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Sardegna
Sardinia |
| Flag |
Coat of arms |
|
|
| Location |
 |
| Time zone |
CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Administration |
| Country |
Italy |
| NUTS Region |
ITG |
| Provinces |
Cagliari, Carbonia-Iglesias, Medio Campidano, Nuoro, Ogliastra, Olbia-Tempio, Oristano, Sassari |
| Capital |
Cagliari |
| President |
Renato Soru (Democratic Party) |
| Basic statistics |
| Area |
24,090 km² (9,301 sq mi)
(Ranked 3rd, 8.0 %) |
| Population |
1,665,617 (12/2007)
(Ranked 11th, 2.8 %) |
| - Density |
69 /km² (179 /sq mi) |
| Other information |
| GDP/ Nominal |
€ 32.5 billion (2006) |
| Website |
www.regione.sardegna.it |
Sardinia (pronounced /sɑrˈdɪnɪə/; Italian: Sardegna; Sardinian: Sardigna or Sardinnya) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily). The area of Sardinia is 24,090 square kilometres (9,301 sq mi). The island is surrounded (clockwise from north) by the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Tunisia and the Balearic Islands. Sardinia is a constitutional part of Italy, with a special statute of regional autonomy under the Italian Constitution.
Around the beginning of the nuragic age circa 1500 BC the island was first called in Greek, Hyknusa (Latinized Ichnusa) by the Mycenaeans, probably meaning island (nusa) of the Hyksoscitation needed, the people who had just been expelled by Ahmose I of Egypt circa 1540 BC. Sandalyon was another greek name, probably due to its shape, resembling a footprint. Its present name is Sardinia, after the Shardana (whose invasion of Egypt was defeated by Ramesses III circa 1180 BC).
History
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Sardinia has been inhabited for many millions of years. The fossil of an Oreopithecus bambolii, a prehistoric anthropomorphic primate, was discovered near Sassari, and dated 8,5 millions years. In 1979 human remains were found that were dated to the Paleolithic 150,000 BC. In 2004, in a cave in Logudoro, a human phalanx was found that was dated to circa 250,000 BC.
In prehistory the inhabitants of Sardinia developed a trade in obsidian, a volcanic glass used for the production of stone age tools, and this activity brought Sardinians into contact with most of the Mediterranean peoples. Dried grapes, recently found in several locations, have been DNA tested and proved to be the oldest grapes in the world, dating back to 1200 BC. The Cannonau wine is made from these grapes and may therefore qualify as the mother of all the European wines. Sardinia is the 2nd largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
Medieval Arab map of Sardinia
From Neolithic times until the Roman Empire, the Neuralgic civilisation developed on the island. There are still more than 9,000 Nuraghe extant. It is speculated that, along with other peoples, the Shardana people from the eastern Mediterranean settled in Sardinia. The Shardana had joined the Shekelesh and others to form the coalition of the Sea Peoples, but were defeated by Ramesses III around 1180 BC in Egypt. The Shardana and Shekelesh were also called by the Egyptians "the people from the faraway islands", suggesting that the Shardana were already resident on Sardinia at the time. This assertion may hold some truth; it has been claimed that most of the tombe dei giganti have a tombstone shaped like a ship vertically sunk into the ground, bearing witness to their seafaring activities. In truth, only those 'tombas' found in the north and middle of the island bear this feature, the southern examples bearing a definite Mycenaean style of architecture. Evidence of early trade and contact with other Mediterranean cultures exist; for example, fine ceramic products of ancient Cydonia on Crete have been found at Sardinian archaeological sites.1 According to some linguistic studies, the town of Sardis (in Lydia) would have been the starting point from which they would have reached the Tyrrhenian Sea, dividing into what were to become the Sardinians and the Etruscans.
However most theories regarding the original population of Sardinia were formulated prior to genetics research and in the traditional framework of east-west movements. Genetic studies show that the population of Sardinia is quite distant from their neighbours. This is partially due to genetic drift due to isolation, though other reasons, such as ties with pre-Indo-European Neolithic peoples, may also have contributed to this distance.
