. Sicily was given special status as an autonomous region on 15 May 1946, 18 days before the Italian constitutional referendum of 1946.<\/p>\n Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature, cuisine, and architecture. It is also home to important archaeological and ancient sites, such as the Necropolis of Pantalica<\/a>, the Valley of the Temples<\/a>, Erice<\/a> and Selinunte.<\/p>\n The original classical-era inhabitants of Sicily comprised three defined groups of the ancient peoples of Italy. The most prominent and by far the earliest of these, the Sicani<\/a>, who (Thucydides<\/a> writes) arrived from the Iberian Peninsula<\/a> (perhaps Catalonia<\/a>). Some modern scholars, however, suggest classifying the Sicani as possibly an Illyrian<\/a> tribe. Important historical evidence has been discovered in the form of cave drawings by the Sicani, dated from the end of the Pleistocene<\/a> epoch around 8000 BC. The arrival of the first humans on the island correlates with the extinction of the Sicilian Hippopotamus<\/a> and the dwarf elephant<\/a>. The Elymians<\/a>, thought to have come from the area of the Aegean Sea<\/a>, became the next tribe to join the Sicanians on Sicily.<\/p>\n Recent discoveries of dolmens<\/a> on the island (dating to the second half of the third millennium BC) seem to offer new insights into the culture of primitive Sicily. It is well known that the Mediterranean region went through a quite intricate prehistory, so much so that it is difficult to piece together the muddle of different peoples who have followed each other. The impact of two influences is clear, however: the European one coming from the Northwest, and the Mediterranean influence of a clear eastern heritage.<\/p>\n No evidence survives of any warring between the tribes, but the Sicanians moved eastwards when the Elymians settled in the northwest corner of the island. The Sicels<\/a> are thought to have originated in Liguria<\/a>; they arrived from mainland Italy in 1200 BC and forced the Sicanians to move back across Sicily and to settle in the middle of the island. Other minor Italic groups who settled in Sicily included the Ausones<\/a> (Aeolian Islands<\/a>, Milazzo<\/a>) and the Morgetes<\/a> of Morgantina<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Phoenician settlements in the western part of the island predate the Greeks. From about 750 BC, the Greeks began to live in Sicily, establishing many important settlements. The most important colony was in Syracuse<\/a>; others were located at Akragas<\/a>, Selinunte<\/a>, Gela<\/a>, Himera<\/a> and Zancle<\/a>. The native Sicani and Sicel peoples were absorbed into the Hellenic culture with relative ease, and the area became part of Magna Graecia along with the rest of southern Italy, which the Greeks had also colonized. Sicily was very fertile, and the successful introduction of olives and grape vines created a great deal of profitable trading. A significant part of Greek culture on the island was that of the Greek religion, and many temples were built throughout Sicily, including several in the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento.<\/p>\n Politics on the island was intertwined with that of Greece; Syracuse became desired by the Athenians who set out on the Sicilian Expedition during the Peloponnesian War<\/a>. Syracuse gained Sparta<\/a> and Corinth<\/a> as allies and, as a result, the Athenian expedition was defeated. The Athenian army and ships were destroyed, with most of the survivors being sold into slavery.<\/p>\n Greek Syracuse controlled eastern Sicily while Carthage controlled the West. The two cultures began to clash, leading to the Greek-Punic wars<\/a>. Greece had begun to make peace with the Roman Republic<\/a> in 262 BC, and the Romans sought to annex Sicily as their republic’s first province. Rome attacked Carthage’s holdings in Sicily in the First Punic War<\/a> and won, making Sicily the first Roman province outside of the Italian Peninsula by 242 BC.<\/p>\n In the Second Punic War<\/a>, the Carthaginians attempted to take back Sicily. Some of the Greek cities on the island sided with the Carthaginians. Archimedes<\/a>, who lived in Syracuse, helped the Carthaginians, but was killed by the Romans after they invaded Syracuse in 213 BC. They failed, and Rome was even more unrelenting in its annihilation of the invaders this time; Roman consul M. Valerian told the Roman Senate in 210 BC that “no Carthaginian remains in Sicily”.<\/p>\n As the empire’s granary, Sicily was an important province, divided into two quaestorships<\/a>: Syracuse to the east and Lilybaeum<\/a> to the west. Some attempt was made under Augustus<\/a> to introduce the Latin language to the island, but Sicily was allowed to remain largely Greek in a cultural sense. The once prosperous and contented island went into sharp decline when Verres<\/a> became governor of Sicily. In 70 BC, noted figure Cicero<\/a> condemned the misgovernment of Verres in his oration In Verrem<\/a>.