The Aegadian Islands (Sicilian: Ìsuli Ègadi, Italian: Isole Egadi; Latin: Aegates Insulae, Greek: Aegatae Nisoi, Αιγάται Νήσοι, meaning the islands of goats), are a group of small mountainous islands in the Mediterranean Sea off the northwest coast of Sicily, Italy, near the city of Trapani, with a total area of 14.46 square miles (37.45 km2).
Favignana (Aegusa), the largest, lies 10 miles (16 km) south west of Trapani; Levanzo (Phorbantia) 8 miles (13 km) west; while Marettimo, the ancient Iera Nesos, 15 miles (24 km) west of Trapani, is now reckoned as a part of the group. There are also two minor islands, Formica and Maraone, lying between Levanzo and Sicily. For administrative purposes the archipelago constitutes the comune of Favignana in the Province of Trapani.
The overall population in 1987 was estimated at about 5,000. Though winter frost is unknown, rainfall is low. The main occupation of the islanders is fishing and this is where the largest tuna fishery in Sicily can be found.
Read more about Aegadian Islands: History
Famous quotes containing the word islands:
“Consider the islands bearing the names of all the saints, bristling with forts like chestnut-burs, or Echinidæ, yet the police will not let a couple of Irishmen have a private sparring- match on one of them, as it is a government monopoly; all the great seaports are in a boxing attitude, and you must sail prudently between two tiers of stony knuckles before you come to feel the warmth of their breasts.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)