Thecomune ofLampedusa e Linosa is part of theSicilianprovince of Agrigento which also includes the smaller islands ofLinosa andLampione. It is the southernmost part of Italy.Tunisia, which is 113 kilometres (61 nautical miles) away, is the closest landfall to the islands. Sicily is farther at 205 kilometres (110+1⁄2 nautical miles), whileMalta is 176 kilometres (95 nautical miles) east of Lampedusa.[4]
Lampedusa has an area of20.2 km2 (7+13⁄16 sq mi) and a population of about 6,000 people. Its main industries are fishing, agriculture, and tourism. A ferry service links the island withPorto Empedocle, nearAgrigento, Sicily. There are also year-round flights fromLampedusa Airport toPalermo andCatania on the Sicilian mainland. In the summer, there are additional services toRome andMilan, besides many other seasonal links with the Italian mainland.
In 2013,Spiaggia dei Conigli ("Rabbit Beach"), located in the southern part of the island, was voted the world's best beach by travel siteTripAdvisor.[5]
The nameLampedusa derives from theancient Greek name of the island,Λοπαδούσσα (Lopadoússa) orΛαπαδούσσα (Lapadoússa).It has been suggested that the name derives from the wordλέπας (lépas), which means 'rock', due to the rocky landscape of the island; another story is that this word was also used by the Greeks for a kind ofoyster and the island was called that, due to the abundance of this kind of oyster.[7] Other scholars believe that the name derives fromλαμπάς (lampás), which means 'torch', because of the lights which were placed on the island for sailors.[8]
Historically, Lampedusa was a landing place and a maritime base for the ancientPhoenicians,Greeks andRomans. The Romans established a plant for the production of the prized fish sauce known asgarum. In 812 (or 813),[9] directed by theAghlabids, the island was sacked bySaracens during theArab–Byzantine wars.[10][11]
By the end of the medieval period, the island had become a dependency of theKingdom of Sicily.[12] In 1553,Barbary pirates from North Africa under the command of theOttoman Empire raided Lampedusa and carried off 1,000 captives intoslavery.[13] As a result of pirate attacks, the island became uninhabited.[citation needed] In 1565, DonGarcía de Toledo made a brief stop at Lampedusa while leading a relief force to break theGreat Siege of Malta. In subsequent centuries, theHospitaller fleet which was based in Malta sometimes used Lampedusa's harbour as a shelter from bad weather or from corsairs.[12]
In the late 18th century, theOrder of St. John maintained a small establishment on Lampedusa, which included a chapel dedicated to theVirgin Mary. This was manned by a priest and sixMaltese men, who often traded with pirates. A structure known asmarabuto, probably a mausoleum commemorating a member of theMarabouts, also existed on the island at this time, and it was visited by many Muslim devotees.[12]
Readers can refer to 'Essays On Governing Malta (1800–1813)' (Vol I) by Patrick G Staines (2007) (University of Malta Library, also online) where there is a Chapter on Lampedosa.
On 25 June 1800, Don Giulio III Maria Tomasi,6th Prince of Lampedusa (1743–1812), leased Lampedusa in perpetualemphyteusis to Salvatore Gatt, a Maltese merchant, on the condition that the latter would build twocoastalwatchtowers atCala della Galere andCala della Madonna. Gatt settled the island with some Maltese workers, and he imported livestock and began cultivating the land. The old castle was reconstructed, and a windmill was also built. Gatt hoisted the British flag for protection. On 27 June 1804, the prince conceded the island to Giuseppe Bugeja, another Maltese, although Gatt remained in control of the island.[12]
At the time, the British were considering taking over Lampedusa, possibly as an alternative to Malta, which had just become aBritish protectorate. In 1803, theRoyal Navy dropped the idea since the island's small harbour was not comparable to Malta's larger and well-fortifiedGrand Harbour. However, reports stated that the island could be useful in supplying Malta, especially with the threat of Sicily falling to the French.[12]
In 1810, Gatt leased the island to Alexander Fernandez of the Army Commissariat in the Mediterranean, who established a farm with cattle and sheep, and employed 28 workers to turn the island's surface into pasturage. A small detachment of 26 men of the 14th Regiment were sent to the island in 1811 to support Fernandez, who was planning to build a fort on the island. By 1813, the island had a population of almost 200 Maltese workers.[12]
A royal commission stated in an 1812 report that there would be considerable difficulties in turning the island (together with Linosa andPantelleria) into a supply base for Malta. The commission found Fernandez's situation to be very strange, and the treasury demanded an explanation of his conduct. In November 1813, the sloopHMSPartridge was infected with yellow fever, and was sent to Lampedusa until convalescence. This caused most of the population to flee back to Malta, leaving only 50 to 60 people on the island. The Governor of Malta, SirThomas Maitland, visited Lampedusa and found that Fernandez was running a business venture, so on 15 September 1814 he announced the withdrawal of British troops stationed on the island. The same notice also stated that "it is not the intention of [the British] Government to have any further concern or connection with [Lampedusa]".[4] At this point, Greek privateers deposited provisions and took refuge at Lampedusa while being pursued by Tunisian vessels.[12]
