sicily - wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

7/17/2019 Sicily - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

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SicilySicilia

Autonomous region of Italy

Flag Coat of arms

Country Italy

Capital Palermo

Government

President Rosario Crocetta (Democratic)

Area

Total 25,711 km2(9,927 sq mi)

Population (as of 30 April 2012) Total 5,043,380 (8.4% of Italy)

Demonym Sicilian(s) (English), Siciliano,Siciliani (Italian)

Citizenship[1]

Italian 98%

Time zone CET (UTC+1)

Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)GDP/ Nominal 84.5[2]billion (2008)

GDP per capita 17,488[3] (2008)

NUTS Region ITG

SicilyFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sicily(/ssli/ SISS-i-lee Italian: Sicilia[sitilja]) is the largest island in theMediterranean Sea along with surrounding minor islands, it constitutes anautonomous region of Italy officially referred to asRegione Sicilia.

Sicily is located in the central Mediterranean. It extends from the tip of theApennine peninsula, from which it is separated only by the narrow Strait ofMessina, towards the North African coast. Its most prominent landmark isMount Etna, which, at 3,350 m (10,990 ft), is the tallest active volcano inEurope and one of the most active in the world. The island has a typicalMediterranean climate.

The earliest archeological evidence of human dwelling on the island dates

from as early as 12,000 BC.[4][5]At around 750 BC, Sicily was host to anumber of Phoenician and Greek colonies, and for the next 600 years, it wasthe site of the GreekPunic and RomanPunic wars, which ended withtheRoman destructionof Carthage. After the fall of the Roman Empire in the5thcentury AD, Sicily frequently changed hands, and during the early MiddleAges, it was ruled in turn by the Vandals, Ostrogoths, Byzantines, Arabs and

Normans. Later on, the Kingdom of Sicily lasted between 1130 and 1816,first subordinated to thecrowns of Aragon, Spain, and the Holy RomanEmpire, and then finally unified under the Bourbons with Naples, as theKingdom of the Two Sicilies. Following the Expedition of the Thousand, aGiuseppe Garibaldi-led revolt during the Italian Unification process and a

plebiscite, it became part of Italyin 1860. After the birth of the ItalianRepublic in1946, Sicily was given special status as an autonomous region.

Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard tothe arts, music,literature, cuisine and architecture. It also holds importance for archeologicaland ancient sites such as the Necropolis of Pantalica, the Valley of theTemples and Selinunte.

Contents

1 Geography1.1 Rivers1.2 Climate

2 Flora and fauna3 History

3.1 Ancient tribes3.2 Greek and Roman period3.3 Early Middle Ages

3.3.1 Germanic3.3.2 Byzantine3.4 Arab Sicily (8271091)3.5 Norman Sicily (10301198)3.6 Kingdom of Sicily3.7 Germanic Holy Roman Emperor3.8 Sicilian Vespers and Aragonese Sicily3.9 Italian Unification

4 Demographics4.1 Major settlements4.2 Population genetics4.3 Ethno-linguistic minorities

5 Politics

Coordinates: 3730N 140
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The island of Sicily

5.1 Administrative divisions6 Economy

6.1 Agriculture6.2 Industry and manufacturing6.3 Statistics

6.3.1 GDP growth6.3.2 Economic sectors

7 Transport7.1 Roads7.2 Railways

7.3 Airports7.4 Ports7.5 Planned bridge

8 Tourism8.1 UNESCO World Heritage Sites

8.1.1 Tentative Sites8.2 Archeological sites8.3 Castles

9 Culture9.1 Art and architecture

9.1.1 Sicilian Baroque9.2 Music and film9.3 Literature

9.4 Language9.5 Science9.6 Education9.7 Religion9.8 Cuisine9.9 Sports9.10 Popular culture9.11 Regional symbols

10 References11 Further reading12 External links

Geography

Sicily has a roughly triangular shape, which earned it the name Trinacria. Tothe east, it is separated from the Italian region of Calabria by the Strait ofMessina, about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide in the north, and about 16 km (9.9 mi) in

the southern part.[6]The northern and southern coasts are each about 280kilometres (170 mi) long measured as a straight line, while the eastern coastmeasures around 180 kilometres (110 mi) total coast length is estimated at1,484 km (922 mi). The total area of the island is 25,711 square kilometres

(9,927 sq mi),[7]while the Autonomous Region of Sicily (which includessmaller surrounding islands) has an area of 27,708 square kilometres

(10,698 sq mi).[8]

The terrain of inland Sicily is mostly hilly and intensively cultivated whereverit was possible. Along the northern coast, mountain ranges of Madonie,

2,000 m (6,600 ft), Nebrodi, 1,800 m (5,900 ft), and Peloritani, 1,300 m (4,300 ft), represent an extension of mainland Apennines

The cone of Mount Etna dominates over the eastern coast. In the south-east lie lower Hyblaean Mountains, 1,000 m (3,300 ft).[9]

The mines of the Enna and Caltanissetta districts were a leading sulfur-producing area throughout the 19th century, but havedeclined since the 1950s.

Sicily and its small surrounding islands have some highly active volcanoes. Mount Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe anstill plagues the island with black ash with its ever current eruptions. It currently stands 3,329 metres (10,922 ft) high, though thisvaries 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
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Mount Etna rising over suburbs of Catania

Alcantara Canyon

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 thelargest of the three active volcanoes in Italy, being about two and a half times the height of the next largest, Mount Vesuvius. InGreek Mythology, the deadly monster Typhon wastrapped under this mountain by Zeus, the god of thesky, and Mount Etna is widely regarded as a culturalsymbol and icon of Sicily.

The Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, to thenortheast of mainland Sicily exhibit a volcanic complex

including Stromboli. Currently active also are the threevolcanoes of Vulcano, Vulcanello and Lipari, usuallydormant. Off the southern coast of Sicily, theunderwater volcano of Ferdinandea, which is part of thelarger Empedocles, last erupted in 1831. It is located

between the coast of Agrigento and the island ofPantelleria (which itself is a dormant volcano), on theunderwater Phlegraean Fields of the Strait of Sicily.