<\/p>\n The island was used as a base of power numerous times, being occupied by slave insurgents during the First<\/a> and Second<\/a> Servile Wars, and by Sextus Pompey<\/a> during the Sicilian revolt<\/a>. Christianity first appeared in Sicily during the years following AD 200; between this time and AD 313, Constantine the Great<\/a> finally lifted the prohibition on Christianity, but not before a significant number of Sicilians had become martyrs, including Agatha<\/a>, Christina<\/a>, Lucy<\/a>, and Euplius<\/a>. Christianity grew rapidly in Sicily over the next two centuries. The period of history during which Sicily was a Roman province lasted for around 700 years.<\/p>\n The Western Roman Empire<\/a> began falling apart after the great invasion of Vandals<\/a>, Alans, and Sueves across the Rhine<\/a> on the last day of 406. Eventually the Vandals, after roaming about western and southern Spain for 20 years moved to North Africa in 429. They occupied Carthage in 439. This put them in a position to threaten Sicily only 100 miles away. After taking Carthage the Vandals personally led by King Gaiseric<\/a> laid siege to Palermo in 440 as the opening act in an attempt to wrest the island from Roman rule personally. The Vandals made another attempt to take the island one year after the sack of Rome in 455, at Agrigento, but were defeated decisively by Ricimir<\/a> in a naval victory off Corsica<\/a> in 456. The island remained under Roman rule until 469. The Vandal possession of the island was lost 8 years later in 477 to the East Germanic tribe Ostrogoths<\/a> who were in control of Italy and Dalmatia. The island was returned for payment of tribute to Odoacer<\/a>, king of the Ostrogoths. He ruled Italy from 476\u201388 in the name of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Emperor<\/a>. The Vandals kept a toehold in Lilybaeum, a port on the west coast. They lost this in 491 after making one last attempt to conquer the island from this port. The Ostrogothic conquest of Sicily (and Italy as a whole) under Theodoric the Great<\/a> began in 488. He had been appointed viceroy of the emperor to rule in Italy. The Goths were Germanic, but Theodoric was supportive of Roman culture and government and allowed freedom of religion. In 461 from the age of seven or eight until 17 or 18 he was a hostage; he resided in the great palace of Constantinople and was favored by Leo I<\/a> and where he learned to read and write and do arithmetic.<\/p>\n After taking areas occupied by the Vandals in North Africa, Justinian<\/a> decided to retake Italy as an ambitious attempt to recover the lost provinces in the West.<\/p>\n The re-conquests marked an end to over 150 years of accommodationist policies with tribal invaders. His first target was Sicily [known as the Gothic War<\/a> (535\u2013554) began between the Ostrogoths and the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire]. His general Belisarius<\/a> was assigned the task. Sicily was used as a base for the Byzantines to conquer the rest of Italy, with Naples<\/a>, Rome, Milan<\/a>. It took five years before the Ostrogoth capital Ravenna<\/a> fell in 540. However, the new Ostrogoth king Totila<\/a> counterattacked, moving down the Italian peninsula, plundering and conquering Sicily in 550. Totila was defeated and killed in the Battle of Taginae<\/a> by Byzantine general Narses in 552 but Italy was in ruins.<\/p>\n At the time of the reconquest Greek was still the predominant language spoken on the island. Sicily was invaded by the Arab forces<\/a> of Caliph Uthman<\/a> in 652, but the Arabs failed to make any permanent gains. They returned to Syria with their booty. Raids seeking loot continued until the mid-8th century.<\/p>\n The Eastern Roman Emperor Constans II<\/a> decided to move from Constantinople to Syracuse in 660. The following year he launched an assault from Sicily against the Lombard<\/a> Duchy of Benevento<\/a>, which occupied most of southern Italy. Rumors that the capital of the empire was to be moved to Syracuse probably cost Constans his life, as he was assassinated in 668. His son Constantine IV<\/a> succeeded him. A brief usurpation in Sicily by Mezezius<\/a> was quickly suppressed by this emperor. Contemporary accounts report that the Greek language was widely spoken on the island during this period. In 740 Emperor Leo III the Isaurian<\/a> transferred Sicily from the jurisdiction of the church of Rome to that of Constantinople, placing the island within the eastern branch of the Church.<\/p>\n In 826 Euphemius<\/a>, the Byzantine commander in Sicily, having apparently killed his wife, forced a nun to marry him. Emperor Michael II<\/a> caught wind of the matter and ordered general Constantine to end the marriage and cut off Euphemius’ head.