Fernandez had left forGibraltar in 1813, but he continued to make claims on his title in Lampedusa. The British Government refused to compensate him in 1818, and Sicilian courts deprived him of his title soon afterwards. The Gatt family retook possession of the island, but what happened in subsequent years is unclear. Salvatore Gatt is believed to have died or disappeared sometime between 1813 and 1821, and the island was taken over by Fortunato Frendo, who had murdered Giacoma Gatt, Salvatore's wife. An official expedition was sent to the island from Naples in 1828, and the island was found to be inhabited by members of the Frendo, Gatt, and Molinos families along with a few workers.[12]
A Neapolitan warship visited the island in 1841 as a show of force, but nothing changed until 11 September 1843, when two warships arrived and landed 400 soldiers on the island. They replaced the British flags on the island with Neapolitan flags. A royal decree was read out proclaiming the island as part of theKingdom of the Two Sicilies. A few of the Maltese settlers remained on the island, while others returned to Malta or went to Tunisia.[12]
In the 1840s, the Tomasi family formally sold the island to the Kingdom of Naples.[citation needed] In 1861, the island became part of theKingdom of Italy, but the new Italian government limited its activities there to building apenal colony.[citation needed]
During theSecond World War, the island was Axis territory, held by a small Italian garrison. Despite its proximity to Allied-held Malta and North Africa, the island did not see any military engagements until June 1943 when, as a precursor to theAllied invasion of Sicily, the island was secured without resistance inOperation Corkscrew by the Royal Navy destroyerHMSLookout and ninety-five men of the 2nd Battalion theColdstream Guards. After a week ofair raids and anaval bombardment by cruisersAurora,Orion,Penelope andNewfoundland and six destroyers, white flags were sighted in the port, and when Lieutenant Corbett ofLookout approached the port in a motor launch, he was told that the island's garrison wished to surrender.[14]Mussolini had given the garrison his permission to surrender because it lacked any water. The Governor's formal surrender was accepted in the island's underground command-post by a combined Army/Navy delegation sometime before 9:00 pm on 12 June 1943. During this process, the governor handed his sword to the Coldstream company commander, Major Bill Harris.[15]
A second unofficial claim has also been made regarding the capitulation of the island, when earlier that same day elements of the garrison had also attempted to surrender in unusual circumstances when Sergeant Sydney Cohen, the pilot of aRoyal Air ForceFairey Swordfish aircraft landed having run low on fuel and suffering problems with his compass.[16] Cohen's exploits were commemorated in aYiddish playThe King of Lampedusa that ran for six months.[17]
View of the town of Lampedusa
The first telephone connection with Sicily was installed only in the 1960s.[citation needed] In the same decade an electric power station was built.[citation needed]
In 1972, part of the western side of the island became aUnited States Coast GuardLORAN-C transmitter station. In 1979, Lt. Kay Hartzell took command of the Coast Guard base, becoming "the first female commanding officer of an isolated duty station".[18]
The 1980s, and especially 1985–1986, saw an increase in tensions and the area around the island was the scene of multiple attacks. On 15 April 1986, Libya fired twoScuds at the Lampedusa navigation station, in retaliation for theAmerican bombing ofTripoli andBenghazi, and the alleged death ofColonel Gaddafi's adopted daughter. However, the missiles passed over the island, landed in the sea, and caused no damage.[19][20]
On4 January 1989, U.S. Navy aircraft from the carrierUSSJohn F. Kennedy shot down two Libyan fighters approximately 200 km (110 nmi) from the island.[21]
The NATO base was decommissioned in 1994 and transferred to Italian military control.[citation needed]
Migrants arriving on the Island of Lampedusa in August 2007
Since the early 2000s, Lampedusa, the European territory closest to Libya, has become a prime transit point for migrants 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 African immigrantsdeported from Italian territories. This resulted in the mass repatriation of many people from Lampedusa to Libya between 2004 and 2005, a move criticised by theEuropean Parliament.[22]
By 2006, many African immigrants were payingpeople smugglers in Libya to help get them to Lampedusa by boat.[23] 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.[24]
Cross made with wood of broken immigration boats. Thousands of migrants have died trying to cross theSahara and theMediterranean on their way to Europe.