The autonomous region also includes several neighboring islands: the Aegadian Islands, the Aeolian Islands, Pantelleria andLampedusa.

Taormina

Capo d'Orlando

Stromboli

Marina di Ragusa

Scala dei Turchi

The hilly countrysidearound Caltanissetta, incentral Sicily

Rivers

The island is drained by several rivers, most of which flow through the central area andenter the sea at the south of the island. The Salso flows through parts of Enna andCaltanissetta before entering the Mediterranean Sea at the port of Licata. To the east, thereis the Alcantara in the province of Messina, which exits at Giardini Naxos, and the Simeto,which exits into the Ionian Sea south of Catania. Other important rivers on the island are tothe southwest with Belice and Platani.
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The Simeto River

Zingaro Natural Reserve

River length in km (mi)

Salso 144 km (89 mi)

Simeto 113 km (70 mi)

Belice 107 km (66 mi)

Dittaino 105 km (65 mi)

Platani 103 km (64 mi)

Gornalunga 81 km (50 mi)

Gela (river) 74 km (46 mi)Salso Cimarosa 72 km (45 mi)

Torto 58 km (36 mi)

Irminio 57 km (35 mi)

Dirillo 54 km (34 mi)

Verdura 53 km (33 mi)

Alcantara 52 km (32 mi)

Tellaro 45 km (28 mi)

Anapo 40 km (25 mi)

Climate

Sicily has a typical Mediterranean climate with mild and wet winters and hot, dry summers. On almost any average day,temperatures in Sicily may rise up to 44 C (111.2 F). According to the Regional Agency for Waste and Water, on 10 August1999, the weather station of Catenanuova (EN) recorded a maximum temperature of 48.5 C (119 F), which is the highesttemperature ever recorded in Europe by the use of reliable instruments. The official European record measured byminimum/maximum thermometers is held by Athens, Greece, as communications reported a maximum of 48.0 C (118 F) in

1977.[10]Total precipitation is highly variable, generally increasing with elevation. In general, the southern and southeast coastreceives the least rainfall (less than 20 in., or 50 cm), and the northern and northeastern highlands the most (over 40 in., or 100 cm

Flora and fauna

Sicily is an often-quoted example of man-made deforestation, which was practiced since

Roman times, when the island was made an agricultural region.[9]This gradually dampenedthe climate, leading to decline of rainfall and drying of rivers. This is the reason why the

central and southwest provinces are practically without any forests. [11]In Northern Sicily,there are three important forests, near Mount Etna, in the Nebrodi Mountains and in theBosco della Ficuzza's Natural Reserve near Palermo. The Nebrodi Mountains RegionalPark, established 4 August 1993, with its 86,000 hectares (210,000 acres) is the largest

protected natural area of Sicily here is the largest forest of Sicily, Caronia, which is also thesecond name of the Nebrodi Mountains. The Hundred Horse Chestnut (Castagno dei CentoCavalli), located on Linguaglossa road in Sant'Alfio, on the eastern slope of Mount Etna, isthe largest and oldest known chestnut tree in the world, dated between 2000 and 4000years.[12]

Sicily has a good level of faunal biodiversity. Some of the species are Cirneco dell'Etna, fox, least weasel, pine marten, roe deer,wild boar, crested porcupine, hedgehog, common toad, Vipera aspis, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, hoopoe and black-winged

stilt.[13]In some cases, Sicily is a delimited point of a species range. For example, the subspecies of hooded crow (Corvus cornix)

occurs in Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica, but no further south. [14]

The Zingaro Natural Reserve is one of the best examples of unspoiled coastal wilderness in Sicily.[15]

History
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebrodihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gornalungahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simeto_Riverhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Horse_Chestnuthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcantara_(river)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vipera_aspishttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirillohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Etnahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_deerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Etnahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irminiohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dittainohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebrodihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehoghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sant%27Alfiohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salsohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_toadhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_weaselhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riserva_naturale_dello_Zingarohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zingaro_063.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palermohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belicehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_eaglehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_martenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_climatehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-winged_stilthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdurahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crested_porcupinehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_falconhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_boarhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riserva_naturale_dello_Zingarohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnuthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hectarehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebrodihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Simeto.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooded_crowhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simetohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anapohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoopoehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tellarohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gela_(river)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirneco_dell%27Etna


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Ruins of the ancient and powerfulPhoenician city of Motya.

Dolmen of Monte Bubbonia, southSicily.

Dolmen of Avola, east Sicily.

The Temple of Concordia, Agrigento

Ancient tribes

The original inhabitants of Sicily were three defined groups of the Ancient peoples of ItalyThe most prominent and by far the earliest of these was the Sicani, who were claimed by

Thucydides to have arrived from the Iberian Peninsula (perhaps Catalonia).[16][17]Importahistorical evidence has been discovered in the form of cave drawings by the Sicani, dated

from the end of the Pleistocene epoch, around 8000 BC.[18]The arrival of the first humansis correlated with extinction of dwarf hippos and dwarf elephants. The Elymians, thought t

be from the Aegean Sea, were the next tribe to migrate to join the Sicanians on Sicily.[19]

The recent discoveries of dolmens on the island(dating to the second half of the third millenniumBC) seems to open up new horizons on thecomposite cultural panorama of primitive Sicily. Itis well known that this region went through a quite

intricate prehistory, so much so that it is difficult to move about in the muddle of peoplesthat have followed each other. The impact of two influences, however, remains clear: theEuropean one coming from the North-West, and the other, the Mediterranean influence, of a

clear oriental matrix.[20]

Although there is no evidence of any wars between the tribes, when the Elymians settled in

the north-west corner of the island, the Sicanians moved across eastwards. In 1200 BC, theSicels, who are thought to originally have been Ligures from Liguria, arrived frommainland Italy and forced the Sicanians to move back across Sicily and settle in the middle

of the island.[18]Other minor Italic groups who settled in Sicily were the Ausones (AeolianIslands, Milazzo) and the Morgetes (Morgantina). There are many studies of genetic recordsthat show inhabitants of various parts of the Mediterranean Basin, including Egyptian,

