The wide base of Mt. Etna, c.93 mi (150 km) in circumference, is encircled by a railroad. The fertile lower slopes are densely populated agricultural areas. Up to 1,600 ft (488 m) the vegetation is subtropical, yielding citrus fruit, bananas, and figs; between 1,600 and 4,300 ft (488–1,311 m) is a temperate zone, with vineyards and various fruit trees; from there to c.7,000 ft (2,130 m) are chestnut, birch, and pine woods; above, there is a desolate waste of lava and ashes. Near the top there is snow most of the year. There is an observatory at 9,650 ft (2,941 m). A motor road from Nicolosi, NW of Catania, to the 6,170-ft (1,881-m) level was completed in 1935.
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Paternò, city (1991 pop. 44,266), E Sicily, Italy, at the foot of Mt. Etna, probably the ancient Hybla. It is an agricultural market and a food-processing center.
Acireale, city (1991 pop. 46,199), E Sicily, Italy. Beautifully situated on a volcanic plateau near Mt. Etna and near the Ionian Sea, Acireale has been frequented since Roman times for its war...
Adrano, town (1991 pop. 32,717), E Sicily, Italy, at the foot of Mt. Etna, near the confluence of the Simeto and Salso rivers. It is the commercial center for a region where olives and citrus ...
Catania, city (1991 pop. 333,075), capital of Catania prov., E Sicily, Italy, on the Gulf of Catania, an arm of the Ionian Sea, and at the foot of Mt. Etna. It is a busy port and a major comme...
Taormina, town (1991 pop. 10,120), E Sicily, Italy, overlooking the Ionian Sea and at the foot of Mt. Etna. It commands a magificent view and is a world-famous winter resort celebrated for its...
Ironton, industrial city (1990 pop. 12,751), seat of Lawrence co., S Ohio, on the Ohio River; inc. as a city 1865. Chemicals, dyes, metal pipes, plastics, and iron products are manufactured, a...
Apennines, Ital. Appennino, mountain system, running the entire length of the Italian peninsula. It extends south c.840 mi (1,350 km) from the Cadibona Pass in Liguria, NW Italy, where the Ape...
Pliocene epoch, fifth epoch of the Cenozoic era of geologic time (see Geologic Timescale, table), from 5.1 to 2 million years ago. By the beginning of the Pliocene, the outlines of North Ameri...
Arnold, Matthew, 1822–88, English poet and critic, son of the educator Dr. Thomas Arnold.Arnold was educated at Rugby; graduated from Balliol College, Oxford in 1844; and was a fellow of Oriel...
Sicily, Ital. Sicilia, region (1991 pop. 4,966,386), 9,925 sq mi (25,706 sq km), S Italy, mainly situated on the island of Sicily, which is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the west and sou...
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