<\/p>\n Euphemius rose up, killed Constantine, and then occupied Syracuse; he, in turn, was defeated and driven out to North Africa. He offered the rule of Sicily to Ziyadat Allah<\/a>, the Aghlabid<\/a> Emir of Tunisia, in return for a position as a general and a place of safety. A Muslim army was then sent to the island consisting of Arabs<\/a>, Berbers<\/a>, Cretans<\/a>, and Persians<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Muslim conquest of Sicily<\/a> was a see-saw affair and met with fierce resistance. It took over a century for Byzantine Sicily to be conquered; the largest city, Syracuse, held out until 878 and the Greek city of Taormina<\/a> fell in 962. It was not until 965 that all of Sicily was conquered by the Arabs. In the 11th-century Byzantine armies carried out a partial reconquest of the island under George Maniakes<\/a>, but it was their Norman<\/a> mercenaries who would eventually complete the island’s reconquest at the end of the century.<\/p>\n The Arabs initiated land reform<\/a>s, which increased productivity and encouraged the growth of smallholdings, undermining the dominance of the latifundia<\/a>. The Arabs further improved irrigation systems. The language spoken in Sicily under Arab rule was Siculo-Arabic and Arabic influence is still present in some Sicilian words today. Although the language is extinct in Sicily, it has developed into what is now the Maltese language<\/a> on the islands of Malta<\/a> today.<\/p>\n A description of Palermo was given by Ibn Hawqal<\/a>, an Arab merchant who visited Sicily in 950. A walled suburb, called the Al-Kasr (the palace), is the center of Palermo to this day, with the great Friday mosque on the site of the later Roman cathedral. The suburb of al-Khalisa (modern Kalsa<\/a>) contained the Sultan’s palace, baths, a mosque, government offices, and a private prison. Ibn Hawqal reckoned 7,000 individual butchers trading in 150 shops. Palermo was initially ruled by the Aghlabids; later it was the center of Emirate of Sicily under the nominal suzerainty of the Fatimid Caliphate<\/a>.<\/p>\n During the reign of this dynasty revolts by Byzantine Sicilians continuously occurred especially in the east where Greek-speaking Christians predominated. Parts of the island were re-occupied before revolts were being quashed. During Muslim rule agricultural products such as oranges, lemons, pistachio and sugarcane were brought to Sicily. Under the Arab rule the island was divided in three administrative regions, or “vals”, roughly corresponding to the three “points” of Sicily: Val di Mazara in the west; Val Demone in the northeast; and Val di Noto in the southeast. As dhimmis<\/a>, that is as members of a protected class of approved monotheists the Eastern Orthodox Christians were allowed freedom of religion, but had to pay a tax, the jizya<\/a> (in lieu of the obligatory alms tax, the zakat, paid by Muslims), and were restricted from active participation in public affairs.<\/p>\n The Emirate of Sicily began to fragment as intra-dynastic quarreling fractured the Muslim regime. During this time, there was also a small Jewish presence.<\/p>\n In 1038, seventy years after losing their last cities in Sicily, the Byzantines under the Greek general George Maniakes<\/a> invaded the island together with their Varangian<\/a> and Norman<\/a> mercenaries. Maniakes was killed in a Byzantine civil war in 1043 before completing a reconquest and the Byzantines withdrew. The Normans invaded in 1061. After taking Apulia<\/a> and Calabria<\/a>, Roger occupied Messina with an army of 700 knights. In 1068, Roger was victorious at Misilmeri<\/a>. Most crucial was the siege of Palermo, whose fall in 1071 eventually resulted in all Sicily coming under Norman control. The conquest was completed in 1091 when they captured Noto<\/a> the last Arab stronghold. Palermo continued to be the capital under the Normans.<\/p>\n The Norman Hauteville<\/a> family, descendants of Vikings<\/a>, appreciated and admired the rich and layered culture in which they now found themselves. They also introduced their own culture, customs, and politics in the region. Many Normans in Sicily adopted the habits and comportment of Muslim rulers and their Byzantine subjects in dress, language, literature, even to the extent of having palace eunuchs and, according to some accounts, a harem.<\/p>\n Roger<\/a> died in 1101. His wife Adelaide<\/a> ruled until 1112 when their son Roger II of Sicily<\/a> came of age. Having succeeded his brother Simon as Count of Sicily, Roger II was ultimately able to raise the status of the island to a kingdom in 1130, along with his other holdings, which included the Maltese Islands and the Duchies of Apulia and Calabria.<\/p>\n Roger II appointed the powerful Greek George of Antioch<\/a> to be his “emir of emirs” and continued the syncretism of his father. During this period, the Kingdom of Sicily was prosperous and politically powerful, becoming one of the wealthiest states in all of Europe\u2014even wealthier than the Kingdom of England<\/a>.