A Geographical Case Study of Sicily, Italy - Term Paper Example

A Geographical Case Study of Sicily, Italy Introduction Sicily has often jokingly been characterized as ‘the footballat the toe of Italy’s boot’ (Eyewitness Travel Guides, 2004: 446). However, I believe it’s much more than that. It’s often described as Europe, Asia and Africa on one island due to the multiple ruling powers that have occupied it over history. It’s also often described as the world’s first multicultural society, and it contains a unique history, culture and a diverse geographical landscape in relation to its compact size unrivalled within any other region of Europe. 2. Location 3. 3. Sicily’s Physical Geography Sicily is famous for its unique geographical features such as its topography, rivers, climate and vegetation that distinguish it from any other European region. 3.1. Topography and Landscape Figure 3 – Contrasting Landscapes in Sicily 3.2. Rivers and Catchments The longest river in Sicily is the Salso. Its tributaries start in the Madonie Mountains in Central Sicily, and flow southwards through the providences of Enna and Caltanissetta into the Mediterranean near the sea port of Licata. It’s Sicily’s longest river at 89 miles, and its drainage basin covers an area of 819? miles (Wikipedia: Salso, 2010). Sicily’s rivers are usually fast flowing with irregular volumes of water. Flash flooding in the winter months contrasts with the drying up of rivers in summer. Figure 5 – The River Salso Other notable rivers include the Simeto, Sicily’s second longest river at 68 miles, which channels waters from the Caltagirone, Gornalunga and Dittaino catchments (Wikipedia: Simeto, 2010). It flows into the Ionian Sea, on Sicily’s eastern coastline, south of the populated region of Catania. It’s regarded as Sicily’s most important river in terms of its watershed and the number of people who rely on it for domestic, industrial and agricultural uses. 3.3. Sicily’s Climate Sicily’s weather is dominated by its Mediterranean climate, consisting of hot dry summers and mild wet winters. The city of Catania is the ‘sunniest’ place in Europe, with 2492 hours of sunshine per year (6.8 per day) (Peter Sommer Travels). 3.3.1. Temperature June to September are Sicily’s hottest months, were temperatures regularly exceed 25°c (World Reviewer). Sicily’s coolest months are December to February were temperatures range from 10°c-16°c (Peter Sommer Travels). Despite Sicily’s small geographical size, there are also climatic differences between locations of the island, ranging from an annual average of 19°c on the coastline, to 13°c in mountainous regions (Sicily: Italian Marina). Figure 6 – Sicily’s Average Annual Air Temperatures (Cited from Worldreviewer.com) 3.3.2. Precipitation Sicily has an annual mean precipitation rate of 24 inches (611mm), in which 75% of rainfall occurs from October-March. Less than an inches worth of rain falls between June – August (World Reviewer). Figure 7 also highlights that Sicily’s rainfall is not evenly distributed, and low lying ground such as the plains of Catania receive far less rainfall than mountainous regions. Figure 7 – Precipitation Rates in Sicily (Cited from BestofSicily.com) 3.3.3. Sea Temperatures As an island, the temperature of the sea surrounding Sicily has a bigger effect on its climate than inland regions in mainland Europe. Sicily’s average sea temperatures are hottest during the summer (24°c) and coolest from January-March (14°c) (Peter Sommer Travels). 3.3.4. Vegetation Sicily’s temperate Mediterranean climate has played a major role in determining its vegetation. The typical evergreen Mediterranean shrub is widespread in coastal areas and much of Sicily’s wild vegetation consists of papyrus, palm trees and stone pines. Numerous trees, shrubs and flowers are native to Sicily, including wild olive trees and manna ash (a medium size deciduous tree, which contains a sugary extract in its bark used as a natural sweetener). Citrus and fruit orchards, grape vines and olive trees dominate Sicily’s cultivated land, especially on the slopes of Mount Etna, where former deposits of volcanic ash and lava have produced nutrient rich fertile land. Less than 8% of Sicily is covered in woodland (Sicily: Italian Marina). 