Agencia Socrates
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Sicily has had a varied and
colorful history. The first known inhabitants of the island were
the Elymi, Sicani, and Siculi. Phoenicians later settled on the
west coast, notably at Panormus (now Palermo); Carthaginians
founded
Lilybaeum
and Drepanum (now Trapani);
and on the east and southeast coasts Greeks founded (8th–6th
cent.
B.C.)
such cities as
Syracuse,
Catania,
Zancle (now
Messina), Gela,
and Selinus
and settled in older towns like Segesta.
The Greek cities flourished and in turn founded such cities as
Acragas (now
Agrigento) and Himera.
Their originally democratic governments were gradually replaced
by tyrannies, particularly those of Phalaris
at Acragas and of Gelon,
Hiero I,
and others at Syracuse.... |
Sicily
region (pop. 5,173,000), 9,925 sq mi (25,706 sq km), S Italy,
mainly situated on the island of Sicily, which is bounded by the
Mediterranean Sea on the west and south, by the Ionian Sea on
the east, and by the Tyrrhenian Sea on the north, and which is
separated from the Italian mainland by the narrow Strait of
Messina. The region also includes the Egadi Islands, the Lipari
Islands, the Pelagie Islands (see Lampedusa), Pantelleria island,
and Ustica island. Palermo is the capital of Sicily, which is
divided into the provinces of Agrigento, Caltanisetta, Catania,
Enna, Messina, Pallermo, Ragusa, Syracuse, and Trapani (named
for their capitals). ... |
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Sicily has long been noted for
its fertile soil, pleasant climate, and natural beauty. It has a
long, hot growing season, but summer droughts are frequent.
Agriculture is the chief economic activity but has long been
hampered by absentee ownership, primitive methods of
cultivation, and inadequate irrigation. The establishment (1950)
of the now-defunct Cassa per il Mezzogiorno (Southern
Italy Development Fund) by the national government led to land
ownership reforms, an increase in the amount of land available
for cultivation, and the general development of the island's
economy. The
Mafia,
which is still influential, has hindered governmental efforts to
institute reforms in the region, and Sicily continues to have an
extremely low per capita income and high unemployment, although
many workers have “black,” or unreported, jobs.... |
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