Sicily | History, Geography, & People

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class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/place/Sicily">Introduction</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref6650"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Sicily#ref6650">History</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref6651"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Sicily#ref6651">Physical and human geography</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sicily/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Sicily">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 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href="https://cdn.britannica.com/88/12788-004-D9B28338/columns-Doric-temple-Greek-Segesta-Sicily.jpg" data-href="/media/1/542800/4945" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/88/12788-004-D9B28338/columns-Doric-temple-Greek-Segesta-Sicily.jpg" alt="Segesta, Sicily, Italy: Greek temple" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/10/13610-004-78540E41/Temple-of-Hera-Agrigento-Sicily.jpg" data-href="/media/1/542800/8214" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/10/13610-004-78540E41/Temple-of-Hera-Agrigento-Sicily.jpg" alt="Agrigento, Sicily, Italy: Temple of Hera" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/75525-050-33FAEA52/picture-Mosaic-cathedral-Jesus-Christ-Cefalu-Italy.jpg" data-href="/media/1/542800/112251" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/75525-004-18EC29F7/picture-Mosaic-cathedral-Jesus-Christ-Cefalu-Italy.jpg" alt="Cefalù, Sicily, Italy: cathedral mosaic" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/114989-050-7AE539C1/Mount-Etna-Sicily-Italy.jpg" data-href="/media/1/542800/112249" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/114989-004-6922CD65/Mount-Etna-Sicily-Italy.jpg" alt="Mount Etna eruption" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/49/142749-050-B812D659/Church-Modica-San-Giorgio-Italy-Sicily.jpg" data-href="/media/1/542800/145617" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/49/142749-004-14A7817A/Church-Modica-San-Giorgio-Italy-Sicily.jpg" alt="Modica: church of San Giorgio" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/45/142645-050-2F93EC50/coast-Ionian-Sea-Catania-Italy-Sicily.jpg" data-href="/media/1/542800/145374" 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Emperor Shah Jahan fifth Mughal Emperor (reigned 1628-1658) India, Himachal Pradesh, Basohli or Jammu and Kashmir, Mankot, circa 1690 Drawings; Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper (see notes)" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/story/6-important-mughal-emperors" >6 Important Mughal Emperors</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <button class="drawerToggle btn position-sticky border btn-xs btn-white btn-circle rounded-sm d-none d-lg-flex " type="button" aria-label="Toggle Drawer"> <em class="material-icons font-18 text-blue" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="h-100 ml-0 pr-lg-0 "> <div class="h-100 grid gx-0 gx-lg-20"> <div class="h-100 col-sm"> <div class="h-100 infinite-pagination-container d-flex flex-column position-relative"> <div class="position-absolute top-0 h-100 w-100"> <div 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2025-02-17T00:00:00CST" >Feb 17, 2025</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sicily/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 module-spacing js-inline-ai-ask-button p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Italian: </dt> <dd>Sicilia</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Sicily"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded module-spacing recent-news d-flex flex-column float-false"> <div> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-14 m-0 d-inline"> News <span class="text-gray-600">•</span> </h2> <div class="recent-news-item first-recent-news-item d-inline"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1wex4qq792o" rel="nofollow">Sicily's gangsters forced to modernise but complain they can't get the staff</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 12, 2025, 9:56 PM ET (BBC) <button class="btn btn-link d-inline p-0 font-12 js-toggle-recent-news"> <span class="text-gray-500">...</span><span>(Show more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </div> <div class="rest-of-recent-news-items"> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/high-energy-cosmic-neutrino-detected-under-mediterranean-sea" rel="nofollow">High-energy cosmic neutrino detected under Mediterranean Sea</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 12, 2025, 4:46 AM ET (Straits Times) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/11/sicily-police-palermo-mafia-crackdown-cosa-nostra" rel="nofollow">Police in Sicily arrest almost 150 people in mafia crackdown</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 11, 2025, 4:06 AM ET (The Guardian) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://weather.com/news/climate/news/2025-02-05-mango-growing-in-sicily-italy" rel="nofollow">Mango Industry Sizzles In An Unexpected Place: Sicily</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 5, 2025, 9:53 PM ET (The Weather Channel) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/archaeology-around-the-world/article-840589" rel="nofollow">Stern-faced Roman Medusa mask mold discovered in Sicily's Finziade</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 5, 2025, 12:34 AM ET (Jerusalem Post) </span> </div> <button class="js-toggle-recent-news d-flex btn btn-unstyled font-14 pr-10 rounded-sm mt-10" aria-label="Toggle additional news items"> Show less <em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_less"></em> </button> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies multiple medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100" data-type="other"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="13347" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/35/9735-050-D3B6E730/cathedral-Palermo-Sicily.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/542800/13347"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/35/9735-050-D3B6E730/cathedral-Palermo-Sicily.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/35/9735-050-D3B6E730/cathedral-Palermo-Sicily.jpg?w=300" alt="cathedral in Palermo, Sicily" data-width="768" data-height="774" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/35/9735-050-D3B6E730/cathedral-Palermo-Sicily.jpg" data-href="/media/1/542800/13347">cathedral in Palermo, Sicily</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button disabled="true" class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span></button><button disabled="true" class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span></button></div><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref79306"></span>Sicily</strong>, island, southern <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Italy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Italy</a>, the largest and one of the most densely populated islands in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mediterranean-Sea" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mediterranean Sea</a>. Together with