The density, extensiveness, and sheer size of the architectural remains from the Neolithic period all point to a considerable population of the island. Early contact with Crete is indicated from archaeological recovery on Sardinia. Beginning around 1000 BC, Phoenician mariners established several ports of trade on the Sardinian coast. In 509 BC, war broke out between the native Nuragic people and the Phoenician settlers. The settlers called for help from Carthage (themselves in origin Phoenician settlers) and the island became part of the Carthaginian Hegemony (to this day, Sardinia's capital Cagliari is still nicknamed 'Kartago' or 'Carthage' by the Catalan population in northern Alghero). In 238 BC, after being defeated by the Roman Republic in the First Punic War, Carthage was forced to fight an uprising against former mercenaries who had not received their promised pay in a conflict known as the Mercenary War. Rome jumped at this opportunity to annex Corsica and Sardinia without resistance from the overstretched Carthaginians. Sardinia was also ruled by Spain, but has no Spanish influence.
During the Roman period, the geographer Ptolemy noted that Sardinia was inhabited by the following peoples, from north to south: the Tibulati and the Corsi, the Coracenses, the Carenses and the Cunusitani, the Salcitani and the Lucuidonenses, the Æsaronenses, the Æchilenenses (also called Cornenses), the Rucensi, the Celsitani and the Corpicenses, the Scapitani and the Siculensi, the Neapolitani and the Valentini, as well as the Solcitani and the Noritani. Ptol. III, 3.
From 456 - 534, Sardinia was a part of the short-lived kingdom of the Vandals in North Africa, until it was reconquered by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. During this time a coinsiderable number of Vandals settled on the island, traces of whose male I2b1 DNA can be found to this day. Also Iranian Alans arrived on the island. Under the Byzantines, the imperial representative was a judge who governed from the southern city of Caralis. Byzantine rule was practically nonexistent in the mountainous Barbagia region in the eastern part of the island, and an independent kingdom persisted there from the 6th to the 9th centuries.
Beginning in the 8th century, Arabs and Berbers began raiding Sardinia. After the Muslim conquest of Sicily in 832, the Byzantines were unable to effectively defend their most distant province, and the provincial judge assumed independent authority. To provide for local defence, he divided the island into four giudicati, Gallura, Logudoro, Arborea, and Caralis. By 900, these districts had become four independent monarchies. At various times, these fell under the sway of Genoa and Pisa. The town of Sassari proclaimed itself a free republic, allied to Genoa, in 1290. Following the 1297 grant by Pope Boniface VIII of the title of King of Sardinia and Corsica After defeating Pisa and establishing a new monarchy called Kingdom of Sardinia among the crown the Arborea successfully resisted the kingdom of Sardinia and for a time came to control the entire island but the cities of Cagliari and Alghero. The natives of the city of Alghero (S'Alighera in Sardinian, L'Alguer in Catalan) were expelled and the city repopulated by the Catalan invaders, whose descendants still speak Catalan. The kingdom of Sardinia had own political organisation, chiefly a parliament and a viceroy.
Sardinians were regularly employed on the royal fleet. On October 7, in 1571, at the Battle of Lepanto, Sardinian mariners on board the admiral ship of Infante, Don John of Austria, half brother of Felipe II, boarded the Turkish admiral's ship, overpowered the crew, and beheaded a Turkish admiralcitation needed. The sight of the admiral's head on a spear put such fear into the Turks that they abandoned the fight and surrendered completely to the Christians. This was the first time that the Turks lost a battle to Europeans, thus signaling a trend of military decline and defeats from which Turks never recovered.
After the Treaty of Utrecht, in 1713, the island was subjected at the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
In 1718, Sardinia became an 'independent' vassal kingdom under the House of Savoy, the rulers of Piedmont. In 1792, Jean-Paul Marat, son of a Sardinian father from Cagliari and a Swiss mother, was one of the triumvirate leading the French Revolution. In 1793, Sardinians rebelled, demanding autonomy in exchange for helping to defeat French invasion forces. Autonomy was granted within the united kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, but after the French threat to the kingdom lessened, the king reclaimed his authority. In 1847 the king, Carlo Alberto, after a request by the Sardinian parliament, ordered the perfect fusion between Sardinia and his other continental states, thus ending a five-century autonomy. In 1848 he granted a constitution, called statuto albertino, which lasted up to 1948 when Italy adopted the present republican constitution. In 1860, Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia became also the first king of a united Italy, after conquering the rest of the peninsula.
In 1948 Sardinia was granted a constitutional autonomy, with its own Regional Council, Government and President.
Geography
Gennargentu National Park
Sardinia is separated from Corsica by the Strait of Bonifacio.