Phoenician and Iberian, mixed with the oldest inhabitants of Sicily. [21]The Phoenicians

were another group of settlers who predated the Greeks.[22]

Greek and Roman period

About 750 BC, the Greeks began to live in Sicily ( Sikelia), establishing manyimportant settlements. The most important colony was Syracuse other significant ones

were Akragas, Selinunte, Gela, Himera, and Zancle.[23]The native Sicani and Sicel peopleswere absorbed by the Hellenic culture with relative ease, and the area was part ofMagnaGraeciaalong with the rest of southern Italy, which the Greeks had also colonised. Sicilywas very fertile, and the introduction of olives and grape vines flourished, creating a great

deal of profitable trading[24]a significant part of Greek culture on the island was that ofGreek religion, and many temples were built across Sicily, such as the Valley of the Temples

at Agrigento.[25]

Politics on the island was intertwined with that of Greece Syracuse became desired by theAthenians, who, during the Peloponnesian War, set out on the Sicilian Expedition. Syracuse

gained Sparta and Corinth 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.[26]

While Greek Syracuse controlled much of Sicily, there were a few Carthaginian colonies in the far west of the island. When thetwo cultures began to clash, the Greek-Punic wars erupted, the longest wars of antiquity. Greece began to make peace with theRoman Republic in 262 BC, and the Romans sought to annex Sicily as their republic's first province. Rome intervened in the First

Punic War, crushing Carthage, so that by 242 BC, Sicily had become the first Roman province outside of the Italian Peninsula.[27

The Second Punic War, in which Archimedes was murdered, saw Carthage trying to take Sicily from the Roman Republic. Theyfailed, and this time, Rome was even more unrelenting in the annihilation of the invaders in 210 BC, the Roman consul M.

Valerian told the Roman Senate that "no Carthaginian remains in Sicily". [28]
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The Greek-Roman theatre at

Taormina.

Historic map of Sicily by Piri Reis.

San Giovanni degli Eremiti, reddomes showing elements of Byzantinarchitecture.

Sicily served a level of high importance for the Romans as it acted as the empire's granaryIt was divided into two quaestorships, in the form of Syracuse to the east and Lilybaeum t

the west.[29]Although under Augustus, some attempt was made to introduce the Latinlanguage to the island, Sicily was allowed to remain largely Greek in a cultural sense, rath

than a complete cultural Romanisation.[29]When Verres became governor of Sicily, theonce prosperous and contented people went into sharp decline. In 70 BC, the noted figure

Cicero condemned the misgovernment of Verres in his orationIn Verrem.[30]

The island was used as a base of power numerous times, being occupied by slave insurgen

during the First and Second Servile Wars, and by Sextus Pompey during the Sicilian revoltChristianity first appeared in Sicily during the years following AD 200 between this timeand AD 313, when Constantine the Great finally lifted the prohibition on Christianity, a

significant number of Sicilians became martyrs, including Agatha, Christina, Lucy and Euplius. [31]Christianity grew rapidly inSicily during the next two centuries. The period of history during which Sicily was a Roman province lasted for around 700

years.[31]

Early Middle Ages

Germanic

As the Western Roman Empire was falling apart, a Germanic tribe known as the Vandals took Sicily in AD 440 under the rule oftheir king Geiseric. The Vandals had already invaded parts of Roman France, Spain and Portugal, asserting themselves as an

important power in Western Europe.[32]However, they soon lost these newly acquired possessions to another East Germanic tribe

in the form of the Goths.[32]The Ostrogothic conquest of Sicily (and Italy as a whole) under Theodoric the Great began in 488although the Goths were Germanic, Theodoric sought to revive Roman culture and government and allowed freedom of

religion.[33]

Byzantine

In the 6th century, the Gothic War took place between the Ostrogoths and the EasternRoman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire. Sicily was the first part of Italy to betaken by general Belisarius, who was commissioned by the Eastern Emperor Justinian I as

part of an ambitious attempt to restore the whole Roman Empire, thereby uniting theEastern and the Western halves.[34]Sicily was used as a base for the Byzantines to conquerthe rest of Italy, with Naples, Rome, Milan and the Ostrogoth capital Ravenna falling within

five years.[35]However, a new Ostrogoth king, Totila, drove down the Italian peninsula,plundering and conquering Sicily in 550. Totila, in turn, was defeated and killed in the

Battle of Taginae by the Byzantine general Narses in 552.[35]

In 535, Emperor Justinian I made Sicily a Byzantine province, and for the second time inSicilian history, the Greek language became a familiar sound across the island. As the

power of the Byzantine Empire waned, Sicily was invaded by the Arab forces of CaliphUthman in 652. The Arabs failed to make any permanent gains and returned to Syria after

gathering some booty.[36]

The Byzantine Emperor Constans II decided to move from the capital Constantinople toSyracuse in Sicily during 660. The following year, he launched an assault from Sicily

against the Lombard Duchy of Benevento, which then occupied most of southern Italy.[37]

The rumors that the capital of the empire was to be moved to Syracuse probably cost

Constans his life, as he was assassinated in 668.[37]His son Constantine IV succeeded hima brief usurpation in Sicily by Mezezius being quickly suppressed by the new emperor.Contemporary accounts report that the Greek language was widely spoken on the island

during this period.[38]
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Towers of Palermo Cathedral

By 826, Euphemius, the Byzantine commander in Sicily, had apparently killed his wife and forced a nun to marry him. EmperorMichael II caught wind of the matter and ordered general Constantine to end the marriage and cut off Euphemius' head. Euphemiu

rose up, killed Constantine and then occupied Syracuse he in turn was defeated and driven out to North Africa.[39]

He offered the rule of Sicily to Ziyadat Allah, the Aghlabid Emir of Tunisia, in return for a position as a general and as a place ofsafety a Muslim army of Arabs, Berbers, Spaniards of Al-Andalus (which was then an Islamic region), Cretans and Persians was

then sent to the island.[39]The Muslim conquest of Sicily was a see-saw affair and met with much resistance. It took over a centurfor Byzantine Sicily to be conquered Syracuse held out for a long time and Taormina fell in 902. It was not until 965 that all of

