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Olbia

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Olbia
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Town (pop., 2001 prelim.: 40,746), northeastern Sardinia, Italy. Originally a Greek colony, it passed to the Romans and was the site of a Roman victory over the Carthaginian general Hanno in 259 BC. It was rebuilt by Pisan colonists in 1198 and named Terranova Pausania. Renamed Olbia in 1939, it is the main passenger port for connections with the Italian mainland. It has Phoenician and Roman ruins.

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Columbia Encyclopedia: Olbia
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Olbia (ŏl'bēə), Ionic Greek colony of Miletus, founded at the beginning of the 6th cent. B.C. It is on the right bank of the Buh River between Mykolayiv and Ochakov, S central Ukraine. The leading Milesian colony and later a republic, its economy centered around handicrafts and trade. Its prosperity resulted especially from the exportation of wheat. The period of its flowering was from the 6th cent. B.C. to the 3d cent. B.C. In the 2d cent. B.C., Olbia was incorporated into the Scythian state of the Crimea. About the middle of the 1st cent. B.C., Olbia was invaded by the Getae and others. By the end of the 6th cent. life in Olbia came to a standstill. Excavations have unearthed towers and city gates from the Hellenic period and parts of a fortified wall and a temple of Apollo from the Roman period.

Wikipedia: Olbia
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For other places called Olbia, see Olbia (disambiguation).
Olbia
—  Comune  —
Comune di Olbia

Coat of arms
Olbia is located in Italy
Olbia
Location of Olbia in Italy
Coordinates: 40°55′N 09°30′E / 40.917°N 9.5°E / 40.917; 9.5
Country Italy
Region Sardinia
Province Olbia-Tempio (OT)
Frazioni Berchiddeddu, Murta Maria, Pittulongu, Rudalza-Porto Rotondo, San Pantaleo
Government
 - Mayor Giovanni Enrico Giovannelli ([[List of political parties in Italy|Forza Italia]])
Area
 - Total 376.10 km2 (145.2 sq mi)
Population (May 25, 2006)
 - Total 51,045
 - Density 135.7/km2 (351.5/sq mi)
 - Demonym Olbiesi
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 07026
Dialing code 0789
Patron saint San Simplicio
Saint day May 15
Website Official website

Olbia (IPA: [ˈɔlbja] or, locally, IPA: [ˈolbja]; Sardinian name: Terranoa, Gallurese: Tarranoa), is a town and comune of approximately 54,000 (2009) inhabitants in northeastern Sardinia (Italy), in the Gallura sub-region. Called Olbia in the Roman age, Civita in the Middle Ages (Giudicati period) and Terranova Pausania before the 1940s, Olbia was again the official name of the town after the period of Fascism.

Contents

Geography

Location of Olbia in northern Sardinia.

It is the economic centre of this part of the island (commercial centres, food industry) and is very close to the famous Costa Smeralda tourist area. It is an administrative capital (together with Tempio Pausania) of the province of Olbia-Tempio, operative since 2005.

History

Olbia (the name is of Greek origin) is very ancient and was possibly founded by the Greeks, according to a local legend. It contains ruins from Phoenician and Carthaginian settlement to the Roman Era, when it was an important port, and the Middle Ages, when it was the capital of the Giudicato of Gallura, one of the four independent states of Sardinia.

Main sights

  • the Romanesque former cathedral of San Simplicio (11th-12th century).

Transportation

Olbia is the main connection between Sardinia and the Italian peninsula, with an airport (Olbia - Costa Smeralda), a passenger port (Olbia-Isola Bianca), and a railway to Porto Torres and Cagliari. There is an expressway to Nuoro and Cagliari (SS131) and national roads to Sassari (SS199-E840), Tempio Pausania (SS127), and Palau (SS125).

External links

v • d • e
Sardinia · Comuni of the Province of Olbia-Tempio
Sardinia


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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Olbia".  Read more