Insular Italy Italia insulare (Italian) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Composition |  Sardinia Sicily |
| Area | |
| • Total | 49,801 km2 (19,228 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Estimate (2022) | 6,377,044[1] |
Insular Italy (Italian:Italia insulare or justIsole) is one of the five official statistical regions ofItaly used by theNational Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), aNUTS1 level region.
Insular Italy is defined only forstatistical and for someelections and includes the two main Italianislands:Sicily andSardinia, together with other small islands andarchipelagos next to them.
Sicily is the largestMediterranean island with an area of 25,832.39 km2 (9,973.94 sq mi). To the east, it is separated from the Italianmainland by theStrait of Messina, about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide in the north, and about 16 km (9.9 mi) wide in the southern part. Its highest point isMount Etna (37°45′1″N14°59′41″E / 37.75028°N 14.99472°E /37.75028; 14.99472 (Mont Blanc)), the largest activevolcano in Europe with analtitude of 4,810 metres (15,780 ft).[2] The longestriver of the island is theSalso river, 144 km (89 mi) long.
Sardinia is the second largest Mediterranean island with an area of 24,100 km2 (9,300 sq mi). To the east is theTyrrhenian Sea that separates the island from mainland Italy, and to the north is theStrait of Bonifacio that separates Sardinia from theFrench island ofCorsica. Its highest point isPunta La Marmora (39°59′16″N9°19′28″E / 39.98778°N 9.32444°E /39.98778; 9.32444 (Punta la Marmora)) with an altitude of 1,834 metres (6,017 ft).[3] The longest river of the island is theTirso river, 151 km (94 mi) long.
Insular Italy has 2 of the 20regions of Italy, including 24provinces and 1,789comuniː
| Region | Capital | Population[4] (2016) | Area[5] (km²) | Density (inh./km²) | Provinces | Comuni |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sardinia | Cagliari | 1,658,138 | 24,100.02 | 68.8 | 5 | 377 |
| Sicily | Palermo | 5,074,261 | 25,832.39 | 196.4 | 9 | 390 |
| Total | 6,732,399 | 49,932.41 | 134.8 | 14 | 767 | |
Thecomuni with more than 100,000 persons living in them areː
| Comune | Population[4] | Province | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palermo | 674,435 | Palermo | Sicily |
| Catania | 314,555 | Catania | Sicily |
| Messina | 238,439 | Messina | Sicily |
| Cagliari | 154,460 | Cagliari | Sardinia |
| Sassari | 127,525 | Sassari | Sardinia |
| Siracusa | 122,291 | Siracusa | Sicily |