Sicily was conquered by Berbers and Arabs.[39]

Arab Sicily (8271091)

The Arabs initiated land reforms, which in turn increased productivity and encouraged the growth of smallholdings, underminingthe dominance of the landed estates. The Arabs further improved irrigation systems. The language spoken in Sicily under Arab ruwas Sicilian Arabic and Arabic influence is still present in some Sicilian words today. Although the language is extinct in Sicily, ihas developed into what is now the Maltese language on the islands of Malta today. A description of Palermo was given by IbnHawqal, an Arab merchant who visited Sicily in 950. A walled suburb, called the Al-Kasr (the palace), is the center of Palermo tothis day, with the great Friday mosque on the site of the later Roman cathedral. The suburb of Al-Khalisa (Kalsa) contained theSultan's palace, baths, a mosque, government offices, and a private prison. Ibn Hawqal reckoned 7,000 individual butchers tradingin 150 shops. Palermo was firstly ruled by Aghlabids, later it was the centre of Emirate of Sicily under nominal suzerainty ofFatimids.

Throughout this reign, revolts by Byzantine Sicilians continuously occurred, especially in the east, and parts of the island were re-

occupied before being quashed. Agricultural items such as oranges, lemons, pistachio and sugar cane were brought to Sicily.[32]

Under the Arab rule, the island was aligned 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, the native Christians (Eastern Orthodox) were allowed freedom of religion, but had to pay a tax, Jizya, andexperienced some limitations to actively participate in public affairs. The Emirate of Sicily began to fragment as intra-dynastic

quarreling fractured the Muslim regime.[39]During this time, there was also a minor Jewish presence.[40]

Norman Sicily (10301198)

By the 11th century, mainland southern Italian powers hired Norman mercenaries, whoconquered Sicily from the Arabs under Roger I.[41]After taking Apulia and Calabria, heoccupied Messina with an army of 700 knights. In 1068, Roger was victorious at Misilmeri,

but the most crucial battle was the siege of Palermo, which in 1072 led to most of Sicily

coming under Norman control.[42]The Normans finished their conquest in 1091, when theycaptured Noto, which was the last Arab stronghold.

When Roger died in 1101, he was succeeded by his son, Roger II, who was the first King ofSicily. The elder Roger was married to Adelaide, who ruled until her son came of age in

1112.[41]

The Normans, the Hautevilles, who were descended from the Vikings, came to appreciate and

admire the rich and layered culture in which they now found themselves. Many Normans inSicily adopted some of the attributes of Muslim rulers in dress, language, literature, and even

in the presence of palace eunuchs and according to some accounts, a harem. [43][44]Like themulti-ethnic Caliphate of Crdoba, then only just eclipsed, the court of Roger II became themost luminous center of culture in the Mediterranean, both from Europe and the Middle East.This attracted scholars, scientists, poets, artists and artisans of all kinds. In Norman Sicily, still

with heavy Arab influence,[45]laws were issued in the language of the community to whom they were addressed: the governancewas by the rule of law so there was justice. Muslims, Jews, Byzantine Greeks, Lombards and Normans worked together to form a

society that historians have said has created some of the most extraordinary buildings that the world has ever seen.[45]

Kingdom of Sicily
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The Cathedral of Monreale

Depiction of the Sicilian Vespers

Palermo continued on as the capital under the Normans. Roger's son, Roger II of Sicily,having succeeded his brother Simon of Sicily as Count of Sicily, was ultimately able toraise 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.[42][46]During thisperiod, the Kingdom of Sicily was prosperous and politically powerful, becoming one of the

wealthiest states in all of Europe even wealthier than the Kingdom of England. [47]

Significantly, immigrants from Northern Italy and Campania arrived during this period.Linguistically, the island became Latinised. In terms of the church, it would become

completely Roman Catholic previously, under the Byzantines, it had been more EasternChristian.[48]

Germanic Holy Roman Emperor

After a century, the Norman Hauteville dynasty died out the last direct descendant and heir of Roger, Constance, married Empero

Henry VI.[49]This eventually led to the crown of Sicily being passed on to the Hohenstaufen Dynasty, who were Germans fromSwabia. The last of the Hohenstaufens was one of the greatest and most cultured men of the Middle Ages, Frederick II, the onlyson of Constance. His mother's will had asked Pope Innocent III to undertake the guardianship of her son. The pope gladlyaccepted the role, as it allowed him to detach Sicily from the rest of The Holy Roman Empire, thus ending the specter of the PapaStates being surrounded. Frederick was four when, at Palermo, he was crowned King of Sicily in 1198. Frederick received nosystematic 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. He grew familiar with different peoplegarb, customs and faiths, so that he became unusually tolerant for that period. At age twelve, he dismissed Innocent's deputy regenand took over the government at fifteen he married Constance of Aragon, and began his reclamation of the imperial crown.

Conflict between the Hohenstaufen house and the Papacy led, in 1266, to Pope Innocent IV crowning the French prince Charles,

count of Anjou and Provence, as the king of both Sicily and Naples.[49]

Sicilian Vespers and Aragonese Sicily

Strong opposition to French officialdom due to mistreatment and taxation saw the localpeoples of Sicily rise up, leading in 1282 to an insurrection known as the War of theSicilian Vespers, which eventually saw almost the entire French population on the island

killed.[49]During the war, the Sicilians turned to Peter III of Aragon, son-in-law of the lastHohenstaufen king, for support after being rejected by the Pope. Peter gained control ofSicily from the French, who, however, retained control of the Kingdom of Naples. Acrusade was launched in August 1283 against Peter III and the Aragon Kingdom by PopeMartin IV (a pope from le-de-France), but it failed. The wars continued until the peace ofCaltabellotta in 1302, which saw Peter's son Frederick III recognised as king of the Isle of

Sicily, while Charles II was recognised as the king of Naples by Pope Boniface VIII.[49]

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.[24]In October 1347, in Messina, Sicily, the Blac

Death first arrived in Europe.[50]

