Lampedusa
Lampedusa | |
|---|---|
| Comune di Lampedusa e Linosa | |
Location of Lampedusa  | |
  Lampedusa Location of Lampedusa in Italy  Lampedusa Lampedusa (Sicily) | |
| Coordinates: 35°30′N 12°36′E / 35.500°N 12.600°E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Province | Agrigento (AG) |
| Frazioni | Lampedusa, Linosa, Cala Creta, Cala Francese, Grecale, Terranova |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Bernardino de Rubeis (since May 15, 2007) |
| Area | |
• Total | 25.48 km2 (9.84 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 16 m (52 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 6,025 |
| • Density | 240/km2 (610/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Lampedusani, Linosani |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 92010 |
| Dialing code | 0922 |
| Patron saint | Madonna di Porto Salvo |
| Saint day | September 22 |
| Website | www.isoladilampedusa.it |
The Mediterranean island of Lampedusa (Template:Lang-it, Template:Lang-scn) belongs to Italy and is the largest of the Pelagie Islands, situated 205 km from Sicily and 113 km from Tunisia. Its population subsists on fishing, agriculture and tourism. It is known primarily for its role as an entry point to Europe for impoverished illegal immigrants from Africa.[1]
Lampedusa is the largest part of the comune of Lampedusa e Linosa which also includes the smaller islands of Linosa and Lampione with the latter just hosting an automatic lighthouse.
Geography
Politically and administratively Lampedusa is part of Italy, but geologically it belongs to Africa since the sea between the two is no deeper than 120 metres. Lampedusa is an arid island, with no sources of water other than irregular rainfall. The fauna and flora of Lampedusa are similar to those of North Africa.
The Isola dei Conigli (literally ‘Island of Rabbits’), which is close to the south coast of Lampedusa, is one of the last remaining egg-laying sites in Italy for the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, which is endangered throughout the Mediterranean. The beach and the neighbouring island are part of a nature reserve: here the famous singer-songwriter Domenico Modugno spent his vacations, and died here in 1994. Next to Parise Cape is a small beach accessible only by sea, through a low grotto.
Other species living along the island's coast include mantas and dolphins. Lampedusa is also known as being the gateway from Europe to Africa.
History
Historically, Lampedusa was a landing place and a maritime base for the ancient Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Arabs. The Romans established a plant for the production of the prized fish sauce known as garum. As a result of pirate attacks by the Arabs, the island became uninhabited.
The first prince of Lampedusa and Linosa was Giulio Tomasi, ancestor of the famous writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, who received the title from Charles II of Spain in 1630. A century later the Tomasi family began a program of resettlement. In the 1840s the Tomasi family sold the island to the Kingdom of Naples.
In 1860 the island became part of the new Kingdom of Italy, but the new government limited its activities there to building a penal colony.
During World War II, the island was captured by British forces in Operation Corkscrew, as an immediate precursor to the Allied invasion of Sicily.
The first telephone connection with Sicily was installed only in the 1960s. In the same decade an electric power station was built. The western part of the island became a U.S. Coast Guard LORAN-C transmitter in 1972.
In 1979, Lt. Kay Hartzell, United States Coast Guard took command of the Coast Guard base, becoming the first female commanding officer of an isolated U.S. military base.[2]
The Mediterranean during the 1980s was the scene of numerous terrorist attacks. 1985-1986 saw an increase in tensions. On April 15, 1986, Libya fired two Scuds at the U.S. Coast Guard navigation station on the Italian island, in retaliation for the American bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi. However, the missiles passed over the island, landing in the sea, and caused no damage.
At the time of the missile attack, the LORAN station was under the command of Lt. Ernest DelBueno. DelBueno and his Coast Guard crew had spent the previous six months increasing their security preparedness including arming the crew and hardening the station's defenses. Expecting a traditional terrorist attack the American forces were surprised by a missile attack. American military commanders in Europe decided to temporarily evacuate non-essential crew to Sicily leaving behind a small security team under DelBueno's command. However the commander of the U.S. Navy transport helicopter from Helicopter Combat Support Squadron Four (HC-4) received orders from his chain of command to evacuate the entire American crew including DelBueno and his security team. DelBueno and his security crew returned the following morning, The confusion caused a rift with many of the island's residents including some of the Italian employees of the base. Several of the civilian employees including interpreter, Marco Bartolo, returned to work and performed their jobs in an exceptional manner. As a result of the missile attack, the U.S. Coast Guard improved communications equipment, built fences and developed procedures for missile attacks and threats.
