| Native name: Lampidusa | |
|---|---|
North-Eastern cliffs of Lampedusa |
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| Geography | |
| Location | Mediterranean Sea |
| Archipelago | Pelagie Islands |
| Total islands | 3 |
| Major islands | Lampedusa, Linosa and Lampione |
| Area | 20.2 km2 (7.8 sq mi) |
| Country | |
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Italy
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| Region | Sicily |
| Province | Province of Agrigento |
| Communes of Lampedusa | Lampedusa e Linosa |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 4,500 |
Lampedusa (Sicilian: Lampidusa) is the largest island of the Italian Pelagie Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The comune of Lampedusa e Linosa is part of the Sicilian province of Agrigento which also includes the smaller islands of Linosa and Lampione. It is the southernmost part of Italy. Tunisia, which is about 113 kilometres (70 mi) away, is the closest landfall to the islands. Sicily is further at 176 kilometres (109 mi).
Lampedusa, which has an area of 20.2 square kilometres (7.8 sq mi), has a population of approximately 4,500 people. Its main industries are fishing, agriculture and tourism. A ferry service links the island with Porto Empedocle, near Agrigento, Sicily. There are also year-round flights from Lampedusa Airport to Palermo and Trapani-Birgi on the Sicilian mainland. In the summer there are additional services between Catania-Fontanarossa Airport on Sicily and Milan Airport.
Since the early 2000s, the island has become a primary European entry point for illegal immigrants from Africa.[1]
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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 the 1840s the Tomasi family sold the island to the Kingdom of Naples.
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 officially secured without resistance by 95 men of No.1 Company of the 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards in Operation Corkscrew, as a precursor to the Allied invasion of Sicily, after white flags had been sighted in the port. At this time Lt.Corbett of the Destroyer HMS Lookout (G32) approached the port via motor launch and was told the island wished to surrender.[2]
The surrender of the garrison by the Governor was formally accepted in the islands underground command-post by a combined Army/Navy delegation sometime after 9:00am on the 13th June 1943. It was during this process that the governor officially handed the Coldstream company commander Major Bill Harris his sword.[3] A second unofficial claim has also been made regarding the capitualtion of the island, when earlier that same day elements of the garrison had also attempted to surrender in unusual circumstances when the pilot of an RAF Swordfish landed after incurring problems with his compass.[4]
The first telephone connection with Sicily was installed only in the 1960s. In the same decade an electric power station was built. The western part of the island became a U.S. Coast Guard LORAN-C transmitter in 1972.
In 1979, Lt. Kay Hartzell, United States Coast Guard took command of the Coast Guard base.[5]
The Mediterranean during the 1980s was the scene of numerous terrorist attacks. 1985-1986 saw an increase in tensions. On April 15, 1986, Libya fired two Scuds at the U.S. Coast Guard navigation station on the island, in retaliation for the American bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi, and the death of Colonel Gaddafi's adopted daughter. However, the missiles passed over the island, landing in the sea, and caused no damage.[6]
On January 4, 1989, U.S. Navy aircraft from the carrier USS John F. Kennedy shot down two Libyan fighters approximately 200 kilometers from the island.[7] At the time, a U.S. Navy logistics aircraft from HC-4 was on the ground at the NATO base, preparing for takeoff. The base commander, Lt. Kenneth Armstrong, received notice from U.S. Sixth Fleet Intelligence at La Maddalena that the Libyan fighters had been shot down, and immediately grounded the unarmed logistics flight, which was scheduled to move on to Tel Aviv. Sixth Fleet Intel also informed Armstrong that Libyan president Muammar al-Gaddafi had made direct reprisal threats against the American commanders at Sigonella, Sicily, and at Lampedusa.[8]
The aircraft remained on the ground overnight, and an Italian media frenzy followed, putting Lampedusa and Armstrong in the spotlight. Armstrong responded by hosting a media tour of the base, conspicuously wearing his body armor and pointing out defensive forces on the base. The move quieted speculation that the Americans were once again preparing to leave.[9]
The NATO base was decommissioned in 1994 and transferred to Italian military control.