The onset of the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 led to Ferdinand II decreeing the expulsion of all Jews from Sicily.[49]

The eastern pof the island was hit by very destructive earthquakes in 1542 and 1693. Just a few years before the latter earthquake, the island wa

struck by a ferocious plague.[49]The earthquake in 1693 took an estimated 60,000 lives.[51]There were revolts during the 17th

century, but these were quelled with significant force, especially the revolts of Palermo and Messina.[24]North African slave raid

discouraged settlement along the coast until the 19th century.[52][53]The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 saw Sicily assigned to the Houof Savoy however, this period of rule lasted only seven years, as it was exchanged for the island of Sardinia with Emperor Charle

VI of the Austrian Habsburg Dynasty.[54]

While the Austrians were concerned with the War of the Polish Succession, a Bourbon prince, Charles from Spain was able to

conquer Sicily and Naples.[55]At first Sicily was able to remain as an independent kingdom under personal union, while theBourbons ruled over both from Naples. However, the advent of Napoleon's First French Empire saw Naples taken at the Battle of
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Sicilian Baroque in Catania

The beginning of the Expedition of the Thousand,1860.

Private Roy W. Humphrey of Toledo,Ohio is being given blood plasmaafter he was wounded by shrapnel inSicily on 9 August 1943.

Campo Tenese and Bonapartist King of Naples were installed. Ferdinand III the Bourbon was forced to retreat to Sicily which he

was still in complete control of with the help of British naval protection. [56]

Following this Sicily joined the Napoleonic Wars, after the wars were won Sicily and Naples formally merged as the Two Siciliesunder the Bourbons. Major revolutionary movements occurred in 1820 and 1848 against the Bourbon government with Sicilyseeking independence the second of which, the 1848 revolution resulted in a short period of independence for Sicily. However, in

1849 the Bourbons retook the control of the island and dominated it until 1860. [57]

Italian Unification

In 1860, as part of theRisorgimento,[58]the Expedition of the Thousand led by Giuseppe Garibaldi captured Sicily. The conqueststarted at Marsala, and native Sicilians joined him in the capture of the southern Italian peninsula. Garibaldi's march was finallycompleted with the Siege of Gaeta, where the final Bourbons were expelled and Garibaldi

announced his dictatorship in the name of Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia. [59]Sicilybecame part of the Kingdom of Sardinia after a referendum where more than 75% of Sicily voted infavor of the annexation on 21 October 1860 (but not everyone was allowed to vote). As a result ofthe Kingdom of Italy proclamation, Sicily became part of the kingdom on 17 March 1861.

After the Italian Unification, in spite of the strong investments made by the Kingdom of Italy interms of modern infrastructure, the Sicilian (and the wider mezzogiorno) economy remained

relatively underdeveloped and this caused an unprecedented wave of emigration.[58]In 1894,

organizations of workers and peasants known as theFasci Siciliani, protested against the bad socialand economic conditions of the island but they were suppressed in a few days.[60][61]The Messina

earthquake of 28 December 1908 killed over 80,000 people.[62]This period was also characterisedby the first contact between the Sicilian mafia (the crime syndicate also known as Cosa Nostra) andthe Italian government. The Mafia's origins are still uncertain but it is generally accepted that itemerged in the 18th century initially in the role of private enforcers hired to protect the property oflandowners and merchants from the groups of bandits (briganti) whofrequently pillaged the countryside and towns. The battle against the Mafiamade by the Kingdom of Italy was controversial and ambiguous although theCarabinieri (the military police of Italy) and sometimes the Italian army wereoften involved in terrible fights against the mafia members, their efforts werefrequently useless because of the secret cooperation between mafia and local

government and also because of the weakness of the Italian judicial system.[63]

In the 1920s, the Fascist regime began astronger military action against theMafia, which was led by the prefectCesare Mori, who was known as the"Iron Prefect" because of his iron-fistedcampaigns. This was the first time inwhich an operation against the Sicilianmafia ended with considerable

success.[58]There was an allied invasion of Sicily during World War II starting on 10 July1943. In preparation for the invasion, the Allies revitalised the Mafia to aid them. Theinvasion of Sicily contributed to the 25 July crisis in general the Allied victors were

warmly embraced by Sicily.[64]

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.[65]Both the partial Italianland reform and special funding from the Italian government's Cassa per il Mezzogiorno(Fund for the South) from 1950 to 1984,helped the Sicilian economy. During this period, the economic and social condition of the island was generally improved thanks toimportant investments on infrastructures, like motorways and airports, and thanks to the creation of important industrial and

commercial areas.[66]In the 1980s, the Mafia was deeply weakened by a second important campaign led by the magistrates

Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.[67]Between 1990 and 2005 the unemployment rate fell from about 23% to 11%. [68][69]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Emanuel_II_of_Italyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_invasion_of_Sicilyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benito_Mussolini#Dismissed_and_arrestedhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Catania_BW_2012-10-06_11-23-47.JPGhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefecthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Garibaldihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Sicilieshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_unificationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedition_of_the_Thousandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Italyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paolo_Borsellinohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassa_per_il_Mezzogiornohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Campo_Tenesehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_Napleshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_mafiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airportshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedition_of_the_Thousandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_diasporahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Italy_(1861%E2%80%931946)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regio_Esercitohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Italyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mezzogiornohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Partenza_da_Quarto.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_plasmahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_regionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Sardiniahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleonic_Warshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Italyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_of_the_Italian_Republichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemployment_ratehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Baroquehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo,_Ohiohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Navyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Unificationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_fascismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cataniahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionaryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_I_of_the_Two_Sicilieshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regions_of_Italyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsalahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabinierihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_reformhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourbonshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorwayshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Sardiniahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Gaeta_(1861)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Private_Roy_W._Humphrey_of_Toledo,_Ohio_is_being_given_blood_plasma_after_he_was_wounded_by_shrapnel_in_Sicily_on_8-9-43_-_NARA_-_197268.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banditshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_revolution_of_independence_of_1848https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1908_Messina_earthquakehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesare_Morihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasci_Sicilianihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Falcone


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The city of Palermo in 2005.

