Mediasoft

SICILIA

 sicilia
Back to Italy
Provinces - This region has 9 provinces: Agrigento, Caltanisetta, Catania, Enna, Messina, Palermo, Ragusa, Siracusa, Trapani
Chief town - Palermo
Surface - kmq 25708
National Parks - there are not National Parks
Сицилия
Russian Version		 graphic sicilia

sicilia Origin of the Name
Reliefs - Passes - Coasts - Islands
Landscape
Agriculture - Stock-Farm - Fishing
Industry - Tourism
Position and Frontier
Rivers - Lakes
Climate
Population
Communication

Origin of the name:
The ancient inhabitants, the Sicanis, called this Region Sicania. When it was colonized by Greek it was denominated Trinachia, for the triangular form that it belonged. The name Sicily the taking from the people of the Siculis.

Reliefs - Passes - Coasts - Islands:
The greatest part of the territory is mountainous. In the northern zone it is placed Appennino Siculo, that is divided in the three well separate zones: Peloritanis Mountains from which the violent floods go down, Nebrodis Mountains (or Caronie) partly covered from a miserable brushwood and with round tops and Madonies, where the tallest tops are found: Pizzo Carbonara grazes the 2000 ms. The rest of the island doesn't have other mountainous chains, but some single disconnected reliefs. In the western zone  Ghibellini Mountains are found. In the center-southern part there are the highland Solfifero and Erei Mountains; in the zone oriental south there are IbleiMountains where the volcano of Etna is found. Etna is still one of the volcanos activate greater than the world. Its terminal cone reaches the 3269 ms. and it has covered big part of the year from the snows. Some level zones are found in the  proximities of Trapani, Marsala and Palermo, where the fertile gold Basin rises.

Sees of historical center of Cefalù
Sees of historical center of Cefalù

To the feet of Etna is found Plain of Catania, which is the vastest of the whole island.
The coasts are tall and jagged in the coastal tirrenico, they are low and in some point swampy in the oriental part of the island, while in the southern part it is sandy with dunes in some lines and swamps in others. Of Sicily makes the archipelago of the Islands Eolie or Lipari it departs that is found to north of the gulf of Milazzo. The islands that constitute the archipelago are: Lipari, Salina, Panarea, Alicudi and Filicudi, Volcano and Stromboli. Last two mention are still of the active volcanos. Instead the archipelago of Egadis is found to the breadth of the western coast. The most important island is Favignana. In Sea of Sicily Pantelleria and the Islands Pelagies are found with Linosa and Lampedusa. In the waters of Tyrrhenian the island of Ustica rises.

Landscape:
Sicily proposes the most conflicting aspects of all the Italian Regions. Expanses of fields of wheat and sterile hills, arid zones and luxuriant gardens, the snows of the volcano and the torrid heat of the coast can be found, big cities urban and depressing isolated countries. In the zone delimited by Palermo, Messina and Syracuse the greatest part of the population sicula it is thickened. This zone is very rich of vegetation; it includes the tallest mountains and the longest rivers, but it is also the rainiest zone. To south of this triangle, in the southern part of the island, we find some very dry territories where the twenty African heats are demolished.

Agriculture - Stock-farm - Fishing:
Agriculture has developed especially in the coastal lowlands. The principal products that are cultivate are: wheat, cereals generally, citrus fruit, ulivo, fruit, vegetables. Very important is the production of oil and wine; above all of the wines liquorosi as Marsala, Moscato in Syracuse and Passito of Pantelleria. Cultivated intensely are the almond tree, the core, the fig tree. The cotton is also cultivated. The breeding in Sicily is not very developed: the pastorizia is more and more in diminution and that of the cattle is scarce because of the lack of forage. The production of good cheeses remains always tied up to the breeding. The fishing is very flourishing, is that of the pescespada in Gulf in Messina, that that of high ground with the blue fish, tuna, molluscs and shellfishes. The harbors where the fishing is assembled more are those of Mazara of Vallo and Sciacca.

Industry - Tourism:

The doric Temple of Segesta
The doric Temple of Segesta

The industry of Sicilia is more than type extractive, in how much there are a lot of mineral layers of a certain importance. Notable  is the production of salt, drawn from the mines of salgemma and from the big salt pans. In the last years have been discovered some oil layers that have determined the to build of refineries and other industries to them connect. From to remember are the chemical establishments and the alimentary industries. For many years the Gold Basin and Taormina have been the tappes of the tourists of exception. From some time the tourism in Sicily is revaluing the beauties that the Region possesses trying of to develop the tourist economy. Tourist activity is becoming the principal source of profit for Sicily, although is still distant from the realized possession all its possibilities.

Position and Frontier:
Sicily has bathed to north from Tyrrhenian Sea, to east from Ionian Sea and to South from Mediterranean Sea.  Narrow of Messina divides for alone 3 kms Sicily from the italian peninsula.

Rivers - Lakes:
The rivers of Sicily are to torrential character and they have a brief course. If they had to compare, they would be comparative, because very similar, with those of Calabria. The longest and more capacious as course of water, is Simeto and Alcantara that flow in Ionian Sea. In Tyrrhenian sea only Torto has a certain importance. In Mediterranean flow Belice, Platani and Salso. The lakes of the Region are very small. In the middle of the island there is Lake of Pergusa, that offers an unusual phenomenon at times, that is that to let become waters all redheads because of a natural trial of certain microorganisms that live inside.

Climate:
The climate is typically Mediterranean. When steals the wind from Africa, says scirocco, the heat lifts the temperature until to oppress. In the central part the climate is continental.

Population:
Sicily has always been one of the more populated Italian regions and the demografic distribution has never been homogeneous. Palermo and Catania are densely the more populated cities. In the inside of the island we find some zones completely depopulate. The urban agglomerations are differentiated for the type of economic activity that they develop. As in all the southern regions we find in the countries the typical concentrations of rural residences; the only zone where we find some isolated residences is in her Plain one of Catania or in some points of the northern coast. In the last years the move toward the cities has become intense because of the best possibilities of job that the city can offer. The phenomenon of the emigration toward the north or the foreign countries is always frequent. In the proximities of Palermo, to Plain of Albanian, live a colony of Albanian that has maintained their own customs in the   customs , in the habits and in the religion.

Communication:
The principal railway lines are Messina-Palermo along the coastal tirrenico, Palermo-Catania-Syracuse along the ionic coast and Palermo-Catania crossing the inside of the island. Modern motorway constructions connect the varied cities. To Messina there is the port to which do head the lines for Naples, Reggio Calabria, Villa St. Giovanni, while to Palermo there are the lines for Cagliari, Naples, Tunisi and Ustica. The airport fittings are found Point Raisi in the proximities of Palermo, to Fontanarossa next to Catania and to Birgi, to few kilometers from Trapani.

Web Site designed by MediaSoft  - © Copyright 1998-1999 - All rights reserved