Since the early 2000s, Lampedusa has become a prime transit point for immigrants from Africa, the Middle East and Asia wanting to enter Europe. In 2004 the Libyan and Italian governments reached a secret agreement that obliged Libya to accept those deported from Italian territories. This resulted in the mass return of many people from Lampedusa to Libya between 2004 and 2005 without the endorsement of European Parliament.[10]
By 2006 many immigrants were paying people smugglers in Libya to help get them to Lampedusa by boat.[11] On arrival, most were then transferred by the Italian government to reception centres in mainland Italy. Many were then released because their deportation orders were not enforced.[12]
In 2009 the overcrowded conditions at the island's temporary immigrant reception centre came under criticism by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The unit, which was originally built for a maximum capacity of 850 people, was reported to be housing nearly 2,000 boat people. A significant number of people were sleeping outdoors under plastic sheeting.[13] A fire started during an inmate riot destroyed a large portion of the holding facility on 19 February 2009.
In 2011 many more immigrants have come to Lampedusa during the rebellions in Tunisia and Libya.[14] By May 2011, more than 35,000 immigrants had arrived on the island from Tunisia and Libya.[15] By the end of August, 48,000 had arrived.[16] Most were young males in their 20s and 30s.[17] The situation has caused division within the EU, the French government regarding most of the arrivals as economic migrants rather than refugees in fear of persecution.[18] The Libyan ambassador to Italy stated that Gaddafi controlled illegal immigration to meet his goals- "he wanted to turn Lampedusa black with Africans".[16]
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, dominated by a garigue landscape, with maquis shrubland in the west. It has no sources of water other than irregular rainfall. The fauna and flora of Lampedusa are similar to those of North Africa, with a few pelagic endemic species. Overall the island has two slopes, from west to east, and from north to south of the island. The southern-western side is dominated by deep gorges, while the south-eastern part is dominated by shallows valleys and sandy beaches. The entire northern coast is dominated by cliffs: gently sloping cliffs on the east coast, and vertical sheer cliffs on the west coast.
The Isola dei Conigli (literally ‘Rabbit Island'), 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 singer-songwriter Domenico Modugno spent his vacations, and 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 has a Mediterranean climate, with very mild winters and warm, dry summers.
The sea surrounding Lampedusa is relatively shallow and sea temperatures stay warm most of the year, with the warmest being in August when the sea typically reaches 28°C to 30°C. The water stays warm until November, when temperatures range from 25°C to 21°C. The water is coolest in February and March when it averages between 18°C and 20°C.
| Climate data for Lampedusa | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20 (68) |
22 (72) |
21 (70) |
23 (73) |
30 (86) |
32 (90) |
36 (97) |
36 (97) |
35 (95) |
31 (88) |
28 (82) |
25 (77) |
36 (97) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 15 (59) |
15 (59) |
16 (61) |
17 (63) |
20 (68) |
24 (75) |
27 (81) |
28 (82) |
27 (81) |
24 (75) |
20 (68) |
16 (61) |
20.8 (69.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 12 (54) |
12 (54) |
13 (55) |
16 (61) |
18 (64) |
22 (72) |
25 (77) |
26 (79) |
25 (77) |
22 (72) |
18 (64) |
15 (59) |
18.7 (65.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 12 (54) |
12 (54) |
13 (55) |
14 (57) |
17 (63) |
21 (70) |
23 (73) |
25 (77) |
23 (73) |
21 (70) |
17 (63) |
13 (55) |
17.6 (63.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5 (41) |
7 (45) |
7 (45) |
10 (50) |
11 (52) |
15 (59) |
18 (64) |
18 (64) |
16 (61) |
11 (52) |
8 (46) |
5 (41) |
5 (41) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 81 (3.19) |
51 (2.01) |
39 (1.54) |
21 (0.83) |
38 (1.5) |
7 (0.28) |
3 (0.12) |
2 (0.08) |
4 (0.16) |
25 (0.98) |
71 (2.8) |
83 (3.27) |
425 (16.73) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 11 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 71 |
| Source: Weatherbase [19] | |||||||||||||
The movie Respiro (2002), written and directed by Emanuele Crialese and starring Valeria Golino, was filmed entirely on Lampedusa.
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