For the Italian writer, see Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.

Comune di Lampedusa e Linosa
Country	Italy
Region	Sicily
Province	Agrigento (AG)
Mayor	Sebastiano Bruno Siracusa (since May 28, 2005)
Elevation	m ( ft)
Area	km² ( sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Density	/km² (/sq mi)
Time zone	CET, [[UTC+1]]
Coordinates	35°30′N, 12°36′E
Gentilic	Lampedusani, Linosani
Dialing code	0922
Postal code	92010
Frazioni	Lampedusa, Linosa, Cala Creta, Cala Francese, Grecale, Terranova
Patron	Madonna di Porto Salvo
- Day	September 22
Location of Lampedusa in Italy
Website: www.isoladilampedusa.it

The Mediterranean island of Lampedusa (Italian Isola di Lampedusa) belongs to Italy and is the largest of the Pelagie Islands, situated 205 km from Sicily and 113 km from Tunisia. Its population subsists on fishing, agriculture and tourism. It is a major route for Africans immigrating to Europe.

Lampedusa is the largest part of the comune of Lampedusa e Linosa which also includes the smaller islands of Linosa and Lampione with the former being inhabited, but the latter just hosting an automatic lighthouse.

Geography

Politically and administratively Lampedusa is part of Italy, but geologically it belongs to Africa since the sea between the two is no deeper than 120 metres. Lampedusa is an arid island, with no sources of water other than irregular rainfall. The fauna and flora of Lampedusa are similar to those of North Africa.

The south coast of Lampedusa.

The Isola dei Conigli (literally ‘Island of Rabbits’), which is close to the south coast of Lampedusa, is one of the last remaining egg-laying sites in Italy for the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, which is endangered throughout the Mediterranean. The beach and the neighbouring island are part of a nature reserve: here the famous singer-songwriter Domenico Modugno spent his vacations, and also died in 1994. Next to Parise Cape is a small beach accessible only by sea, through a low grotto.

Other species living along the island's coast include mantas and dolphins. Lampedusa is also known as being the gateway from Europe to Africa and is the southernmost point in all of Europe.

History

Historically, Lampedusa was a landing place and a maritime base for the ancient Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Arabs. The Romans established a plant for the production of the prized fish sauce known as garum. As a result of pirate attacks by the Arabs, the island became uninhabited.

The first prince of Lampedusa and Linosa was Giulio Tomasi, ancestor of the famous writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, who received the title from Charles II of Spain in 1630. A century later the Tomasi family began a program of resettlement.

In 1860 the island became part of the new Kingdom of Italy, but the new government limited its activities there to building a penal colony.

During World War II, the island was captured by the British Forces in Operation Corkscrew, as an immediate precursor to the Allied invasion of Sicily.

The first telephone connection with Sicily was installed only in the 1960s. In the same decade an electric power station was built and the western part of the island became a NATO base.

On April 15, 1986, Libya fired two or three Scuds at the U.S. Coast Guard navigation station on the Italian island, in retaliation for the American bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi. However, the missiles landed short of the island, in the sea, and caused no damage.

Coastline of Lampedusa.

Immigration from Africa

Lampedusa has made international news as a prime transit site for asylum seekers hoping to enter Europe from Africa, the Middle East and Asia. A secret agreement between the Libyan and Italian governments in 2004 obliged Libya to take in returned refugees and resulted in the deportation of many such migrants from Lampedusa to Libya in 2004 and 2005. The practice was condemned by the European Parliament.^[1]

In 2006 it was reported that illegal immigrants from Africa still commonly pay smugglers in Libya for a transit to Lampedusa. From there they are transferred by the Italian government to detention camps in mainland Italy and eventually released; their deportation orders are not enforced.^[2]

Transportation

The island of Lampedusa is connected to Sicily by a ferry service with the seaport of Porto Empedocle, near Agrigento. Lampedusa also has a small national airport which carries out service mainly during the summer period.

Popular entertainment

The movie Respiro (2002), written and directed by Emanuele Crialese and starring Valeria Golino, was filmed entirely on Lampedusa.

See also

• Linosa
• Pantelleria
• Pelagie Islands
• LORAN-C transmitter Lampedusa
• Lampedusa Airport

References

1. ^ European Parliament resolution on Lampedusa, 14 April 2005
2. ^ Bitter harvest, The Guardian, 19 December 2006

External links

• BBC News – Italy Deports Island Immigrants – Covers the changing face of immigration in 2004
• Official site (Italian)

Sicily · Comuni of the Province of Agrigento
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