<\/p>\n The court of Roger II became the most luminous center of culture in the Mediterranean, both from Europe and the Middle East, like the multi-ethnic Caliphate of C\u00f3rdoba<\/a>, then only just eclipsed. This attracted scholars, scientists, poets, artists, and artisans of all kinds. Laws were issued in the language of the community to whom they were addressed in Norman Sicily, at the time when the culture was still heavily Arab and Greek. Governance was by rule of law which promoted justice. Muslims, Jews, Byzantine Greeks, Lombards, and Normans worked together fairly amicably. During this time many extraordinary buildings were constructed.<\/p>\n However this situation changed as the Normans to secure the island imported immigrants from Normandy<\/a>, England, Lombardy, Piedmont, Provence and Campania<\/a>. Linguistically, the island shifted from being one-third Greek- and two-thirds Arabic-speaking at the time of the Norman conquest to becoming fully Latinised. In terms of religion the island became completely Roman Catholic (bearing in mind that until 1054 the Churches owing allegiance to the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople belonged to one Church); Sicily before the Norman conquest was under Eastern Orthodox Patriarch.<\/p>\n After Pope Innocent III made him Papal Legate in 1098, Roger I created several Catholic bishoprics while still allowing the construction of 12 Greek-speaking monasteries (the Greek language, monasteries, and 1500 parishes continued to exist until the adherents of the Greek Rite were forced in 1585 to convert to Catholicism or leave; a small pocket of Greek-speakers still live in Messina).<\/p>\n After a century, the Norman Hauteville dynasty died out; the last direct descendant and heir of Roger, Constance<\/a>, married Emperor Henry VI<\/a>. This eventually led to the crown of Sicily being passed on to the Hohenstaufen Dynasty<\/a>, who were Germans from Swabia<\/a>. The last of the Hohenstaufens, Frederick II<\/a>, the only son of Constance, was one of the greatest and most cultured men of the Middle Ages.<\/p>\n His mother’s will had asked Pope Innocent III<\/a> to undertake the guardianship of her son. Frederick was four when at Palermo, he was crowned King of Sicily in 1198. Frederick received no systematic education and was allowed to run free in the streets of Palermo. There he picked up the many languages he heard spoken, such as Arabic and Greek, and learned some of the lore of the Jewish community. At age twelve, he dismissed Innocent’s deputy regent and took over the government; at fifteen he married Constance of Aragon<\/a>, and began his reclamation of the imperial crown. Subsequently, due to Muslim rebellions, Frederick II destroyed the remaining Muslim presence in Sicily, estimated at 60,000 persons, moving all to the city of Lucera in Apulia between 1221 and 1226.<\/p>\n Conflict between the Hohenstaufen house and the Papacy led, in 1266, to Pope Innocent IV<\/a> crowning the French prince Charles<\/a>, count of Anjou<\/a> and Provence<\/a>, as the king of both Sicily and Naples.<\/p>\n Strong opposition to French officialdom due to mistreatment and taxation saw the local peoples of Sicily rise up, leading in 1282 to an insurrection known as the War of the Sicilian Vespers<\/a>, which eventually saw almost the entire French population on the island killed. During the war, the Sicilians turned to Peter III of Aragon<\/a>, son-in-law of the last Hohenstaufen king, for support after being rejected by the Pope. Peter gained control of Sicily from the French, who, however, retained control of the Kingdom of Naples<\/a>. A crusade was launched in August 1283 against Peter III and the Kingdom of Aragon by Pope Martin IV<\/a> (a pope from \u00cele-de-France), but it failed. The wars continued until the peace of Caltabellotta<\/a> in 1302, which saw Peter’s son Frederick III<\/a> recognized as the king of the Isle of Sicily, while Charles II<\/a> was recognized as the king of Naples by Pope Boniface VIII<\/a>. Sicily was ruled as an independent kingdom by relatives of the kings of Aragon until 1409 and then as part of the Crown of Aragon. In October 1347, in Messina, Sicily, the Black Death<\/a> first arrived in Europe.<\/p>\n Between the 15th-18th centuries, waves of Greeks from the Peloponnese (such as the Maniots) and Arvanites migrated to Sicily in large numbers to escape persecution after the Ottoman conquest of the Peloponnese. They brought with them Eastern Orthodoxy as well as the Greek and Arvanitika languages to the island, once again adding onto the extensive Byzantine\/Greek influence.<\/p>\n The onset of the Spanish Inquisition<\/a> in 1492 led to Ferdinand II decreeing the expulsion of all Jews from Sicily. The eastern part of the island was hit by very destructive earthquakes<\/a> in 1542 and 1693. Just a few years before the latter earthquake, the island was struck by a ferocious plague. The earthquake in 1693 took an estimated 60,000 lives. There were revolts during the 17th century, but these were quelled with significant force, especially the revolts of Palermo and Messina. North African slave raids discouraged settlement along the coast until the 19th century. The Treaty of Utrecht<\/a> in 1713 saw Sicily assigned to the House of Savoy<\/a>; however, this period of rule lasted only seven years, as it was exchanged for the island of Sardinia with Emperor Charles VI<\/a> of the Austrian Habsburg Dynasty<\/a>.