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Sardinia
Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Sardinia
Sardiniasärdĭn'ēə, Ital. Sardegna, region (1991 pop. 1,648,248), 9,302 sq mi (24,092 sq km), W Italy, mostly on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, which is separated in the north from Corsica by the Strait of Bonifacio. The region also includes Asinara, Caprera, San Pietro, and La Maddalena islands. Cagliari is the capital of Sardinia, which is divided into the provinces of Cagliari, Nuoro, Sassari, and Oristano (named for their capitals). The highest point of the mostly mountainous island is Mt. Gennargentu (6,016 ft/1,834 m). The main agricultural area is the large Campidano Plain, located in the southwest and watered by the Manno and Tirso rivers. Natural pastures cover more than half the area of Sardinia; sheep and goats are widely raised. Wheat, barley, grapes, olives, cork, and tobacco are produced. Sardinia is endowed with minerals, including zinc, lead, antimony, lignite, copper, and salt. Fishing for tuna, lobster, and sardines is important. Sardinia is a troubled economic region with a low per capita income and high unemployment. There is still little industry, although hydroelectric plants, all-weather roads, and reclamation projects have been completed since 1945. Manufactures include non-ferrous metals, refined petroleum, processed food, wine, textiles, and leather and wood products. Tourism is also an important industry. An early center of trade, Sardinia was mentioned in Egyptian sources in the 13th cent. B.C., and many traces of its prehistoric inhabitants remain. Phoenicians (c.800 B.C.) and Carthaginians (c.500 B.C.) settled there before Rome conquered (238 B.C.) the island. Sardinia was a source of grain and salt for the Romans, who governed the island harshly. After the fall of Rome, Sardinia passed to the Vandals (mid-5th cent. A.D.) and then to the Byzantines (early 6th cent.). The Byzantines neglected Sardinia, and the popes gained considerable power there; they claimed suzerainty over it and helped repel Arab attacks (8th–11th cent.). Later, Pisa and Genoa often fought (11th–14th cent.) for supremacy over the island, but neither held sway for long. Pisa had much influence on the art and architecture of Sardinia. In 1297, Pope Boniface VIII bestowed the island on the house of Aragón, from which it passed (late 15th cent.) to Spain. By the Peace of Utrecht (1713) Spain ceded it to Austria, but in 1717 Cardinal Alberoni sent a Spanish force to occupy the island. The settlement of 1720 awarded Sardinia to Victor Amadeus II of Savoy (who styled himself king of Sardinia) in exchange for Sicily, which was given to Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. The kings of Sardinia usually resided at Turin. They tried to establish some order out of chaos on Sardinia with judicial, agrarian, and ecclesiastic reforms. Feudal privileges caused much unrest until they were abolished in 1835. Administrative autonomy was ended in 1847; however, the region received some autonomy under the Italian constitution of 1947. There are universities at Cagliari and Sassari.

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Wikipedia search results for: Sardinia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. A part of Italy with regional autonomy granted by the Italian Constitution, Sardinia comprises. The nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Tunisia, and the Spanish Balearic Islands. The name Sardinia is of unknown origin. Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with a surface of 23,821 km². It is situated between 38° 51' and 41° 15' latitude north and 8° 8' and 9° 50' east longitude. The coasts of Sardinia are generally high and rocky, rectilinear for kilometres, they are often articulated in promontories, with...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Sardinia
Results 1 - 10  of 113
  • Sardinia, kingdom of

    Sardinia, kingdom of, name given to the possessions of the house of Savoy (see Savoy, house of) in 1720, when the island of Sardinia was awarded (by the Treaty of London) to Duke Victor Amadeu...

  • Cagliari

    Cagliari, city (1991 pop. 204,237), capital of Sardinia and of Cagliari prov., S Sardinia, Italy, on the Gulf of Cagliari (an arm of the Mediterranean Sea) and at the mouth of the Mannu River....

  • Victor Emmanuel I

    Victor Emmanuel I, 1759–1824, king of Sardinia (1802–21). His brother and predecessor, Charles Emmanuel IV, lost (1798) all his territories except the island of Sardinia to France in the Frenc...

  • Enzio

    Enzio or Enzo, c.1220–72, king of Sardinia, illegitimate son of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. He married a Sardinian heiress and was made king of Sardinia by his father. In the wars between...

  • Charles Albert

    Charles Albert, 1798–1849, king of Sardinia (1831–49, see Savoy, house of). Because he had not been entirely unsympathetic to the revolutionary movement of 1821 in Sardinia, Charles Albert dev...

  • Porto Torres

    Porto Torres, town, NW Sardinia, Italy, at the mouth of the Mannu River. The port for nearby Sassari, it is a commercial, fishing, and ferry service center. It was a Phoenician, Carthaginian, ...

  • Caprera

    Caprera, island, 6 sq mi (15.5 sq km), NE Sardinia, Italy, in the Strait of Bonifacio. It was the residence (1856–82) of Garibaldi, who is buried there.

  • Carouge

    Carouge, city (1990 pop. 15,036), Geneva canton, SW Switzerland, on the Arve River. It is an industrial center. Carouge was chartered in 1786 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia and was joi...

  • Custoza

    Custoza or Custozza, village, Venetia, N Italy, near Verona. It was the scene of an Austrian victory over Sardinia in 1848 (see Risorgimento) and of an Austrian victory over Italy in 1866 (see...

  • herring

    Herring, common name for members of the large, widely distributed family Clupeidae, comprising many species of marine and fresh-water food fishes, including the sardine (Sardinia), the menhade...

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