Aeolian Islands
The Aeolian Islands or Aeolian islands (Italian Isole Lipari or Aeolian Isole ) are an archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily. For the group of islands with a total area of 115.4 km ² including seven inhabited islands with about 13,768 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2009), belonging to the province of Messina politically the Italian region of Sicily.
The islands are of volcanic origin and 2000 were declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site on the grounds that " the volcanic landscapes of the islands represent classic subjects of continuing study of volcanology worldwide. Through scholarly research at least since the 18th century, the islands have the textbooks of geology and volcanology delivered two types of eruptions ( Vulcano type and Stromboli - type) and so played an important role in the education of all geoscientists for over 200 years. They offer a rich field for volcanological further investigations ongoing geological processes in the formation of landscapes. "
- 3.1 mythology
- 5.1 traffic
- 5.2 Energy and water
- 5.3 Economics
- 7.1 Museums
- 7.2 Literature
- 7.3 movie
- 7.4 Customs
Geography
The Aeolian Islands are located between 30 km and 80 km off the north coast of Sicily in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Sicilian coast is closest to Vulcano. North of follow Lipari and Salina, west of it Filicudi and Alicudi, northeast of Panarea and Stromboli. Among the seven inhabited islands are a number of small, uninhabited islands and rocky cliffs added such as Basiluzzo and Strombolicchio.
The largest island is Lipari 37.5 km ², followed by Salina ( 26.8 km ²), Vulcano ( 21.2 km ²), Stromboli ( 12.6 km ²), Filicudi (9.5 km ²) and Alicudi (5.2 km ²). The smallest island with 3.4 km ² Panarea. The highest elevation of the Aeolian Islands is Monte Fossa delle Felci to Salina, which reaches a height of 962 m.
Geology
The islands are of volcanic origin. They appeared in three phases from the sea and are part of a volcanic chain extending from Vesuvius to Etna. First Filicudi arose, the islands of Panarea, Salina and parts of Lipari, last Alicudi. In a second phase, other parts of these islands were formed. In a third phase, Vulcano and Stromboli followed. The origin for the volcanism of the Aeolian Islands is the subduction of the northern margin of the African plate under the Apulian plate.
Today the volcano is Stromboli, on the same island, the only constantly active volcano in Europe. The volcano on the island of Vulcano Fossa Grande is dormant and only slightly active, and thereby ensuring the most dangerous volcano in the area. On the island of Lipari can be found fumaroles and solfataras and a dormant volcano whose last eruption so far about 1300 years ago.
On the islands themselves are rich deposits of sulfur, pumice stone and kaolin. The basalt tubes demonstrate the volcanic origin.
Climate
On the Aeolian Islands have a Mediterranean climate, which roughly corresponds to the coasts the climate data of Messina.
The average air temperature is in January at 13 ° C, in May and October at 20 ° C and in July at 28 ° C. In the mountains it is cooler than on the coast up to 10 ° C. The water temperatures vary between 15 ° C in winter and 26 ° C in summer.
The average rainfall of 600 mm per year is lower than in Messina, more than two -thirds of them fall in autumn and winter. The prevailing winds are the rather cool Maestrale from the north- west and the hot, dry sirocco from the southeast.
Flora and Fauna
The predominant plants include broom, wormwood, Euphorbia and Erika plants, to kitchen herbs, nearly 70 different medicinal plants and especially capers.
The tree vegetation consists mainly composed of pine, carob, fig, almond and olive trees. Since the 60s and the eucalyptus, acacia and in some places oaks are planted. A rare species is the dwarf palm from the early days of the islands, which has survived in rocky places. Climate change is formerly dominant plants such as gorse have greatly receded.
On the volcanic soils of the islands of the Malvasia di Lipari is anbebaut. Vegetation richest island is due to a source of fresh water and an environmentally friendly forestry work, the island of Salina.
Notable species include, in particular migratory birds and marine animals. On some islands, living endemic species, such as on the rocks in front of La Canna Filicudi on Faraglione at Pollara / Salina and Stromboli Strombolicchio at the worldwide unique Aeolian Wall Lizard ( Podarcis raffoneae ).
History
The Aeolian islands are inhabited BC since the 5th millennium. They were probably colonized from Sicily. In the Neolithic the Lipüarische islands were of great importance as a supplier of obsidian. The resulting trade contacts made for great prosperity on the islands. In the Copper Age, the importance of the islands subsided greatly, the obsidian trade fell sharply. Around 1800 BC, villages developed on the smaller islands with oval huts. Finds Mycenaean pottery, which supplied the most specimens from the 16th and 15th centuries BC, testify trade relations with the eastern Mediterranean. Around 1250 BC, the settlements were destroyed on the Aeolian Islands - Lipari mainly on fire trails are witnessed - some smaller islands seem to have been depopulated and even long remained uninhabited. The larger islands settled population whose legacies clearly distinguished from those of the earlier cultures. The ceramic and wooden buildings have strong parallels to the Italian mainland .. According to later legendary lore to Ausonen were from central Italy down to the islands, which may be identical with the newcomers. Therefore, the legacies of between about 1250 and 850 BC are referred to in the research as " Ausonisch ". According to tradition, the leader of the Ausonen, King Liparos said to have been its name to the island group.