<\/p>\n While the Austrians were concerned with the War of the Polish Succession<\/a>, a Bourbon prince, Charles from Spain<\/a> was able to conquer Sicily and Naples. At first Sicily was able to remain as an independent kingdom under personal union, while the Bourbons ruled over both from Naples. However, the advent of Napoleon’s<\/a> First French Empire<\/a> saw Naples taken at the Battle of Campo Tenese<\/a> and Bonapartist King of Naples were installed. Ferdinand III<\/a> the Bourbon was forced to retreat to Sicily which he was still in complete control of with the help of British naval protection.<\/p>\n Following this, Sicily joined the Napoleonic Wars<\/a>, and subsequently the British under Lord William Bentinck<\/a> established a military and diplomatic presence on the island to protect against a French invasion. After the wars were won, Sicily and Naples formally merged as the Two Sicilies<\/a> under the Bourbons. Major revolutionary movements occurred in 1820 and 1848 against the Bourbon government with Sicily seeking independence; the second of which, the 1848 revolution<\/a> resulted in a short period of independence for Sicily. However, in 1849 the Bourbons retook control of the island and dominated it until 1860.<\/p>\n The Expedition of the Thousand<\/a> led by Giuseppe Garibaldi<\/a> captured Sicily in 1860, as part of the Risorgimento<\/a>. The conquest started at Marsala, and native Sicilians joined him in the capture of the southern Italian peninsula. Garibaldi’s march was completed with the Siege of Gaeta<\/a>, where the final Bourbons<\/a> were expelled and Garibaldi announced his dictatorship in the name of Victor Emmanuel II<\/a> of Kingdom of Sardinia<\/a>. Sicily became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia after a referendum where more than 75% of Sicily voted in favor of the annexation on 21 October 1860. As a result of the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy<\/a>, Sicily became part of the kingdom on 17 March 1861.<\/p>\n The Sicilian economy remained relatively underdeveloped after the Italian unification, in spite of the strong investments made by the Kingdom of Italy in terms of modern infrastructure, and this caused an unprecedented wave of emigration<\/a>. In 1894, organisations of workers and peasants known as the Fasci Siciliani<\/a> protested against the bad social and economic conditions of the island, but they were suppressed in a few days. The Messina earthquake of 28 December 1908<\/a> killed more than 80,000 people.<\/p>\n This period was also characterized by the first contact between the Sicilian mafia<\/a> and the Italian government. The Mafia’s origins are still uncertain, but it is generally accepted that it emerged in the 18th century initially in the role of private enforcers hired to protect the property of landowners and merchants from the groups of bandits (Briganti) who frequently pillaged the countryside and towns. The battle against the Mafia made by the Kingdom of Italy was controversial and ambiguous. The Carabinieri<\/a> (the military police of Italy) and sometimes the Italian army<\/a> were often involved in terrible fights against the mafia members, but their efforts were frequently useless because of the secret co-operation between the mafia and local government and also because of the weakness of the Italian judicial system.<\/p>\n In the 1920s, the Fascist<\/a> regime began a stronger military action against the Mafia, which was led by prefect Cesare Mori<\/a>, who was known as the “Iron Prefect” because of his iron-fisted campaigns. This was the first time in which an operation against the Sicilian mafia ended with considerable success. There was an allied invasion of Sicily<\/a> during World War II starting on 10 July 1943. In preparation for the invasion, the Allies revitalised the Mafia<\/a> to aid them. The invasion of Sicily contributed to the 25 July crisis<\/a>; in general, the Allied victors were warmly embraced by Sicily.<\/p>\n Italy became a Republic in 1946 and, as part of the Constitution of Italy, Sicily was one of the five regions given special status as an autonomous region. Both the partial Italian land reform and special funding from the Italian government’s Cassa per il Mezzogiorno (Fund for the South)<\/a> from 1950 to 1984 helped the Sicilian economy. During this period, the economic and social condition of the island was generally improved thanks to important investments on infrastructures such as motorways and airports, and thanks to the creation of important industrial and commercial areas. In the 1980s, the Mafia was deeply weakened by a second important campaign led by magistrates Giovanni Falcone<\/a> and Paolo Borsellino<\/a>. Between 1990 and 2005, the unemployment rate fell from about 23% to 11%.