On January 4, 1989, U.S. Navy aircraft from the carrier USS John F. Kennedy shot down two Libyan fighters approximately 200 kilometers from the island.[3] At the time, a U.S. Navy logistics aircraft from HC-4 was on the ground at the NATO base, preparing for takeoff. The base commander, Lt. Kenneth Armstrong, received notice from U.S. Sixth Fleet Intelligence at La Maddalena that the Libyan fighters had been shot down, and immediately grounded the unarmed logistics flight, which was scheduled to move on to Tel Aviv. Sixth Fleet Intel also informed Armstrong that Libyan dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi had made direct reprisal threats against the American commanders at Sigonella, Sicily, and at Lampedusa.[4]
The aircraft remained on the ground overnight, and an Italian media frenzy followed, putting Lampedusa and Armstrong in the spotlight. Armstrong responded by hosting a media tour of the base, conspicuously wearing his body armor and pointing out defensive forces on the base. The move quieted speculation that the Americans were once again preparing to leave.[5]
The NATO base was decommissioned in 1994 and transferred to Italian military control. It can still be seen clearly on Google Earth (keyword: Lampedusa), at the west end of the island, with swimming pool and outbuildings visible.
Illegal immigration issue
Lampedusa has made international news as a prime transit site for illegal immigrants hoping to enter Europe from Africa, the Middle East and Asia. A secret agreement between the Libyan and Italian governments in 2004 obliged Libya to take in returned refugees and resulted in the deportation of many people from Lampedusa to Libya in 2004 and 2005. The European Parliament did not endorse this.[6]
In 2006 it was reported that illegal immigrants from Africa still commonly pay smugglers in Libya for a transit to Lampedusa.[7] From there they are transferred by the Italian government to detention camps in mainland Italy and eventually released; their deportation orders are not enforced.[8] The illegal immigration into Italy's territory is a major issue in recent times, with parties who campaign with the issue as part of their promises.
The conditions at a temporary reception center for immigrants on the island came under criticism by the UNHCR for overcrowding in early 2009. The center, originally built with a maximum capacity of 850 people, was reported to be housing nearly 2,000 'boat people' with significant numbers of them sleeping outdoors under plastic sheeting. [9] On 19 February 2009, a number of Tunisian men broke a hunger strike that sparked a riot in which a large portion of the holding facility was destroyed by fire. The holding centre was in the process of being turned into a prison.
Transportation
The island of Lampedusa is connected to Sicily by a ferry service with the seaport of Porto Empedocle, near Agrigento. Lampedusa also has a small national airport which carries out service mainly during the summer period.
Popular entertainment
The movie Respiro (2002), written and directed by Emanuele Crialese and starring Valeria Golino, was filmed entirely on Lampedusa.
See also
References
- ^ Refugee crisis on Lampedusa
- ^ Women in the Coast Guard: Moments in History
- ^ Gulf of Sidra incident (1989)
- ^ Commanding Officer's Log, USCG Loran Station Lampedusa, January 4, 1989
- ^ Commanding Officer's Log, USCG Loran Station Lampedusa, January 5-9, 1989
- ^ European Parliament resolution on Lampedusa, 14 April 2005
- ^ Out of Africa: The human trade between Libya and Lampedusa
- ^ Bitter harvest, The Guardian, 19 December 2006
- ^ UNHCR Concerned over Humanitarian Situation in Lampedusa, Italy
External links
- BBC News – Italy Deports Island Immigrants – Covers the changing face of immigration in 2004
- Official site Template:It icon
- watch "Isti'mariyah - windward between Naples and Baghdad"