NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Favignana

Favignana (Italian: Isola di Favignana) is an island and a commune of the Aegadian Islands. It is situated approximately 7 km (4.5 miles) west of the coast of Sicily, between Trapani and Marsala, the coastal area where the Stagnone Lagoon and the international airport of Trapani, are sited. Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... The Regions of Italy were granted a degree of regional autonomy in the 1948 constitution, which states that the constitutions role is: to recognize, protect and promote local autonomy, to ensure that services at the State level are as decentralized as possible, and to adapt the principles and laws... Sicilian redirects here. ... In Italy, the province (in Italian: provincia) is an administrative division of an intermediate level, between municipality (comune) and region (Regione). ... Trapani (It. ... Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... A square metre (US spelling: square meter) is by definition the area enclosed by a square with sides each 1 metre long. ... Density (symbol: Ï - Greek: rho) is a measure of mass per unit of volume. ... A time zone is a region of the Earth that has adopted the same standard time, usually referred to as the local time. ... Central European Time (CET) is one of the names of UTC+1 time zone, 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. ... It has been suggested that leap second be merged into this article or section. ... A frazione, in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other subdivisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere. ... A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a people or the inhabitants of a place. ... May 27 is the 147th day (148th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 218 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A map showing the Aegadian Islands. ... Sicilian redirects here. ... Torre della Colombaia Trapani (2004 population 67,456) is a city in the west coast of Sicily in Italy. ... Marsala is a seaport city located in the province of Trapani on the island of Sicily in Italy, of 77,784 inhabitants (2001). ... The Stagnone Lagoon is a part of Mediterranean sea in front of Marsala City (Sicily - Trapani province); the Lagoon is delimited by an island called Isola Lunga (formerly stinco di Capra) because of its geographical long form. ...

The island is famous for its tuna fisheries and is now a popular tourist destination with frequent hydrofoil connections to the mainland. Species See text Tuna, sometimes called tunafish, are several species of ocean-dwelling fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. ... The Jetfoil Toppi is a ferry which connects Yakushima, Tanegashima Island and Kagoshima port in Japan A hydrofoil is a boat with wing-like foils mounted on struts below the hull. ...

History

In ancient times Favignana was called Aegusa, meaning "goats' island". The present name is derived from Favonio, an Italian name for the Föhn wind. It was colonised by the Phoenicians, who used it as a stopping point on their trans-Mediterranean trading routes. A fÃ¶hn wind or foehn wind occurs when a deep layer of prevailing wind is forced over a mountain range. ... Phoenicia was an ancient civilization in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coastal plain of what is now Lebanon and Syria. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ...

The island was fought over during the First Punic War between Rome and Carthage. On 10 March 241 BC, a major naval battle was fought a short distance offshore between the two powers. Two hundred Roman ships under the consul Gaius Lutatius Catulus met and decisively defeated a much larger Carthaginian fleet of 400 ships, with the Romans sinking 120 Carthaginian vessels and taking 10,000 prisoners. So many dead Phoenicians washed ashore on the northeastern part of Favignana that the shoreline there acquired the name "Red Cove" (Cala Rossa) from the bloodshed. The Romans took possession of the island under the terms of the treaty that ended the war. Combatants Roman Republic Carthage Commanders Marcus Atilius Regulus Gaius Lutatius Catulus Hamilcar Barca Hanno the Great Hasdrubal Xanthippus The First Punic War (264 to 241 BC) was the first of three major wars fought between Carthage and the Roman Republic. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus â€“ SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC (mythical), early 1st millennium BC (archaeological) Region Latium Area - City Proper 1285 kmÂ² Population - City (2004) - Metropolitan - Density (city proper) 2,553,873 almost 4,300,000 1. ... Carthaginian settlements in the western Mediterranean in the early 3rd century BC. The term Carthage can refer either to an ancient city in North Africa, located on the eastern side of Lake Tunis across from the center of modern Tunis in Tunisia, or to the civilization within the citys... March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in leap years). ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC 260s BC 250s BC - 240s BC - 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC 200s BC 190s BC 246 BC 245 BC 244 BC 243 BC 242 BC - 241 BC - 240 BC 239 BC 238... Consul (abbrev. ... Temple to Juturna, built by Catulus to celebrate his victory at . ...