<\/p>\n Sicily has a roughly triangular shape, earning it the name Trinacria. To the north-east, it is separated from Calabria and the rest of the Italian mainland by the Strait of Messina, about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide in the north, and about 16 km (9.9 mi) wide in the southern part. The northern and southern coasts are each about 280 km (170 mi) long measured as a straight line, while the eastern coast measures around 180 km (110 mi); total coast length is estimated at 1,484 km (922 mi). The total area of the island is 25,711 km2 (9,927 sq mi), while the Autonomous Region of Sicily (which includes smaller surrounding islands) has an area of 27,708 km2 (10,698 sq mi).<\/p>\n The terrain of inland Sicily is mostly hilly and is intensively cultivated wherever possible. Along the northern coast, the mountain ranges of Madonie<\/a>, 2,000 m (6,600 ft), Nebrodi<\/a>, 1,800 m (5,900 ft), and Peloritani<\/a>, 1,300 m (4,300 ft), are an extension of the mainland Apennines<\/a>. The cone of Mount Etn<\/a>a dominates the eastern coast. In the southeast lie the lower Hyblaean Mountains<\/a>, 1,000 m (3,300 ft). The mines of the Enna<\/a> and Caltanissetta<\/a> districts were part of a leading sulfur-producing area throughout the 19th century, but have declined since the 1950s.<\/p>\n Sicily and its surrounding small islands have some highly active volcanoes. Mount Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe and still casts black ash over the island with its ever-present eruptions. It currently stands 3,329 metres (10,922 ft) high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m (69 ft) lower now than it was in 1981. It is the highest mountain in Italy south of the Alps. Etna covers an area of 1,190 km2 (459 sq mi) with a basal circumference of 140 km (87 mi). This makes it by far the largest of the three active volcanoes in Italy<\/a>, being about two and a half times the height of the next largest, Mount Vesuvius<\/a>. In Greek mythology, the deadly monster Typhon<\/a> was trapped under the mountain by Zeus<\/a>, the god of the sky. Mount Etna is widely regarded as a cultural symbol and icon of Sicily.<\/p>\n The Aeolian Islands<\/a> in the Tyrrhenian Sea<\/a>, to the northeast of mainland Sicily form a volcanic complex, and include Stromboli<\/a>. The three volcanoes of Vulcano<\/a>, Vulcanello and Lipari<\/a> are also currently active, although the latter is usually dormant. Off the southern coast of Sicily, the underwater volcano of Ferdinandea<\/a>, which is part of the larger Empedocles<\/a> volcano, last erupted in 1831. It is located between the coast of Agrigento<\/a> and the island of Pantelleria<\/a> (which itself is a dormant volcano).<\/p>\n The autonomous region also includes several neighboring islands: the Aegadian Islands<\/a>, the Aeolian Islands, Pantelleria and Lampedusa<\/a>.<\/p>\n Thanks to the regular growth of the last years, Sicily is the eighth largest regional economy of Italy in terms of total GDP. A series of reforms and investments in agriculture such as the introduction of modern irrigation systems have made this important industry competitive. In the 1970s there was a growth of the industrial sector through the creation of some factories. In recent years the importance of the service industry has grown for the opening of several shopping malls and for modest growth of financial and telecommunication activities. Tourism is an important source of wealth for the island thanks to its natural and historical heritage. Today Sicily is investing a large amount of money on structures of the hospitality industry, in order to make tourism more competitive. However, Sicily continues to have a GDP per capita below the Italian average and higher unemployment than the rest of Italy.<\/p>\n Sicily has long been noted for its fertile soil due to volcanic eruptions. The local agriculture is also helped by the pleasant climate of the island. The main agricultural products are wheat, citrons, oranges, lemons, tomatoes, olives, olive oil, artichokes<\/a>, prickly pear<\/a>, almonds, grapes, pistachios, and wine. Cattle and sheep are raised. The cheese productions are particularly important thanks to the Ragusano DOP<\/a> and the Pecorino Siciliano DOP<\/a>. Ragusa<\/a> is noted for its honey and chocolate productions.<\/p>\n Sicily is the third largest wine producer in Italy after Veneto and Emilia Romagna<\/a>. The region is known mainly for fortified Marsala wines. In recent decades the wine industry has improved, new winemakers are experimenting with less-known native varieties, and Sicilian wines have become better known.