In 2009, the overcrowded conditions at the island's temporary immigrant reception centre came under criticism by theUnited 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 2,000boat people. A significant number of people were sleeping outdoors under plastic sheeting.[25] A fire that started during an inmate riot destroyed a large portion of the holding facility on 19 February 2009.[citation needed]
In 2011, many more immigrants moved to Lampedusa during the rebellions inTunisia andLibya. By May 2011, more than 35,000 immigrants had arrived on the island from Tunisia and Libya.[26] By the end of August, 48,000 had arrived.[27] Most were young males in their 20s and 30s.[28] 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.[29]
In July 2013,Pope Francis visited the island on his first official visit outside of Rome. He prayed for migrants, living and dead, and denounced their traffickers.[30] In October 2013, the2013 Lampedusa disaster occurred; a boat carrying over 500 migrants, mostly fromEritrea andSomalia, sank off the coast of Lampedusa with the deaths of at least 300 people.[31][32]
From January to April 2015, about 1,600 migrants died on the route from Libya to Lampedusa, making it the deadliest migrant route in the world.[33]
The 2017 Oscar-nominated Italian documentary filmFire at Sea documented a part of this migrant crisis and was filmed entirely on the island in 2014 and 2015.[34] The film also won theGolden Bear at the 66thBerlin Film Festival.[35]
In September 2023, over 120 boats, carrying roughly 7,000 migrants—more than the total population of Lampedusa—arrived on the island within the span of 24 hours.[36] Some of the migrants were relocated to Germany.[37] According to theIrish Examiner, the majority of the September 2023 migrants arrived fromTunisia and were "young men or unaccompanied minors." Reasons for migration varied, but theIrish Examiner listed a worsening of the "socioeconomic situation in Tunisia" and fleeing danger or persecution.[38]
The year 2024 brought a total of 45,997 migrants to Lampedusa on 1,095 different boats.[39] 43,580 people have arrived in Italy since the beginning of 2025.[40]
Lampedusa is both the southernmost point and the southernmost island of Italy. Politically and administratively, Lampedusa is part of Italy, but geologically it is part of Africa since the sea between the two is no deeper than 120 m (390 ft). Lampedusa is a semi-arid island, dominated by agarrigue landscape, withmaquis shrubland in the west. It has no sources of water other than irregular rainfall. Overall the island has two slopes, from west to east, and from north to south of the island. The south-western side is dominated by deep gorges, while the southeastern part is dominated by shallow 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.
Lampedusa has asubtropicalsemi-arid climate (Köppen:BSh) characterized by very warm, almost rainless and humid summers, very mild andfrost-free winters, a powerfulseasonal lag and a smalldiurnal temperature range. The constant sea breezes moderate the daytime summer temperatures. Lampedusa (along with coastalPantelleria,Kasos,Karpathos,Kastellorizo and coastalMalta) is one of the very few areas along the Mediterranean Sea coast, which have never recorded frost. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Lampedusa was 2.2 °C (36 °F) on 1 February 1999.[43]
Climate data for Lampedusa AP 16 m. asl, 1961–1990 normals, extremes 1959–present
The fauna and flora of Lampedusa are similar to those of North Africa, with a fewpelagicendemic species.[citation needed] TheIsola dei Conigli (literally "Rabbit Island"), close to the south coast of Lampedusa, is one of the last remaining egg-laying sites in Italy for theloggerhead sea turtle, which is endangered throughout theMediterranean. The beach and the neighbouring island are part of anature reserve: here the singer-songwriterDomenico Modugno spent his vacations, and died in 1994. Next to Parise Cape is a small beach accessible only by sea, through a lowgrotto. Other species living along the island's coast include mantas and smaller cetaceans such as dolphins andRisso's dolphins.[46] Waters near Lampedusa are the only area in the Mediterranean with sightings of pregnantgreat white sharks and newly born individuals.[47] Recent studies revealed that the waters of Lampedusa are a wintering feeding ground for the Mediterranean group offin whales.[48][49]Humpback whale, a species formerly considered as a vagrant species in the Mediterranean basin, has been seen around the island in recent years.[50]
Along withLinosa, Lampedusa once was a stronghold for endangeredMediterranean monk seals until the 1950s, and they are likely to be currentlyextirpated from the island.[51] However, monk seals were sighted along Lampedusa in 2020.[52]
Lampedusa was the filming location for the music video ofMango's single "Mediterraneo", from the albumCome l'acqua (1992).[53]
Lampedusa was featured as the subject of the winning question in the2007 National Geographic Bee Championship Round, worded as, "Lampedusa, an island whose geographical location has made it a target for illegal immigrants seeking to enter the European Union from Africa, is administered by which country?"
^Ferdinand Gregorovius (2010).History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages (reprint ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 66.ISBN9781108015028.
^Setton, Kenneth Meyer, ed. (1969).A History of the Crusades: The first hundred years (illustrated ed.). Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 43.ISBN9780299048341.
^Henri Pirenne (2013).Mohammed and Charlemagne. Routledge. p. 160.ISBN9781135030179.