3.3.5. Mount Etna with a base circumference of 87 miles (Wikipedia: Mount Etna). It’s also one of the most active volcanoes on the planet, and last erupted on 12th January 2011. When it does erupt, the fertile volcanic soils it produces are ideal for agriculture. This has led to towns and villages being built around Etna, including Zafferana, which was lucky to escape lava flows during the 1991-1993 eruptions, in which a series of planned explosions diverted lava flows away from settlements. 4. Sicily’s History Sicily’s geographical location in the heart of the Mediterranean has made it an important strategic location throughout history. In times of peace, Sicily has experienced immense wealth due to merchant trading throughout the Meditearian. However, during times of war, Sicily has been repeatedly fought over by external powers due to its prime location and strategic benefits. Sicily has been colonized by the Greeks, Romans, Muslims, Normans, and the Spanish until it was unified with Italy in 1861. Figure 9 – Timeline of Sicily’s History Timeline adapted from Peter Sommer Travels and Grady (2006) 5. Sicilian Culture and Society The following section discusses Sicilian’s proud heritage, culture and traditions. 5.1. Population Sicily’s population currently stands at 5.1 million people. (World Atlas, 2010). However, Sicily’s population is greatly imbalanced in which central Sicily is almost uninhabited, compared to coastal areas such as Catania and Palermo, which contain large populations. Immigrants from Romania, Tunisia, Morocco and Albania make up 2% of Sicily’s total population (Best of Sicily, 2011). 5.2. Languages Spoken A large proportion of Sicilians are bi-lingual; speaking both Italian, and Sicilian, which is a unique blend of Greek, Latin, Arabic, Norman and French, which reflects Sicily’s occupied history (Best of Sicily. 2011). It’s also divided into a number of sub-dialects, resulting in enormous variations within Sicily. However, there are fears that the language could die out due to Italian being the language of the media, and on mainland Italy, Sicilians must speak Italian in order to get jobs. In order to preserve the language, Sicilian schools now have classes specializing in Sicilian, and parents are beginning to teach Sicilian to their children from a young age. 5.3. Customs and Traditions Cultural Characteristic Description Religion Roman Catholics are the biggest religious group in Sicily. The church still plays a prominent part in the day to day lives of Sicilians. Due to Sicily’s history, there is also an Islamic presence on the island, as well as Jewish settlers. Cuisine Sicilian cuisine is based around a Mediterranean diet of fresh vegetables, cheeses, pastas and seafood. Unique dishes to Sicily include Caponata, Sicily’s own salad dish made with eggplant, olives, capers and celery. Sfincione is Sicily’s own unique form of pizza, prepared on a thick bread and topped with tomatoes and onions. A vast quantity of seafood is also eaten and the finnochio con sarde pasta dish (fennel with sardines) is a popular local delicacy. Family Life Family life is viewed at the heart of Sicilian culture, as in other regions of Italy. Family members usually live in close proximity to each other, usually within the same villages or even street. Elderly members of families often move in and are cared for by their children in sickness and old age. Children also usually live in their family home until they marry. Flag Sicily’s flag was first adopted in 1282 and is regarded as a regional icon. It consists of a triskelion in its centre, whose 3 legs represent the three sides of Sicily’s island. The colours of red and yellow represent Sicily’s 2 biggest cities of Palermo and Catania. The flag gets masked on public buildings such as schools and town halls. 6. Sicily’s Major Cities Sicily is comprised of nine provinces, and its capital, Palermo, located on the north eastern coastline, is the administrative seat of Sicily’s autonomous regions,. It’s the largest city on the island, with a population of 750,000. It also contains a rich history, culture, art, and music scene. Other notable cities in Sicily and the functions they perform are highlighted in Figure 10. Figure 10 – Major Cities in Sicily (Figures and statistics cited from Sicily Guide, 2011) 7. Economy Sicily suffers from one of the lowest incomes per capita (17,533 euros in 2008) in Europe. Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2008 was 88.3 million euros (Wikipedia: Sicily). The influence of the Mafia has also hindered government efforts to reform the region. Sicily’s service sector contains an excessive number of public sector workers, whilst its private sector is fragmented into small units. 