Sicily << SIHS uh lee >> (pop. 4,801,468) is an Italian island in the central Mediterranean Sea. The Strait of Messina separates Sicily from the mainland of Italy. Sicily covers 9,927 square miles (25,711 square kilometers) and is the largest island in the Mediterranean.
Sicily is one of Italy’s 20 governmental units called regions. Palermo, a center of industry and trade, is the capital, largest city, and chief seaport of Sicily. Messina, on the northeastern coast, serves as a gateway to the island. Workers commute daily by ferry across the strait between Messina and the Italian mainland.
The people.
Sicily’s location made it a crossroads for many civilizations. A number of peoples invaded and settled on the island, including Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Muslims from North Africa, and Normans. Today, Sicily has a mixture of these civilizations. For example, the people speak local dialects (forms of speech) that have traces of Arabic, Greek, and other languages.
The people of Sicily have strong bonds of family and friendship. The hundreds of years of invasion and foreign rule discouraged the people’s trust in government and encouraged a code of omerta. According to the code, a person who cooperates with the government is dishonorable. This code and the island’s tradition of private justice have provided support for the Mafia. The Mafia is a network of groups engaging in various illegal activities. Protection for Mafia activities also has come from politicians who owe their positions to Mafia support. However, many Sicilian people have begun to oppose Mafia activities. In the late 1900’s, the Italian government began waging a campaign against organized crime. Prosecutors convicted hundreds of people associated with the Mafia. See Mafia.
Traditionally, many Sicilians have been farmers or worked in the fishing industry. A lack of jobs was a chief reason for a high rate of emigration in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. From 1876 to 1925, more than a million Sicilians moved to the United States. Since 1945, many Sicilian workers have settled in the industrial cities of northern Italy, France, Germany, and Switzerland. Since the early 2000’s, immigration to Sicily has increased. Many immigrants from Africa, South Asia, and southeastern Europe have found employment in the island’s agriculture industry.
Most Sicilians are Roman Catholics. Their religious celebrations often include colorful processions, horse races, pole-climbing contests, and fireworks displays.
Many famous landmarks attract tourists to Sicily. Greek ruins stand at Agrigento, Syracuse, Taormina, and other places in Sicily. Many Sicilian cathedrals and palaces exhibit works of art. Educational institutions include universities in Catania, Messina, and Palermo.
Land and climate.
Mountains and hills cover more than 85 percent of Sicily. The island’s highest point is Mount Etna, an active volcano that rises 10,902 feet (3,323 meters) on the east coast. Mount Etna erupts periodically. Catania had to be rebuilt entirely after an eruption destroyed it in 1669. But the area around Mount Etna is heavily populated because volcanic ash makes the soil fertile. Earthquakes have also hit Sicily. Messina had to be rebuilt after an earthquake wrecked it in 1908.
Sicily has a mild climate. Temperatures average 45 °F (7 °C) in winter and 79 °F (26 °C) in summer. The island gets most of its rain during the winter. Little rain falls from March to October, and the air becomes even drier because of a hot, dry wind called the sirocco. This wind blows across the Mediterranean Sea from the deserts of North Africa. Sicilian rivers dry up in summer, and the land becomes parched in unirrigated areas.
Over the centuries, Sicilian farmers turned many of the island’s woodlands into farmland, often for growing wheat. Mountainsides became bare and easily eroded. Since the mid-1900’s, many farmers have abandoned their small mountain plots. Today, farmers use much of the island for grazing goats and sheep. Along the coasts, irrigation provides water for such crops as almonds, grapes, lemons, olives, oranges, and potatoes.
Economy.
Sicily has often prospered in its long history. But since the 1400’s, its economy has become underdeveloped. Most of the land was divided into large estates owned by a few people. Farmers used outdated methods and did little to stop soil erosion. Sicily had few industries to provide jobs. In the 1800’s, Sicilian mines supplied four-fifths of the world’s sulfur. But by 1900, foreign competition had weakened the industry.
Sicily’s economy began improving in the mid-1900’s. A government land reform program broke up some of the large estates, and small farmers received plots of their own. The government employed many Sicilians to plant trees to prevent erosion, expand irrigation projects, and build dams to collect winter rainfall for use in the summer.
Some industries developed as the result of the discovery of oil at Ragusa in 1954 and later at Gela. A pipeline opened in 1957 and linked the Ragusa oil field to a large new refinery in the port city of Augusta. The refinery also uses large quantities of oil imported from the Middle East. Factories in several coastal cities refine sulfur and make fertilizer from potash. Sicily produces much of Italy’s asphalt and salt. Sardine and tuna fishing also are important. Tourism—particularly agricultural tourism—has become increasingly important since the early 2000’s. Agricultural tourism involves recreational or educational activities that take place on farms or ranches. Unemployment rates in Sicily remain high, however.
Government.
In 1948, Sicily became a semi-independent political region of Italy. The island has nine provinces and a 90-member parliament. It also sends representatives to the federal government in Rome.
History.
Discoveries of cave drawings and tools show that prehistoric people lived in what is now Sicily. During the 700’s B.C., the Greeks colonized the eastern part of the island, and the Carthaginians founded trade settlements in the western part. The Romans conquered Sicily in the 200’s B.C. and made it their first province. Sicily grew grain for the Roman Empire.
After Rome declined during the A.D. 400’s, the Vandals and the Ostrogoths conquered Sicily. In 535, the island came under the control of the Byzantine Empire. Greek became the official language of the island’s people. North African Muslims replaced the Byzantine rulers in the 800’s. Sicily flourished during about 200 years of Muslim rule. The Muslims introduced irrigation and such crops as cotton, lemons, and oranges. Muslim art, literature, and science influenced the Sicilians.
During the 1000’s, the Normans conquered Sicily. They joined Sicily with southern Italy and formed the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Under the Normans, the island’s culture gradually became Western European. In the 1200’s, German—and, later, French—rule added to the mixture of traditions in Sicily. During this period, Sicily became the cultural center of Italy. In 1282, an uprising called the Sicilian Vespers ended French rule.
During the next 400 years, Sicily was ruled by Spain, Savoy, and Austria. In the 1700’s, a Spanish branch of the royal Bourbon family began to rule Sicily. In 1816, Sicily and Naples were joined as the Bourbon-ruled Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. After the Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi invaded Sicily in 1860, the island revolted against Bourbon rule. Sicily became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. During World War II, the Allies bombed Sicily’s air and naval bases. Allied troops landed on Sicily on July 10, 1943. The Allies occupied all of Sicily after Messina fell on August 17. The island then became the springboard for the Allied invasion of Italy. 
Since the 1950’s, the government has funded modern highways and other improvements. Tourism in Sicily has increased, but industry remains weak.