the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Egadi-Islands" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Egadi</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Eolie-Islands" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Lipari</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Pelagie-Islands" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Pelagie</a>, and Panteleria islands, Sicily forms an <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="autonomous" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autonomous" data-type="MW">autonomous</a> region of Italy. It lies about 100 miles (160 km) northeast of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Tunisia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tunisia</a> (northern Africa). The island is separated from the mainland by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Strait-of-Messina" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Strait of Messina</a> (2 miles [3 km] wide in the north and 10 miles [16 km] wide in the South). The capital is <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Palermo" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Palermo</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref6650"> <h2 class="h1">History</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies multiple medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100" data-type="other"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="4945" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/88/12788-004-D9B28338/columns-Doric-temple-Greek-Segesta-Sicily.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/542800/4945"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/88/12788-004-D9B28338/columns-Doric-temple-Greek-Segesta-Sicily.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/88/12788-004-D9B28338/columns-Doric-temple-Greek-Segesta-Sicily.jpg?w=300" alt="Segesta, Sicily, Italy: Greek temple" data-width="383" data-height="300" loading="eager"></picture><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">1 of 2</div><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/88/12788-004-D9B28338/columns-Doric-temple-Greek-Segesta-Sicily.jpg" data-href="/media/1/542800/4945">Segesta, Sicily, Italy: Greek temple</a><span>Doric columns on the Greek temple at Segesta, Sicily, c. 424–416 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="8214" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/10/13610-004-78540E41/Temple-of-Hera-Agrigento-Sicily.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/542800/8214"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/10/13610-004-78540E41/Temple-of-Hera-Agrigento-Sicily.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/10/13610-004-78540E41/Temple-of-Hera-Agrigento-Sicily.jpg?w=300" alt="Agrigento, Sicily, Italy: Temple of Hera" data-width="488" data-height="300" loading="eager"></picture><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">2 of 2</div><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/10/13610-004-78540E41/Temple-of-Hera-Agrigento-Sicily.jpg" data-href="/media/1/542800/8214">Agrigento, Sicily, Italy: Temple of Hera</a><span>The Temple of Hera, Agrigento, Sicily.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button disabled="true" class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span></button><button disabled="true" class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span></button></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Sicily was inhabited 10,000 years ago. Its strategic location at the centre of the Mediterranean has made the island a crossroads of history, a pawn of conquest and empire, and a melting pot for a dozen or more ethnic groups whose warriors or merchants sought its shores. At the coming of the Greeks, three peoples occupied Sicily: in the east the <span id="ref79307"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Siculi" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Siculi</a>, or Sicels, who gave their name to the island but were reputed to be latecomers from Italy; to the west of the Gelas River, the <span id="ref79308"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sicani" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sicani</a>; and in the extreme west the <span id="ref79309"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Elymi" class="md-crosslink ">Elymians</a>, a people to whom a Trojan origin was assigned, with their chief centres at <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Segesta" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Segesta</a> and at <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Erice" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Eryx</a> (Erice). The Siculi spoke an Indo-European language; there are no remains of the languages of the other peoples. There were also Phoenician settlements on the island. The Greeks settled Sicilian towns between the 8th and 6th centuries <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>. The mountainous centre remained in the hands of Siculi and Sicani, who were increasingly Hellenized in ideas and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/material-culture" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">material culture</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="112251" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/75525-050-33FAEA52/picture-Mosaic-cathedral-Jesus-Christ-Cefalu-Italy.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/542800/112251"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/75525-050-33FAEA52/picture-Mosaic-cathedral-Jesus-Christ-Cefalu-Italy.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/75525-050-33FAEA52/picture-Mosaic-cathedral-Jesus-Christ-Cefalu-Italy.jpg?w=300" alt="Cefalù, Sicily, Italy: cathedral mosaic" data-width="1600" data-height="1188" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/75525-050-33FAEA52/picture-Mosaic-cathedral-Jesus-Christ-Cefalu-Italy.jpg" data-href="/media/1/542800/112251">Cefalù, Sicily, Italy: cathedral mosaic</a><span>Mosaic picture of Jesus Christ in the cathedral in Cefalù, Sicily, Italy.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">In the 3rd century <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span> the island became the first Roman province. The <span id="ref79310"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Byzantine-Empire" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Byzantine</a> general <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Belisarius" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Belisarius</a> occupied Sicily in 535 <span class="text-smallcaps">ce</span>, at the start of hostilities with the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ostrogoth" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ostrogoths</a> in Italy, and after a short time Sicily came under <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="Byzantine" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Byzantine" data-type="MW">Byzantine</a> rule. In 965 the island fell to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Arab" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Arab</a> conquest from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/North-Africa" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">North Africa</a>, in 1060 to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Norman-people" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Normans</a>, who progressively Latinized the island. In the 12th and 13th centuries the island formed a part of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Kingdom-of-the-Two-Sicilies" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Kingdom of the Two Sicilies</a> (or Naples), and in the 18th century Sicily was ruled by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/house-of-Bourbon" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Bourbons</a>. During the 19th century the island was a major centre of revolutionary movements: in 1860, as a result of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Giuseppe-Garibaldi" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Giuseppe Garibaldi</a>’s revolt, it was liberated from the Bourbons and in the following year was incorporated into the united kingdom of Italy. In 1947 Sicily gained regional <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="autonomy" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autonomy" data-type="MW">autonomy</a>.