Sicily

Sicily is the largest (25,708 km²) island in the Mediterranean with 1,039 km of coast and is surrounded by satellite islands of the archipelagos of Aeolian, Egadi and Pelagie. The coasts of Sicily have diverse characteristics depending on which sea they face. In the north there are high and ragged cliffs with gulfs and small pebble beaches, in the west and the south the coasts are flat with sand dune systems. In the eastern part of the island the coast can be divided in two different parts: above Catania it is similar to the northern coast while to the south it is low lying with gulfs and small bays.

The history of the island is also linked to that of its active volcanoes such as Etna and Stromboli (part of the Aeolian islands). In the past eruptions and earthquakes and fairly recently immigration had their toll on the island’s population which is currently c.5 million inhabitants. This makes Sicily the most populated island in the Mediterranean and the fourth more populated region in Italy with an increase in population of 1.7 per thousand inhabitants due to more births and fewer deaths and recent immigration. The population density of the region is 189 inhabitants per km² compared to average 192 for Italy, although there are notable variations between the coastal zones and the hinterland. For example, the area of Enna the only non-coastal province of Sicily has a density of 69 inhabitants per km² compared to 292 for Catania (Regione Sicilia 2002).