7.1. Agriculture Sicily’s fertile land has resulted in a large agricultural based economy. The main products produced are wheat, barley, corn, tomatoes and a range of citrus fruits grown in Sicily’s orchards. There are also plantations of almond and hazel nuts, and vineyards produce Sicily’s famous Marsala wine. Sicily’s agricultural land is divided into a large number of small holdings usually cultivated by the local families who own the land. This results in low agricultural incomes because they can’t produce their products on a large scale. 7.2. Fishing Sicily’s island locality has resulted in the fishing industry being an important activity. Popular fish to catch are swordfish. However, over-fishing in the Mediterranean has resulted in depleted fish stocks, threatening Sicily’s fishing villages and communities. 7.3. Mining There are a number of sulphur mines and petroleum fields in the Caltanissetta region, which have played an important role in boosting Sicily’s economy. This has led to the development of modern industry in cities such as Palermo and Catania, which have now developed modern industrial ports for international trading purposes. Catania also has emerging engineering, pharmaceuticals and electronic industries. 7.4. Tourism 8. Conclusion Before selecting Sicily as my regional case study, I read about the Swiss Alps, Devon and Catalonia in Spain. My initial research of Europe’s regions immediately challenged my perception of Europe as an old stagnant continent where nothing much happens. I’ve discovered that Europe is a unique melting pot of culture, with many regions having their own language or dialect and cultural traditions. Geographically, I’ve discovered that Europe encompasses many landscapes and climates, ranging from Artic regions in Norway, to the Greek islands in the Mediterranean. I finally chose to write my report on Sicily for 3 main reasons; 1. I was already familiar with Sicily from news reports about it’s volcano, Mount Etna and films portraying Sicily’s gangster and Mafia culture 2. I wanted to explore whether island communities such as Sicily have stronger regional identities compared to other regions, which share land borders 3. Sicily’s unique history and strategic position in the Mediterranean has resulted in many invasions and colonisations over the centuries, and I was interested in exploring how this has influenced Sicily’s culture and identity My research indicates that Sicily is not only a unique region in Europe, but also in the world. I’ve come to the conclusion that Sicily’s history, geography and economy are all interconnected. For example, throughout Sicily’s history, its invasions have influenced its regional identity and heritage in terms of its regional language, religion, cultural traditions and cuisine. I also believe Sicily’s geography is unrivalled in terms of its distinct and varied landscape, which ranges from Europe’s largest active volcano, Mount Etna, to the gentle picturesque sandy beaches on Sicily’s west coast, which also attract tourist to the island, thereby boosting its economy. 9. References Best of Sicily (April 2011). Accessed on 26th April 2011. Available at http://www.bestofsicily.com/index.htm Eyewitnesses Travel Guides (2004) Europe. DK Publishing. London, New York. Grady, Ellen (2006). Blue Guide Sicily. Norton Publishing, New York. Peter Sommers Travels. Accessed on 28th April 2011. Available at http://www.petersommer.com/sicily-travel-country/sicilian-geography/ Sicilian (2010). Accessed on 1st May. Available at http://www.sicilian.net/ Sicily Guide (2006-2011). Accessed on 29th April. Available at http://sicilyguide.com/what-to-do/cities/ Sicily: Italian Marina. Accessed on 27th April 2011. Available at http://www.sicilytourist.net/geography1.htm Sicily Tourist. Accessed on 26th April 2011. Available at http://www.sicilytourist.net/geography1.htm Wikipedia: Mount Etna (2011). Accessed on 1st May 2011. Availabel at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Etna Wikipedia: Salso (2010). Accessed on 1st May 2011. Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salso Wikipedia: Simeto (2010). Accessed on 1st May 2011. Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simeto World Reviewer (2011). Accessed on 30th April 2011. Available at http://www.worldreviewer.com/holiday-weather-guide/climate-in-sicily-italy World Atlas (2010). Accessed on 1st May 2011. Available at http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/sicily.htm Read More