Sardinia is a generally mountainous island with a few coastal plains. The island's mountains are divided into three ranges; the highest peaks are in the middle section of the island. Punta La Marmora in the Gennargentu mountain range, at 6,016 feet (1,834 m), is the highest point in Sardinia. Sardinia has few major rivers; the largest river on the island is the Tirso, which has a length of 94 miles (151 km) and flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The island has a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry, windy summers and very mild winters. The climate in the mountains tends to be wetter and cooler than the lower coastal plains; and winter snowfalls are not uncommon in the higher peaks. Sardinia also has more mountains than flat, low land.
Until 2006, Sardinia had been divided into four provinces:
Now Sardinia is divided into eight provinces, following the creation of four more provinces just recently by the Sardinian regional government, becoming operative with the provinces' elections for the Presidents and the Councils held in 2006. The four additional provinces are as follows:
Politics
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Culture
Mamuthone, traditional carnival costume of Mamoiada, Sardinia
Sardinia is one of two Italian regions whose inhabitants have been recognised as a "popolo" (i.e. a distinct people) by a local statute (which is adopted with a constitutional law). The other region is Veneto (but this was not through a constitutional law).
Music
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Sardinia is home to one of the oldest forms of vocal polyphony, generally known as cantu a tenore; several big names of music have found it irresistible, including Frank Zappa, Ornette Coleman and Peter Gabriel. The last travelled to the town of Bitti in the central mountainous region, and recorded the now world-famous Tenores di Bitti CD on his Realworld label. The guttural sounds produced in this form make a remarkable sound, similar to tuvan throat singing. Another polyphonic style of singing, more like the Corsican Paghjella and liturgic in nature, is also found in Sardinia and is known as cantu a cuncordu.
Another unique instrument is the launeddas. Three reed-canes (2 of them glued together with beeswax) producing distinctive harmonies, which have their roots many thousands of years ago, as demonstrated by the bronzette from Ittiri, of a man playing the 3 reed canes, dated to 2000 BC.
Beyond this, the tradition of cantu a chiterra (guitar songs) has its origins in town squares, when artists would compete against one another. Sardinian culture is alive and well, and young people are actively involved in their own music and dancing.
Sardinia has produced a number of notable musicians, such as Paolo Fresu and singer Elena Ledda. In 2004, legendary BBC presenter Andy Kershaw (presented Live Aid in 1985), travelled to the island with Sardinian music specialist Pablo Farba, and interviewed many artists. His programme can be heard on BBC Radio 3
The main opera house of the island is the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari.
Language
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The most spoken language in Sardinia is, undoubtedly, Italian, but Sardinian is widely spoken too in the inner areas. Sardinian is a Romance language of Latin origin, influenced by Catalan, but with an obscure Pre-Roman element, including Phoenician, Etruscan, and Near Eastern languages. While it has been significantly supplanted by Italian for official purposes, Sardinian is still widely spoken in most rural parts and, stemming from a long history of oral tradition, is used culturally for folk songs and poetry. As a literary language, it is gaining clout, despite heated debate about the lack of standard orthography and controversial proposed solutions to this problem. Recently, the regional administration has approved the use of Limba Sarda Comuna [1] in official documents.
However, the two most widely spoken forms of the Sardinian languages are Campidanese, from the flatlands (Campidano) that cover most of the south (from Cagliari to Oristano), and Logudorese (Logudoro), from the central region, extending almost to Sassari.
Sport
Cagliari is also home to Cagliari Calcio F.C. that was founded in 1920 and plays in the Serie A, the Italian top division. It won the Italian Championship after the 1969/70 season, therefore becoming the first club in Southern Italy to reach such a result. Home matches are played at the "Stadio Sant' Elia", named after the area where it is located, with a capacity of 23,486. It was built in 1970 and refurbished before the Italia '90 football World Championships.
Sardinia also boasts a fine darts tradition, with many believing that the popular game in fact originated somewhere in the Sassari region of the country towards the end of the 15th century. In those days, the darts themselves were carved from Beech (Fagus) wood and the flights were feathers drawn from the indigenous Pollo Sultano, a bird famed for its spectacular violet-blue plumage. The early 21st century has seen one darts player in particular proudly continuing his nation's rich sporting heritage. Brett "The Sardinian" Welch, at 21-years-old, presents the island's greatest hope of one day becoming a world champion. With a current average of 101.4, and weighing in at 20 stones {280 pounds}, he is confident of qualifying for next year's BDO World Professional Darts Championship at the Lakeside.