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/islands-and-archipelagos" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/81/102281-131-26EFC52A/islet-reef-New-Caledonia.jpg" alt="Island, New Caledonia." class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Islands and Archipelagos</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> </section> <span class="marker h3"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref6651"> <h2 class="h1">Physical and human geography</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="112249" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/114989-050-7AE539C1/Mount-Etna-Sicily-Italy.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/542800/112249"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/114989-050-7AE539C1/Mount-Etna-Sicily-Italy.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/114989-050-7AE539C1/Mount-Etna-Sicily-Italy.jpg?w=300" alt="Mount Etna eruption" data-width="1600" data-height="1067" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/114989-050-7AE539C1/Mount-Etna-Sicily-Italy.jpg" data-href="/media/1/542800/112249">Mount Etna eruption</a><span>Mount Etna erupting at night, Sicily, Italy.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The island is mostly mountainous, and seismic and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/volcanism" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">volcanic activity</a> is quite intense. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Europe" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Europe’s</a> highest active <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/volcano" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">volcano</a> is <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Etna" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mount Etna</a> (10,900 feet [3,220 metres]). The only wide valley is the fertile Plain of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Catania" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Catania</a> in the east. The climate is subtropical and Mediterranean. Annual precipitation on the plains is 16–24 inches (400–600 mm), and in the mountains 47–55 inches (1,200–1,400 mm). Underground water and springs are plentiful. The natural vegetation of Sicily has been greatly reduced by human influence, and forests occupy only 4 percent of the territory.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Sicilians are a <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="diverse" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diverse" data-type="MW">diverse</a> people, having had contact with a great variety of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="ethnicities" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethnicities" data-type="MW">ethnicities</a> and physical types through the centuries. Despite its position at the crossroads of many Mediterranean civilizations, it retains many characteristics of more rural regions bred of its isolation and distance from mainland Italy. One peculiar feature of the separateness of Sicilian life is the persistence of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mafia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mafia</a>, an organization dating from the Middle Ages that gradually evolved into a paralegal criminal brotherhood. It gives certain parts of the island virtually a dual government, standard of conduct, and system of enforcement—one is the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="legitimate" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legitimate" data-type="MW">legitimate</a> regime and the other a shadow, but a <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="pervasive" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pervasive" data-type="MW">pervasive</a> social, economic, and political network maintaining its powers through violence.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Sicily’s strong cultural traditions can be seen in the development of Italian lyrical poetry as well as in the works of modern writers such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Giovanni-Verga" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Giovanni Verga</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Luigi-Pirandello" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Luigi Pirandello</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leonardo-Sciascia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Leonardo Sciascia</a>. Several examples of folk art—such as embroidery, painting, and puppetry—and popular religious festivals also mark Sicily’s contribution to Italian <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="culture" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture" data-type="MW">culture</a>.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The island’s economy has remained relatively underdeveloped, but heavy industrial activity, based on the oil-refining and chemical industries, expanded markedly in the latter decades of the 20th century. Large quantities of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/natural-gas" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">natural gas</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/sulfur" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">sulfur</a> are produced, although the latter has been declining. Other industries include <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/food-processing" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">food processing</a>, salt extraction, wine making, textiles, and shipbuilding. The region is mainly agricultural. Wheat, barley, corn (maize), olives, citrus fruit, almonds, wine grapes, and some cotton are produced, and cattle, mules, donkeys, and sheep are raised. Area 9,830 square miles (25,460 square km). Pop. (2011) 5,002,904.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=august-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span> <span class="md-signature font-12"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span> </section> <span class="md-signature font-12">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/editor/Adam-Zeidan/12409087">Adam Zeidan</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-simplify-root"></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":542800,"pageLength":739,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.36"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.36' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Sicily | History, Geography, & People | Britannica