ÿþ<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//IETF//DTD HTML//EN"> <html> <head> <title>Sicilia - The Regions of Italy</title> <meta name="description" content="Sicilia - 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."> <meta name="keywords" content="sicilia, SICILIA, Sicilia, agrigento, AGRIGENTO, caltanisetta, CALTANISETTA, catania, CATANIA, enna, ENNA, messina, palermo, PALERMO, ragusa, RAGUSA, siracusa, SIRACUSA, trapani, TRAPANI, 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."> <meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft FrontPage 3.0"> </head> <body background="../images/sfondo_italy.jpg" bgcolor="#ffffff"> <div align="center"><center> <table border="0" width="752" height="1"> <tr> <td valign="top" width="265" height="1"><a href="http://www.mediasoft.it"><img src="../images/minimed.gif" alt="Mediasoft" border="0"></a></td> <td align="center" valign="top" width="211" height="1"><p align="center"><font size="6" face="Arial">SICILIA</font></p> </td> <td align="right" valign="top" rowspan="2" width="264" height="1"><img src="images/sicilia_it.gif" alt="sicilia" WIDTH="150" HEIGHT="167"><br> <a href="../index_en.html"><font size="2" face="Arial">Back to Italy</font></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="265" height="89" rowspan="2"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Arial">Provinces </font><font size="3" face="Arial">- This region has 9 provinces: Agrigento, Caltanisetta, Catania, Enna, Messina, Palermo, Ragusa, Siracusa, Trapani<br> </font><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Arial">Chief town</font><font size="3" face="Arial"> - Palermo<br> </font><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Arial">Surface</font><font size="3" face="Arial"> - kmq 25708<br> </font><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Arial">National Parks</font><font size="3" face="Arial"> - there are not National Parks</font><br /> <a href="http://www.italiadavay.ru/sicilia.aspx" title="B0;8O" target="_parent"><img src="http://www.italiadavay.ru/images/bandiera_ru.png" alt="!8F8;8O" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></a><br /> <font size="2" face="Arial"><a href="http://www.italiadavay.ru/sicilia.aspx" title="B0;8O" target="_parent">Russian Version</a></font></td> <td align="center" valign="top" width="211" height="89"><img src="images/grafico_sicilia_en.gif" alt="graphic sicilia" WIDTH="193" HEIGHT="134"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" width="265" height="89" colspan="2" align="center"><p align="center"><script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-6784304423780641"; /* italy_docushare 468x60, creato 12/04/10 */ google_ad_slot = "6580913187"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60; //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script></p> </td> </tr> </table> </center> </div> <table border="0" width="754"> <tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="10" width="386"><img src="images/sicilia.jpg" alt="sicilia" border="1" WIDTH="366" HEIGHT="236"></td> <td width="392"><a href="#origin"><font size="4" face="Arial">Origin of the Name</font></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="392"><a href="#reliefs"><font size="4" face="Arial">Reliefs - Passes - Coasts - Islands</font></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="392"><a href="#landscape"><font size="4" face="Arial">Landscape</font></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="392"><a href="#agriculture"><font size="4" face="Arial">Agriculture - Stock-Farm - Fishing</font></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="392"><a href="#industry"><font size="4" face="Arial">Industry - Tourism</font></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="392"><a href="#position"><font size="4" face="Arial">Position and Frontier</font></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="392"><a href="#rivers"><font size="4" face="Arial">Rivers - Lakes</font></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="392"><a href="#climate"><font size="4" face="Arial">Climate</font></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="392"><a href="#population"><font size="4" face="Arial">Population</font></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="392"><a href="#communication"><font size="4" face="Arial">Communication</font></a></td> </tr> </table> <p><a name="origin"></a><font size="4" face="Arial">Origin of the name:<br> </font><font size="3" face="Arial">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. </font> </p> <div align="left"> <table border="0"> <tr> <td><a name="reliefs"></a><font size="4" face="Arial">Reliefs - Passes - Coasts - Islands:</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"><font size="3" face="Arial">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&nbsp; 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&nbsp; proximities of Trapani, Marsala and Palermo, where the fertile gold Basin rises. </font> </td> <td align="right" valign="top"><p align="center"><img src="images/cefalu_sicilia.jpg" alt=" Sees of historical center of Cefalù " WIDTH="297" HEIGHT="253"><br> <font color="#004080">Sees of historical center of Cefalù </font> </p> </td> </tr> </table> </div> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">To the feet of Etna is found Plain of Catania, which is the vastest of the whole island. <br> 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. </font> </p> <p><a name="landscape"></a><font size="4" face="Arial">Landscape:<br> </font><font size="3" face="Arial">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. </font> </p> <p><a name="agriculture"></a><font size="4" face="Arial">Agriculture - Stock-farm - Fishing:<br> </font><font size="3" face="Arial">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. </font> </p> <div align="left"> <table border="0"> <tr> <td><a name="industry"></a><font size="4" face="Arial">Industry - Tourism:</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"><p align="center"><img src="images/tempio_sicilia.jpg" alt="The doric Temple of Segesta " WIDTH="305" HEIGHT="218"><br> <font color="#004080">The doric Temple of Segesta </font> </p> </td> <td valign="top"><font size="3" face="Arial">The industry of Sicilia is more than type extractive, in how much there are a lot of mineral layers of a certain importance. Notable&nbsp; 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. </font> </td> </tr> </table> </div> <p><a name="position"></a><font size="4" face="Arial">Position and Frontier:<br> </font><font size="3" face="Arial">Sicily has bathed to north from Tyrrhenian Sea, to east from Ionian Sea and to South from Mediterranean Sea.&nbsp; Narrow of Messina divides for alone 3 kms Sicily from the italian peninsula. </font> </p> <p><a name="rivers"></a><font size="4" face="Arial">Rivers - Lakes:<br> </font><font size="3" face="Arial">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. </font> </p> <p><a name="climate"></a><font size="4" face="Arial">Climate:<br> </font><font size="3" face="Arial">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. </font> </p> <p><a name="population"></a><font size="4" face="Arial">Population:<br> </font><font size="3" face="Arial">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 &nbsp; customs , in the habits and in the religion. </font> </p> <p><a name="communication"></a><font size="4" face="Arial">Communication:<br> </font><font size="3" face="Arial">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. </font> </p> <font size="3" face="Arial"> <p align="center"> </font><font size="2" color="#000000">Web Site designed by <a href="http://www.mediasoft.it" target="_top"> MediaSoft</a>&nbsp; - © Copyright 1998-1999 - All rights reserved</font><font size="3" face="Arial"></P> </font> <script type="text/javascript"> var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-7437083-24"); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}</script> </body> </html>