Sicily
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Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of is 25,708 sq. km and 5 million inhabitants. In 1946, Sicily was declared an autonomous region of Italy.
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Geography
The Sicilian region is only 3km apart from the Calabrian peninsula. Almost 83% of the total surface of Sicily can be described as mountainous. Mt. Enta (3,323 mt), Europe's largest active volcano, is situated on the island.
Sicily is divided into nine provinces: Palermo, Catania, Messina, Syracuse, Ragusa, Enna, Caltanissetta, Agrigento, and Trapani.
Several islands are within the Sicilian territory, such as the Aeolian islands to the north, the Egadi Islands to the west, Ustica island north of Palermo, and islands of Panterlleria and Pelagic off the southern coast.
Arts
Sicily is well known as a country of art. Many poets, writers and artists were born in this region. Some of the most famous are Luigi Pirandello, Giovanni Verga, Leonardo Sciascia, and the composer Vincenzo Bellini.
The cities of Ragusa and Noto contain some of Italy's best examples of Baroque architecture. Palermo's Teatro Massimo is the largest opera house in Italy and the third largest in the world, seating 1400 persons.
History
Evidence of Sicily's first human settlers was found in caves engravings dating back to 12,000 BC. Sicily was colonized by the Phoenicians from the eastern Mediterranean, the Punic from Carthage, as well as by Greeks. The most important Greek colony was established at Syracuse in 736 BC. In the 3rd century BC the Romans interfered into Sicilian affairs leading to the First Punic War between Carthage and Rome. By the end of war in 242 BC all Sicily was in Roman hands. For the next 6 centuries Sicily was treated as a sub-colony to the Roman Empire. Later, Sicily was conquered and ruled by the Byzantine Empire, until the Arab conquest of AD 827-902.
Palermo became the capital city of Sicily under the Arabs, and under the Normans who conquered Sicily in 1060. The Spanish ruled the island from 1479, up until it was joined with Italy in 1860.
In 1866, Palermo revolted against Italy, but was soon bombed by the Italian navy. Sicily was ruled under martial law for many years, and devastated by the Italian army who executed thousands of people, destroyed villages, and deported people.
Starting the19th century, the organized crime networks "the mafia" gained more influence and had extended control over the island. Before the WWII, they operated almost exclusively in the region. Though they were suppressed under Mussolini in 1925, they recovered after the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943.
After the WWII, the Italian government started to make serious efforts to address the economic problems of the poor south. Sicily benefited partially from the 1950-1962 reform and the special funding from the Italian government. Later, Sicily returned to the headlines in 1992, with the assassination of Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, the two anti-mafia magistrates.
Language
The official language is Italian, though many Sicilians also talk in the Sicilian dialect. Sicilian is a patois comprising words of Italian, Greek, Arabic, French, and Spanish. Sicilian dialects had a significant influence on the Maltese Language, which was a part of Sicily until the late 18th century. With the predominance of Italian language, Sicilian is no longer the first language of many Sicilians, especially among the youth.