<\/p>\n Sicily is also known for its liqueurs, such as the Amaro Averna<\/a> produced in Caltanissetta<\/a> and the local limoncello<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fishing is another fundamental resource for Sicily. There are important tuna, sardine, swordfish and European anchovy fisheries. Mazara del Vallo<\/a> is the largest fishing centre in Sicily and one of the most important in Italy.<\/p>\n Highways have been built and expanded in the last four decades. The most prominent Sicilian roads are the motorways (known as autostrade) in the north of the island. Much of the motorway network is elevated on pillars due to the island’s mountainous terrain. Other main roads in Sicily are the Strade Statali, such as the SS.113 that connects Trapani to Messina (via Palermo), the SS.114 Messina-Syracuse (via Catania) and the SS.115 Syracuse-Trapani (via Ragusa, Gela and Agrigento).<\/p>\n The first railway in Sicily was opened in 1863 (Palermo-Bagheria) and today all of the Sicilian provinces are served by a network of railway services, linking to most major cities and towns; this service is operated by Trenitalia<\/a>. Of the 1,378 km (856 mi) of railway tracks in use, over 60% has been electrified whilst the remaining 583 km (362 mi) are serviced by diesel engines. From the major cities of Sicily, there are services to Naples, Rome and Milan; this is achieved by the trains being loaded onto ferries which cross the Strait.<\/p>\n In Catania there is an underground railway service (metropolitana di Catania<\/a>); in Palermo the national railway operator Trenitalia operates a commuter rail (Palermo metropolitan railway service<\/a>), the Sicilian Capital is also served by 4 AMAT (Comunal Public Transport Operator) tramlines; Messina is served by a tramline.<\/p>\n Mainland Sicily has several airports that serve numerous Italian and European destinations and some extra-European.<\/p>\n Catania-Fontanarossa Airport<\/a>, located on the east coast, is the busiest on the island. By sea, Sicily is served by several ferry routes and cargo ports, and in all major cities, cruise ships dock on a regular basis.<\/p>\n Plans for a bridge linking Sicily to the mainland have been discussed since 1865. Throughout the last decade, plans were developed for a road and rail link to the mainland via what would be the world’s longest suspension bridge, the Strait of Messina Bridge<\/a>. Planning for the project has experienced several false starts over the past few years. On 6 March 2009, Silvio Berlusconi’s government declared that the construction works for the Messina Bridge will begin on 23 December 2009, and announced a pledge of \u20ac1.3 billion as a contribution to the bridge’s total cost, estimated at \u20ac6.1 billion. The plan has been criticized by environmental associations and some local Sicilians and Calabrians, concerned with its environmental impact, economical sustainability and even possible infiltrations by organized crime.<\/p>\n The flag of Sicily shows a triskeles<\/a> symbol (a figure of three legs arranged in rotational symmetry), and at its center a Gorgoneion<\/a> (depiction of the head of Medusa<\/a>) and a pair of wings and three wheat ears.<\/p>\n The flag is characterized by the presence of the triskeles in its middle, the (winged) head of Medusa and three wheat ears, representing the extreme fertility of the land of Sicily, The triskelion symbol is said to represent the three capes (headlands or promontories of the island of Sicily, namely: Pelorus<\/a> (Peloro, Tip of Faro, Messina: North-East); Pachynus<\/a> (Passero, Syracuse: South); and Lilyb\u00e6um<\/a> (Lilibeo, Cape Boeo, Marsala: West), which form three points of a triangle from the historical three valli<\/a> of the island.<\/p>\n The flag is bisected diagonally into regions colored red and yellow, red representing lava, yellow representing wheat.<\/p>\n The Triskeles-with-Gorgoneion symbol is found in antiquity, depicted on coins minted in Syracuse in the 4th century BC. The emblem was included in the design of the Army Gold Medal<\/a> awarded to British Army majors and above who had taken a key part in the Battle of Maida<\/a> (1806). It was used in combination with the Italian tricolore in the Sicilian revolution of 1848<\/a>. It was at this time referred to as “the sign of the Trinacria”, Sicily being referred to by its ancient name, Trinacria (“having three headlands”). The name had been revived during the Aragonese period of the Kingdom of Sicily following the Sicilian Vespers (1282). Apparently from this use, Trinacria came to be re-interpreted as a name for the symbol itself.<\/p>\n The diagonal division in red and yellow goes back to 1943, when it was used by the separatist movement led by Andrea Finocchiaro Aprile<\/a>.<\/p>\n The addition of a pair of wings to the head of the Gorgon is modern (1848), the three ears of corn were added in the 1940s.