Cagliari hosted a Formula 3000 race in 2002 and 2003 on a 2.414-km street circuit around Sant'Elia stadium. In 2003, also Renault F1's Jarno Trulli and former Ferrari's Jean Alesi did a spectacular exhibition. At the Grand Prix took part current BMW-F1 driver, Robert Kubica in a F.3 car, 'works' BMW WTCC Augusto Farfus, GP2's Fairuz Fauzy and Vitaly Petrov. Actually, Olbia hosts since 2004 the Rally d'Italia Sardegna, a rally competition in the FIA World Rally Championship schedule. The rally is held on narrow, twisty, sandy and bumpy mountainous roads around the glamorous town of Porto Cervo.
Porto Pollo north of Palau, is a bay often used by windsurfers and kitesurfers. The bay is divided by a thin tongue of land that separates it in an area for advanced and beginning/intermediate windsurfers. There is also a restricted area for kitesurfers. Many Italian freestyle surfers come to Porto Pollo for training and 2007 saw the finale of the freestyle pro kids Europe 2007 contest.
Because of a venturi-effect between Sardinia and Corsica, western wind accelerates between the islands and creates the wind that makes Porto Pollo popular amongst windsurfing enthusiasts. In 2005, Aglientu, hosted the Kitesurf World Cup in the Vignola's beach.
Sa strumpa, also known as Sardinian Wrestling, is a traditional sardinian sport, officially recognized from Italian Olympic Committee (C.O.N.I.) and from the International Federation of Celtic Wrestling (I.F.C.W.).
World Heritage Sites
Megalithic building structures called nuraghe are scattered in great number throughout Sardinia. Su Nuraxi di Barumini is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.2
Economy
Cagliari, the administrative centre and largest city
The Sardinian economy is today focused on tourism, mining, commerce, services, information technology, oil-refining and petrochemical industry; an increasing income is coming from its famous wines and gastronomy. The island is one of the main summer vacation spots of the European continent, containing numerous extraordinary tourist areas, Alghero, North West, with Capo Caccia astonishing cliffs and the famous Neptun Cave, and including the Costa Smeralda in the northwest, the mountanins of the Gennargentu in the center and the Gulfs of Cagliari and Oristano. The island is particularly famous for its beaches, but is also rich in other interesting places, such as some charming sea towns and archaeological ruins. See also: Tourist destinations of Sardinia. Saipem a contractor in the oil and gas industry and a subsidiary of Eni S.p.A, operates a shipyard on Sardinia. Their main activity is the fabrication of offshore oil rigs. Several gold and silver mines operate on the island.
Transport
Sardinia has got three international airports (Alghero Airport, Olbia - Costa Smeralda Airport, Cagliari-Elmas Airport), they are connected with the principal italian cities, and many european destinations, mainly located in United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Spain and Germany, and two regional airports (Oristano Fenosu Airport and Tortolì airport). Sardinian citizens benefit of special sales on plane tickets, several low cost air companies operate on the island. Meridiana is an airline based in the airport of Olbia, it was founded as Alisarda in 1963 by the Aga Khan, Prince Karīm al-Hussaynī.
The ferry companies which operate on the island are: Tirrenia, Moby Lines, Corsica Ferries, Grandi Navi Veloci, Snav, Sncm and CMN, they link the sardinian harbors of Porto Torres, Olbia Isola Bianca, Golfo Aranci, Arbatax, Santa Teresa di gallura, Palau and Cagliari with Civitavecchia, Genoa, Livorno, Naples, Palermo, Fiumicino, Trapani, Piombino in italy, and Marseille, Toulon, Bonifacio, Propiano, Ajaccio, Bastia in France.
Sardinia is the only italian region without motorways, however the road network is well developed, with a system of "superstrade" (dual carriage freeways), that connect the principal towns and the transport infrastructures, the maximum limit is 90 km/h. The principal road is the SS131 "Carlo Felice", it links the north with the south of the island, crossing the most populated regions of Sassari and Cagliari, it is part of European route E25. The SS131 Bis, instead, links Oristano with Olbia, crossing the hinterland Nuoro region. Other roads designed for high-capacity traffic link Sassari with Alghero, Sassari with Tempio Pausania, Sassari - Olbia, Cagliari - Tortolì, Cagliari - Iglesias, Nuoro - Villagrande Strisaili. Work in progress are converting the main routes to highways standards, with the elimination of all intersections. The secondary inland and mountain roads are generally narrow and rich of hairpin turns, so the speed limits are very low. Public transport buses reach every town and village at least once a day, however, due to the low density of population, the most depopulate territories are reachable only with own or rental car. The "Azienda Regionale Sarda Trasporti - Arst" is the public regional buses transport agency.