Historical population

Year Pop.

1861 2,409,000 1871 2,590,000 +7.51881 2,933,000 +13.21901 3,568,000 +21.71911 3,812,000 +6.81921 4,223,000 +10.81931 3,906,000 7.5

1936 4,000,000 +2.41951 4,487,000 +12.21961 4,721,000 +5.21971 4,681,000 0.81981 4,907,000 +4.81991 4,966,000 +1.22001 4,969,000 +0.12011 5,002,904 +0.7

Source: ISTAT 2010

Demographics

Sicily received a variety of different cultures, including the original Italic people, the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Saracens,Normans, Swabians, Aragonese, Lombards, Spaniards, French, and Albanians, each contributing to the island's culture, particularin the areas of cuisine and architecture. About five million people live in Sicily, making it the fourth most populated region in ItalyIn the first century after the Italian Unification, Sicily had one of the most negative net migration rates among the regions of Italy

because of the emigration of millions of people to other European countries, North America, South America and Australia. Like tSouth of Italy and Sardinia, immigration to the island is very low compared to other regions of Italy because workers tend to headto Northern Italy instead, due to better employment and industrial

opportunities. The most recent ISTAT figures show around 100 thousandimmigrants out of the total five million population (nearly 2 percent of the

population)Romanians with more than 17 thousand make up the mostimmigrants, followed by Tunisians, Moroccans, Sri Lankans, Albanians, and

others mostly from Eastern Europe.[70]As in the rest of Italy, the official

language is Italian and the primary religion is Roman Catholicism. [71][72]

Major settlements

In Sicily, there are only two metropolitan areas, Palermo that has a LargerUrban Zone of 1,044,169 people and Catania whose LUZ is of 801,280

people.

[73]

Overall on the island there are fifteen cities and towns which have apopulation above 50,000 people, these are: Palermo (677,854), Catania(315,576), Messina (242,121), Syracuse (123,248), Marsala (82,812), Gela(77,295), Ragusa (73,756), Trapani (70,642), Vittoria (63,393), Caltanissetta (60,221),Agrigento (59,190), Bagheria (56,421), Modica (55,294), Acireale (53,205) and Mazara del

Vallo (51,413).[74]

Population genetics

Y-Dna haplogroups were found at the following frequencies in Sicily: R1 (30.09%), J

(29.65%), E1b1b (18.21%), I (7.62%), G (5.93%), T (5.51%), Q (2.54%). [75]R1 and Ihaplogroups are typical in West European populations while J and E1b1b consist of

lineages with differential distribution within Middle East, North Africa and Europe. InSicily further migrations from the Vandals, Normans and Saracens have affected the ethniccomposition of the Sicilian people. Norman civilization proliferated for several centurieson the island, with a strong impact on the culture of the place and different populations as

Normans, Bretons, Anglo-Saxons, Swabians and Lombards have repopulated the islandwith a male contribution around 8% (Haplogroup I). The Norman Kingdom of Sicily wascreated in 1130, with Palermo as capital, and would last until the 19th century. Nowadays itis in north-west Sicily, around Palermo and Trapani, that Norman Y-DNA is the mostcommon, with 8 to 15% of the lineages belonging to haplogroup I. In the thirteenth centuryFrederick II destroyed Arab presence in Sicily and between 1221 and 1226 he moved allthe Arabs of Sicily to the city of Lucera in Italy. A new recent genetic study about SouthernItalian and Sicilian population has shown that Sicilians are very close with mainlander Italians from the adjacent regions like

Calabria, Basilicata and Apulia. [76]

N E-

V12E-

V13E-

V22E-

V65E-

M81E-

M123 G I J1 J2 T L Q R1a R1b Study

236 1.27% 5.93% 3.81% 0.42% 2.12% 4.66% 5.93% 7.62% 3.81% 25.84% 5.51% 0.42% 2.54% 5.51% 24.58%

DiGaetanet al.(2009)

Ethno-linguistic minorities

In Sicily there are two historical ethno-linguistic minorities, the Lombards of Sicily and the Arbresh.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_T_(Y-DNA)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caltanissettahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palermohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Americahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empirehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholicismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabianshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_G_(Y-DNA)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagheriahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Palermo_panorama.JPGhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaniardshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Y-chromosome_DNA_haplogrouphttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empirehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lombardshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larger_Urban_Zonehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_R1_(Y-DNA)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_Tamil_diasporahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aragonese_peoplehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_R1b_(Y-DNA)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_J2_(Y-DNA)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecturehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_L_(Y-DNA)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_R1a_(Y-DNA)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cataniahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragusa,_Italyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_E1b1b1a_(Y-DNA)#E1b1b1a1d_.28E-V65.29https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_E1b1b1b_(Y-DNA)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arb%C3%ABresh%C3%AB_peoplehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsalahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_E1b1b1a_(Y-DNA)#E1b1b1a1a_.28E-V12.29https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modicahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vittoria,_Sicilyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_regions_of_Italy#List_of_regionshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_E1b1b1a_(Y-DNA)#E1b1b1a1b_.28E-V13.29https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_E1b1b_(Y-DNA)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palermohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palermohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lombards_of_Sicilyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_cuisinehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_E1b1b1_(Y-DNA)#E1b1b1c_.28E-M123.29https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cataniahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_G_(Y-DNA)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapanihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_I_(Y-DNA)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moroccanshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_areahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_J1_(Y-DNA)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messinahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Languagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saracenshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_Q-M242_(Y-DNA)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanianshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_migration_ratehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_peoplehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrigentohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italic_peoplehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanianshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acirealehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_Q-M242_(Y-DNA)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_J_(Y-DNA)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_E1b1b1a_(Y-DNA)#E1b1b1a1c_.28E-V22.29https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_I_(Y-DNA)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istituto_Nazionale_di_Statisticahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Americahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syracuse,_Sicilyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanianshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istituto_Nazionale_di_Statisticahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisianshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Italyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greekshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larger_Urban_Zoneshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_T_(Y-DNA)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Unificationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normanshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazara_del_Vallo


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Provinces of Sicily

Lombards of Sicilyare a linguistic minority living in northern-central Sicily who speak an isolated variety of Gallo-Italicdialects, the so-called Gallo-Italic of Sicily. The Lombards of Sicily, who came from Northern Italy, settled the central andeastern part of Sicily about 900 years ago, during the Norman conquest of Sicily. Because of linguistic differences among tGallo-Italic dialects of Sicily, it is supposed that there were independent immigration routes. From Piedmont, Liguria,Emilia, Lombardy they began to spread south between the 11th and 14th centuries. Aidone, Piazza Armerina, Nicosia, SanFratello, Novara di Sicilia are the most important communities.