<\/p>\n A gonfalon<\/a> combining the coats of arms of Norman Sicily, the Hohenstaufen emperors and the Aragonese kingdom of Sicily with the triskeles emblem was adopted by the Sicilian Regional Assembly<\/a> in 1990. The present design became the official public flag of the Autonomous Region of Sicily on 4 January 2000, after the passing of an apposite law which advocates its use on public buildings, schools, city halls, and all the other places in which Sicily is represented.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The flag is characterized by the presence of the triskeles in its middle, the (winged) head of Medusa and three wheat ears, representing the extreme fertility of the land of Sicily, The triskelion symbol is said to represent the three capes (headlands or promontories of the island of Sicily, namely: Pelorus (Peloro, Tip of Faro, Messina: North-East); Pachynus (Passero, Syracuse: South); and Lilyb\u00e6um (Lilibeo, Cape Boeo, Marsala: West), which form three points of a triangle from the historical three valli of the island.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[59,26,5,6,7,29,152,87,60],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6308"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6308\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Sicily-in-Italy-239x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>History:<\/h2>\n
Prehistory:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Dolmen-of-Avola-East-Sicily-300x279.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Ruins-of-Morgantina-300x199.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Antiquity:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Greek-Temple-Ruins-in-Sicily-300x212.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Marcus-Tullius-Cicero-225x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Sicilia-in-the-Roman-Empire-300x206.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Byzantine Period (535\u2013965):<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Justinian-216x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Narses-218x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Michael-II-the-Amorian-with-Theophilus-300x134.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Arab Period (827\u20131091):<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Arab-Style-Irrigation-Innovations-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Kalsa-Area-of-Palermo-200x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Norman Sicily (1038\u20131198):<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/The-Byzantines-Under-George-Maniakes-Land-at-Sicily-and-Defeat-the-Arabs-300x147.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Kingdom of Sicily:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Roger-I-of-Sicily-291x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/The-Cathedral-of-Monreale-300x208.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Hohenstaufen Dynasty:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Frederick-II-225x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Charles-I-200x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Sicily Under Aragonese Rule:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Sicilian-Vespers-300x221.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Ferdinand-III-216x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Italian Unification:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/The-Beginning-of-the-Expedition-of-the-Thousand-1860-300x199.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>20th and 21st Centuries:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/American-Soldier-Being-Treated-During-the-Invasion-of-Sicily-300x242.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Geography:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Topographic-Map-of-Sicily-300x220.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Mount-Etna-and-Catania-300x122.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Economy:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Marsala-Wine-from-Sicily-200x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Transportation:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/The-A20-Motorway-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Messina-Tramway-300x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>
\nPalermo International Airport<\/a>, which is also a substantially large airport with many national and international flights.
\nTrapani-Birgi Airport<\/a>, a military-civil joint-use airport (third for traffic on the island). Recently the airport has seen an increase in traffic thanks to a low-cost carrier.
\nComiso-Ragusa Airport<\/a>, has recently been refurbished and re-converted from military use to a civil airport. It was opened to commercial traffic and general aviation on 30 May 2013.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/10\/Catania-International-Airport-300x197.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Flag of Sicily:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/08\/Flag-of-Sicily-300x199.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>