In the 5th century BC Doric settlers from Knidos and Rhodes came. The Aeolian islands were allied with Syracuse at the time and therefore were attacked and looted by armed forces from Athens. In the following centuries, Greeks and Carthaginians fought for dominance. 252 BC, the Romans took a the islands. In the 3rd century AD, the first Christian church was built on Lipari.
416 the islands were to exile for the usurper Priscus Attalus, who was housed worthy here until his unknown life.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire were the Aeolian Islands as a hideout for pirates, and the population impoverished. Under the rule of the Arabs in Sicily from the 9th century they were a military outpost of the new conquerors. Under the rule of the Normans in the 11th century the prosperity flourished again. On behalf of Roger I. a Benedictine monastery and the church of San Bartolomeo were built on Lipari. On Salina emerged small towns.
1544 conquered the Ottoman sailors Khair ad-Din Barbarossa, the Aeolian Islands and deported almost the entire population Liparis into slavery. In the 17th century the islands were inhabited again under the care of the Catholic Church. In the 19th century the trade created with Sicily and the Italian mainland ( fish, wine, ceramics and pumice ) again for economic recovery until 1888, the eruption of Vulcano many islanders destroyed their livelihood. About a third of the population emigrated between 1900 and 1950 to America and Australia.
1949 brought about the film Stromboli renewed interest in the Aeolian Islands and the onset since the mid-20th century tourism improved the prosperity of the island's inhabitants. The film The Postman reinforced the trend. Since the 1990s, the inhabitants live mainly from tourism and the preservation of the holiday homes of wealthy northern Italians. On the islands Filicudi and Salina personalities from film, photography and literature have settled. Alicudi is dominated by German immigrants.
Mythology
Some Greek and Roman authors saw the islands as the seat of the mythical wind god Aeolus (Greek Aiolos, Latin Aeolus ) to why the name Aeolian Islands naturalized.
Aeolus was used by Zeus as administrator of the winds and lived on the island of Aiolia. It was home to Odysseus on his wanderings and presented him before going on a bag in which the unfavorable winds were banned. As the companions of Odysseus, when he slept, the sack opened illegally, they were driven back by heavy storms after Aiolia.
Management
The Aeolian islands, where almost 14,000 residents ( Liparoten ) live, belong to the Italian province of Messina. The islands Alicudi, Filicudi, Lipari, Panarea, Stromboli and Vulcano together form the municipality of Lipari with the eponymous capital. On the administratively autonomous island of Salina are the three communities of Santa Marina Salina, Malfa and Leni.
Infrastructure
Traffic
Several times a week there is a ferry from Naples to the islands and on to Milazzo. In addition, During the summer, twice daily hydrofoils to and from Naples.
Twice daily ( open June to early September) hydrofoil to Palermo. Several times a day there are connections by hydrofoil to Milazzo and in the summer to Messina. In the summer a ferry company Ustica Lines between Palermo and the Aeolian Islands.
On the islands of Lipari, Vulcano and Salina there are regular bus services. On the smaller islands serve three-wheeled vans and sometimes even donkeys and mules as a means of transport.
By demanded by the European Union privatization of the holding company Tirrenia di Navigazione, which also includes the fleet of Siremar, there was a petition in February 2009.
Energy and water
The electrical energy is generated on all the islands of diesel-powered power plants. On Stromboli, a solar plant was built for the place Ginostra by the Italian utility Enel, which produces 150 000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year by means of the photovoltaic technology. On Salina is a wind turbine.
On Lipari is a sea water desalination plant. The drinking water supply is provided several times a week with tankers from the mainland.
Economy
Until the mid-20th century agriculture, fishing and Bimssteingewinnung were modest main sources of income to the Aeolian Islands.
The Bimssteingewinnung has now been set to Lipari. Play an important economic role are still fishing (swordfish, sardines, lobsters, mussels), the production of Malvasia delle Lipari dessert wine and the export of capers mainly to Australia and Japan.
From 1950 to the tourism slowly began to develop, which is now the most important source of income of the islanders. During the months of July and August, the number of tourists exceeds significantly the number of islanders. This trend has, however, weakened, because of the steadily rising costs, so that, for example, in July, encountered hardly any tourists from the north to the secluded beaches since 2010.
Education
By the middle of the last century, the proportion of illiterates was up to 90 % of the population. There are now on all the islands primary schools and a secondary school in Lipari with different branches. For students at the University of Messina own speedboat connection has been established. However, children of the islands Alicudi and Filicudi remain cut off during the winter months of middle school.
Culture
Museums
On Lipari is an archaeological museum, the Aeolian Archeological Museum, which documents the history of the islands in a prehistoric and in a classic department. In addition, there is a volcanological department, illustrating the geology of the islands. In Salina, the Museo dell'Emigrazione Eoliana informed about the fate of the emigrants at the beginning of the last century.