Arbreshsettled in Southern Italy in the 15th to 18th centuries in several waves of migrations. They are the AlbanianCatholics who fled to Italy after Albania was conquered by the Ottoman Turks. There are three Arbresh communitiesidentified within the province of Palermo, which have maintained unchanged, with different aspects together, the ethnic,

linguistic and religious origins. The countries are: Contessa Entellina, Piana degli Albanesi and Santa Cristina Gela. Thelargest center is Piana degli Albanesi, which, besides being the hub religious and socio-cultural communities, has guardedand defended their peculiarities intact over time. There are two other communities with a strong historical and linguisticheritage.

Politics

The politics of Sicily takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democracy, whereby the President of RegionalGovernment is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the RegionalGovernment. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Sicilian Regional Assembly. The capital of Sicily isPalermo.

Traditionally, Sicily gives centre-right results during election.[77]From 1943 to 1951 there was also a separatist political partycalled Sicilian Independence Movement (Movimento Indipendentista Siciliano, MIS). Its best electoral result was in the 1946general election, when MIS obtained 0.7% of national votes (8.8% of votes in Sicily), and four seats. However, the movement losall its seats following the 1948 general election and the 1951 regional election. Even though it has never been formally disbanded,today the movement is no longer part of the politics of Sicily. After World War II Sicily became a stronghold of the ChristianDemocracy, in opposition to the Italian Communist Party. The Communists and their successors (the Democratic Party of the Lefthe Democrats of the Left and the present-day Democratic Party) have never won in the region until 2012. Sicily is now governed

by a center-left coalition between Democratic Party and the center-party Union of Christian and Centre Democrats. Rosario

Crocetta is the current President since 2012.[78]

Administrative divisions

Administratively, Sicily is divided into nine provinces, eachwith a capital city of the same name as the province. Smallsurrounding islands are also part of various Sicilian provinces:the Aeolian Islands (Messina), isle of Ustica (Palermo),Aegadian Islands (Trapani), isle of Pantelleria (Trapani) andPelagian Islands (Agrigento).

Province Area

(km2) Population[79]

Density

(inh./km2)

Province ofAgrigento

3,042 453,594 149.1

Province ofCaltanissetta 2,128 271,168 127.4

Province of Catania 3,552 1,090,620 307.0

Province of Enna 2,562 172,159 67.2

Province of Messina 3,247 652,742 201.0

Province of Palermo 4,992 1,249,744 250.3

Province of Ragusa 1,614 318,980 197.6

Province of Siracusa 2,109 403,559 191.3

Province of Trapani 2,460 436,240 177.3
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A sample of Marsala, a DOCwine produced in the city ofMarsala.

Palermo shipyards

Economy

Thanks to the regular growth of the last years, Sicily is the eighth richest region of Italy in terms of total GDP (see List of Italianregions by GDP (PPP)). A series of reforms and investments on agriculture such as the introduction of modern irrigation systems

have made competitive this important industry.[80]In the 1970s there was a growth of the industrial sector through the creation of

some factories.[81]In recent years the importance of the service industry has grown for the opening of several shopping malls and

for a modest growth of financial and telecommunication activities. [82]Tourism is an important source of wealth for the islandthanks 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.[83]However, Sicily continues to have a GDP per capita below the Italianaverage and more unemployment than the rest of Italy.[84]This difference is mostly caused by the negative influence of Mafia tha

is still active in some areas although it is much weaker than in the past.[85]

Agriculture

Sicily has long been noted for its fertile soil due to the volcanic eruptions in the past and present.The local agriculture is also helped by the pleasant climate of the island. The main agricultural

products are wheat, citrons, oranges (Arancia Rossa di Sicilia IGP), lemons, tomatoes (Pomodorodi Pachino IGP), olives, olive oil, artichokes, Opuntia ficus-indica (Fico d'India dell'Etna DOP),almonds, grapes, pistachios (Pistacchio di Bronte DOP)and wine. Cattle and sheep are raised. Thecheese productions are particularly important thanks to the Ragusano DOP and the Pecorino

Siciliano DOP. Ragusa is noted for its honey (Miele Ibleo) and chocolate (Cioccolato di ModicaIGP) productions.[86][87][88][89][90]

Sicily is the third largest wine producer in Italy (the world's largest wine producer) after Veneto and

Emilia Romagna.[91]The region is known mainly for fortified Marsala wines. In recent decades thewine industry has improved, new winemakers are experimenting with less-known native varietals,

and Sicilian wines have become better known.[92]The best known local varietal is Nero d'Avola,named for a small town not far from Syracuse the best wines made with these grapes come from

Noto, a famous old city close to Avola. Other important native varietals are Nerello Mascalese usedto make the Etna Rosso DOC wine, Frappato that is a component of the Cerasuolo di VittoriaDOCG wine, Moscato di Pantelleria (also known asZibibbo) used to make different Pantelleriawines, Malvasia di Lipari used for the Malvasia di Lipari DOC wine and Catarratto mostly used tomake the white wine Alcamo DOC. Furthermore, in Sicily high quality wines are also produced using non-native varietals like

Syrah, Chardonnay and Merlot.[93]

Sicily is also known for its liqueurs, such as the Amaro Averna produced in Caltanissetta and the local limoncello.

Fishing is another fundamental resource for Sicily. There are important tuna, sardine, swordfish and European anchovy fisheries.

