The Norman conquest of southern Italy led to the creation of the County of Sicily in 1071, that was succeeded by Kingdom of Sicily, a state that existed from 1130 until 1816.
Major revolutionary movements occurred in 1820 and 1848 against the Bourbon government with Sicily seeking independence; the second of which, the 1848 revolution resulted in a short period of independence for Sicily.
Off the southern coast of Sicily, the underwater volcano of Ferdinandea, which is part of the larger Empedocles volcano, last erupted in 1831.
Major revolutionary movements occurred in 1820 and 1848 against the Bourbon government with Sicily seeking independence; the second of which, the 1848 revolution resulted in a short period of independence for Sicily.
However, in 1849 the Bourbons retook control of the island and dominated it until 1860. ===Italian unification=== The Expedition of the Thousand led by Giuseppe Garibaldi captured Sicily in 1860, as part of the Risorgimento.
The island became part of Italy in 1860 following the Expedition of the Thousand, a revolt led by Giuseppe Garibaldi during the Italian unification, and a plebiscite.
However, in 1849 the Bourbons retook control of the island and dominated it until 1860. ===Italian unification=== The Expedition of the Thousand led by Giuseppe Garibaldi captured Sicily in 1860, as part of the Risorgimento.
Sicily became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia after a referendum where more than 75% of Sicily voted in favour of the annexation on 21 October 1860 (but not everyone was allowed to vote).
As a result of the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, Sicily became part of the kingdom on 17 March 1861. The Sicilian economy (and the wider mezzogiorno economy) remained relatively underdeveloped after the Italian unification, in spite of the strong investments made by the Kingdom of Italy in terms of modern infrastructure, and this caused an unprecedented wave of emigration.
In 1894, organisations of workers and peasants known as the Fasci Siciliani protested against the bad social and economic conditions of the island, but they were suppressed in a few days.
The Messina earthquake of 28 December 1908 killed more than 80,000 people. This period was also characterized by the first contact between the Sicilian mafia (the crime syndicate also known as Cosa Nostra) and the Italian government.
There was an allied invasion of Sicily during World War II starting on 10 July 1943.
From 1943 to 1951 there was also a separatist political party called Sicilian Independence Movement (Movimento Indipendentista Siciliano, MIS).
Sicily was given special status as an autonomous region on 15 May 1946, 18 days before the Italian institutional referendum of 1946. Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature, cuisine, and architecture.
The invasion of Sicily contributed to the 25 July crisis; in general, the Allied victors were warmly embraced by Sicily. Italy became a Republic in 1946 and, as part of the Constitution of Italy, Sicily was one of the five regions given special status as an autonomous region.
Its best electoral result was in the 1946 general election, when MIS obtained 0.7% of national votes (8.8% of votes in Sicily), and four seats.
However, the movement lost all its seats following the 1948 general election and the 1951 regional election.
The mines of the Enna and Caltanissetta districts were part of a leading sulphur-producing area throughout the 19th century, but have declined since the 1950s. Sicily and its surrounding small islands have some highly active volcanoes.
Both the partial Italian land reform and special funding from the Italian government's Cassa per il Mezzogiorno (Fund for the South) from 1950 to 1984 helped the Sicilian economy.
From 1943 to 1951 there was also a separatist political party called Sicilian Independence Movement (Movimento Indipendentista Siciliano, MIS).
However, the movement lost all its seats following the 1948 general election and the 1951 regional election.
In the 1970s there was a growth of the industrial sector through the creation of some factories.
The official European record – measured by minimum/maximum thermometers – is held by Athens, Greece, which reported a maximum of in 1977.
In the 1980s, the Mafia was deeply weakened by a second important campaign led by magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.
It currently stands high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is lower now than it was in 1981.
Both the partial Italian land reform and special funding from the Italian government's Cassa per il Mezzogiorno (Fund for the South) from 1950 to 1984 helped the Sicilian economy.
Between 1990 and 2005, the unemployment rate fell from about 23% to 11%. The Cosa Nostra has traditionally been the most powerful group in Sicily, especially around Palermo.
The Nebrodi Mountains Regional Park, established on 4 August 1993 and covering , is the largest protected natural area of Sicily; and contains the largest forest in Sicily, the Caronia.
Rainfall is scarce, and water proves deficient in some provinces where a water crisis can happen occasionally. According to the Regional Agency for Waste and Water, on 10 August 1999, the weather station of Catenanuova (EN) recorded a maximum temperature of .
Between 1990 and 2005, the unemployment rate fell from about 23% to 11%. The Cosa Nostra has traditionally been the most powerful group in Sicily, especially around Palermo.
The Communists and their successors (the Democratic Party of the Left, the Democrats of the Left and the present-day Democratic Party) had never won in the region until 2012.
According to ISTAT figures from 2017, show around 175,000 immigrants out of the total 5,029,615 population; Romanians with more than 50,000 make up the most immigrants, followed by Tunisians, Moroccans, Sri Lankans, Albanians, and others mostly from Eastern Europe.
Nello Musumeci is the current President since 2017. ===Administrative divisions=== Administratively, Sicily is divided into nine provinces, each with a capital city of the same name as the province.
A police investigation in summer 2019 also confirmed strong links between the Palermo area Sicilian Mafia and American organized crime, particularly the Gambino crime family.
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Page generated on 2021-08-05