Under Roman rule, the islanders adopted Christianity by the 4th century AD, although (judging by inscriptions dated to the 1st century BC) they appear to have retained at least some Phoenician culture. Favignana fell to the Saracens following the fall of Rome and was used as a base for the Saracen invasion of Sicily. The Normans subsequently took possession of the island in support of their own invasion, and built fortifications there. Under the Aragonese rulers of Sicily, Favignana and the other Egadi Islands were hired out to Genoese merchants and in the 15th century the islands were granted to one Giovanni de Karissima, who adopted the grand title "Baron of Tuna". Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recounted in the Gospels. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 4th century was that century which lasted from 301 to 400. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 1st century BC started on January 1, 100 BC and ended on December 31, 1 BC. An alternative name for this century is the last century BC. The AD/BC notation does not use a year zero. ... For the rugby club Saracens see Saracens (rugby club) The term Saracen comes from Greek sarakenoi. ... The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, a major literary achievement of Eighteenth Century, was written by the English historian, Edward Gibbon. ... The Normans (adapted from the name Northmen or Norsemen) were a mixture of the indigenous population of Neustria and Danish or Norwegian Vikings who began to occupy the northern area of France now known as Normandy in the latter half of the 9th century. ... Capital Zaragoza Area â€“ Total â€“ % of Spain Ranked 4th 47 719 kmÂ² 9,4% Population â€“ Total (2005) â€“ % of Spain â€“ Density Ranked 11th 1 269 027 2,9% 26,59/kmÂ² Demonym â€“ English â€“ Spanish Aragonese aragonÃ©s Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166-2 AR Parliamentary representation â€“ Congress seats â€“ Senate... Location within Italy Genoa (Italian Genova, Genoese (dialect of Ligurian) Zena, French GÃªnes, German Genua, Spanish GÃ©nova, Galician XÃ©nova) is a city and a seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ...

The plentiful tuna fish found offshore were first exploited systematically under the Spanish from about the 17th century onwards. Facing severe financial problems from their ongoing wars, the Spanish sold the islands to the Marquis Pallavicino of Genoa in 1637. The Pallavicini substantially developed the economy of the island, prompting the establishment of the modern town of Favignana around the Castello San Giacomo. In 1874, the Pallavicino family sold the Egadi Islands to Ignazio Florio, the son of a wealthy mainland industrialist, for two million lire. He invested heavily in Favignana and built a major tuna cannery on the island, bringing prosperity to many of the inhabitants. Tufa quarries were also opened with stone being exported to Tunisia and Libya. (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Events February 3 - Tulipmania collapses in Netherlands by government order February 15 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor December 17 - Shimabara Rebellion erupts in Japan Pierre de Fermat makes a marginal claim to have proof of what would become known as Fermats last theorem. ... 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Tufa is the name for an unusual geological formation. ...

The islanders had a much more difficult time during the 20th century. Favignana's economy slumped between the two World Wars and many inhabitants emigrated to the mainland and abroad. The tuna fishery also declined with the rise of factory fishing after the Second World War. However, the island's fortunes were turned around by the advent of tourism from the late 1960s onwards. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... A world war is a military conflict affecting the majority of the worlds major nations. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The outrageously crowded Woodstock festival epitomized the popular antiwar movement of the 60s. ...

Geography

Favignana is the largest of the three principal Egadi Islands, with a land area of 37 km². The island is often described as having a "butterfly" shape. Favignana town is located on a narrow isthmus connecting the two "wings", which have quite different characteristics. The eastern half of the island is largely flat, while the western half is dominated by a chain of hills of which Monte Santa Caterina is the tallest at 314 m (1045 ft). It is topped by a fort, originally established by the Saracens and still in use by the Italian military (and closed to the public). A number of small islands are situated off the south coast of Favignana.

Sights

The island is famous for its caves of volcanic rock and the ancient fishing technique of tonnara, originally of Arab origin, with the trapping and mattanza (massacre) of bluefin tuna. Favignana is one of the few places in Italy where this is still done. Due to its volcanic nature, there are few beaches on the island; however, it is a popular site for scuba diving and for day trips from nearby Trapani. The Arabs (Arabic: Ø¹Ø±Ø¨ ) are an ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... Bluefin tuna may mean any of several species of tuna: Northern Bluefin Tuna Thunnus thynnus Southern Bluefin Tuna Thunnus maccoyii Pacific Bluefin Tuna Thunnus orientalis This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Scuba divers. ... Torre della Colombaia Trapani (2004 population 67,456) is a city in the west coast of Sicily in Italy. ...

Contents

History

Geography

Sights

Further reading