Mazzara del Vallo is the largest fishing centre in Sicily and one of the most important in Italy.[94]

Industry and manufacturing

Improvements in Sicily's road system have helped to promote industrial development. Theregion has three important industrial districts:

Catania Industrial District, where there are several food industries and one of thebest European electronics industry centres calledEtna Valley(in honour of the bestknown Silicon Valley) which contains offices and factories of internationalcompanies such as STMicroelectronics and Numonyx[94][95]

Syracuse Petrochemical Districtwith chemical industries, oil refineries and importantpower stations (as the innovative Archimede solar power plant)[96]

the latestEnna Industrial Districtin which there are food industries.[97]

In Palermo there are important shipyards (such as Fincantieri), mechanical factories of famous Italian companies as Ansaldo Bredpublishing and textile industries. Chemical industries are also in the Province of Messina (Milazzo) and in the Province of

Caltanissetta (Gela).[89]There are petroleum, natural gas and asphalt fields in the Southeast (mostly near Ragusa) and massive
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Oilfields near Ragusa.

The A20 Messina-Palermo motorwaynear Torregrotta

deposits of halite in Central Sicily.[98]The Province of Trapani is one of the largest sea salt producers in Italy.[99]

Statistics

GDP growth

A table showing Sicily's different GDP (nominal and per capita) growth between 2000 and

2008:[100][101]

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2008

Gross Domestic Product(Millions of Euros)

67,204 70,530 72,855 75,085 77,327 80,358 82,938 88,328

GDP (PPP) per capita(Euro)

13,479 14,185 14,662 15,053 15,440 16,023 16,531 17,533

Economic sectors

After the table which shows Sicily's GDP growth,[100]this table shows the sectors of the Sicilian economy in 2006:

Economic activity GDP (mil. )

% sector

(region)

% sector

(Italy)

Agriculture, farming, fishing 2,923.3 3.52% 1.84%

Industry 7,712.9 9.30% 18.30%

Constructions 4,582.1 5.52% 5.41%

Commerce, hotels and restaurants, transport, services and (tele)communications 15,159.7 18.28% 20.54%

Financial activity and real estate 17,656.1 21.29% 24.17%

Other economic activities 24,011.5 28.95% 18.97%

VAT and other forms of taxes 10,893.1 13.13% 10.76%

GDP of Sicily 82,938.6

Transport

Roads

Highways have recently been built and expanded in the last four decades. The mostprominent Sicilian roads are the motorways (known as autostrada) running through thenorthern section of the island. Much of the motorway network is elevated by columns due

to the mountainous terrain of the island.[102][103][104][105]Other main roads in Sicily are theStrade Statalilike the SS.113 that connects Trapani to Messina (via Palermo), the SS.114Messina-Syracuse (via Catania) and the SS.115 Syracuse-Trapani (via Ragusa, Gela andAgrigento).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halitehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Autostrada_A20_Torregrotta.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapanihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragusa,_Italyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Province_of_Trapanihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autostrada_A20_(Italy)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torregrottahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TrivelleRagusaS1.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrigentohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syracuse,_Sicilyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragusa,_Italyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_salt


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The Messina Tramway System

Two trains inside Punta Raisi railwaystation within Palermo InternationalAirport.

Catania International Airport

Sign Motorway Length Toll Services

A18 Messina-Catania 76 km (47 mi) Yes Yes

RA15 Catania's By Pass (West) 24 km (15 mi) free Yes

Motorway Catania-Siracusa 25 km (16 mi) free No

A18 Siracusa-Rosolini 40 km (25 mi) free No

A19 Palermo-Catania 199 km (124 mi) free Yes

A20 Palermo-Messina 181 km (112 mi) Yes Yes

A29 Palermo-Mazara del Vallo 119 km (74 mi) free No

A29dir Alcamo-Trapani/Marsala 38 and 44 km

(24 and 27 mi) free No

Railways

The first railway in Sicily was opened in 1863 (Palermo-Bagheria) and today all of theSicilian provinces are served by a network of railway services, linking to most major citiesand towns this service is operated by Trenitalia. Of the 1,378 km (856 mi) of railway tracksin use, over 60% has been electrified whilst the remaining 583 km (362 mi) are serviced bydiesel engines. 88% of the lines (1.209 km) are single-track and only 169 km (105 mi) aredouble-track serving the two main routes, Messina-Palermo (Tyrrhenian) and Messina-Catania-Syracuse (Ionian). Of the narrow gauge railways the Ferrovia Circumetnea is theonly one that still operates, going round Mount Etna. From the major cities of Sicily, thereare services to Naples and Rome this is achieved by the trains being loaded onto ferries

which cross to the mainland.[106]

In Catania there is an underground railway service (metropolitana di Catania) in Palermothe national railway operator Trenitalia operates a commuter rail (Palermo metropolitanrailway service) Messina is served by a tramline.

Airports

Mainland Sicily has several airports which serve numerous Italian and Europeandestinations and some extra-European

Catania-Fontanarossa Airport, located on the east-coast is the busiest on the island(and one of the busiest in all of Italy).Palermo International Airport, which is also a substantially large airport with manynational and international flights.Trapani-Birgi Airport, a military-civil joint use airport (third for traffic on the island).Recently the airport has seen an increase of traffic thanks to a low-cost carrier.Comiso-Ragusa Airport, has recently been refurbished and re-converted from militaryuse to civil airport. It was opened to commercial traffic and general aviation 30 May2013.Palermo-Boccadifalco Airport is the old airport of Palermo and is currently used for general aviation and as a base for theGuardia di Finanza and Police helicopters.

NAS Sigonella Airport, it is an Italian Air Force and U.S. Navy installation. Between the NATO Bases, Sigonella, is called"The Hub of the Med".Lampedusa Airport and Pantelleria Airport are also two small airports on smaller islands which are considered part of Sicil

Ports

By sea, Sicily is served by several ferry routes and cargo ports, and in all major cities, cruise ships dock on a regular basis.

Mainland Italy: Ports connecting to the mainland are Messina (route to Villa San Giovanni and Salerno), the busiestpassenger port in Italy, Palermo (routes to Genoa, Civitavecchia and Naples) and Catania (route to Naples) .
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