Sardinian railway system was developed in XIX century, by the English engineer, Lord Benjamin Piercy. Trains connect the whole island, and there are three different railway operators. Trenitalia is the main one, it connects the largest towns, the main ports and also the Italian peninsula, with Train ferries, this network is the most modern of whole island, it uses the new trains powered by diesel locomotives, as the Alstom "Minuetto", and in the future also the Talgo XXI, a high speed diesel-powered train, that can travel at 256 km/h. Secondary operators are the Ferrovie della Sardegna (Sardinian Railways) and Ferrovie Meridionali Sarde (Southern Sardinia Railways), they run on narrow gauge track, and they are generally very slow, except the electrified Tram-trains, operating in the metropolitan areas of Sassari and Cagliari. Many tourists catch the trenino verde which runs through the wildest parts of the island. It is slow but it allows the traveller to have scenic views impossible to see from the main road. The train connects Cagliari to Arbatax in the south and Sassari to Palau in the north. It is highly recommended to make the trip from Macomer to Bosa Marina where the train winds its way through the typical Sardinian scenery to reach the sea near the coastal town of Bosa situated in the west of the island.
Demographics
All Sardinia's major urban centres are located near the coasts, while the island's interior is very sparsely populated.
Sardinia is the 3rd italian region with the least Population density (66 people/km²), the 1st region with the lowest Total fertility rate (1,087 births per woman) and the 2nd region with the least Birth rate, these factors, together to the high level of urbanization of population allow the preservation of the most part of its natural environment.
Life expectancy average is 80,4 years (83,6 for women and 77,2 for men). Sardinia, shares with Japanese island of Okinawa, the highest rate of centenarians in the world, among its population (22 centenarians/100.000 inhabitants).
Cities and towns of Sardinia with a population of 25,000 or more:
| Comune |
Province |
Population (2008 est.) |
| Cagliari |
Cagliari |
158,221 (metropolitan area 475,000) |
| Sassari |
Sassari |
129,687 (metropolitan area 275,000) |
| Quartu Sant'Elena |
Cagliari |
71,084 |
| Olbia |
Olbia-Tempio |
53,501 |
| Alghero |
Sassari |
42,497 |
| Nuoro |
Nuoro |
36,678 |
| Oristano |
Oristano |
32,932 |
| Carbonia |
Carbonia-Iglesias |
30,447 |
| Iglesias |
Carbonia-Iglesias |
28,170 |
Genetics
The original Nuraghe inhabitants of Sardinia, who are now concentrated in the interior of the island due to pressure from colonists, are a genetic anomalycitation needed in the region. They belong to Y-chromosome haplogroup I, which otherwise has high frequency only in Scandinavia and the Croatia-Bosnia area.
Furthermore, the I haplogroup of the indigenous Sardinians is of the I1b1b subtype, which is unique to the island. The I1b1b haplogroup also has a low distribution in and around the Pyrenees indicating some migration of Sardinians to or from that area. The Sardinian subtype is more closely related to the Croatian-Bosnian subtype than to the Scandinavian subtype. Sardinia also has a relatively high distribution of Y-chromosome haplogroup G, stemming from people that migrated to Sardinia from Anatoliacitation needed. The Y-chromosome haplogroup G also has a relatively high concentration in and around the Pyrenees, again indicating migration of Sardinians to or from that area.
Environment
Sardinia is home to a wide variety of rare or uncommon animal and autochthonous plants and animals, such as the Mediterranean Monk Seal and the boar. Found only in Sardinia, Sicily and Maghreb, the Sardinian skink (genus Chalcides ocellatus) known more commonly as the Tiligugu, can reach 30 cm (12 in) in length, of which almost half is made up by the tail. Conversely, Sardinia lacks many common species such as the viper and the marmot, which are found everywhere else on the European continent. The island has also long been used for grazing flocks of indigenous Sardinian sheep. Sardinia has four endemic subspecies of birds which are found nowhere else in the world: its Great Spotted Woodpecker (ssp harterti), Great Tit (ssp ecki), Chaffinch (ssp sarda) and Eurasian Jay (ssp ichnusae). It also shares a further 10 endemic subspecies of bird with Corsica.
The island's environment is improving due to strict environmental laws, it after an enormous plan of reforestation, is gotten the italian region with the largest forest extension, the Regional Landscape Plan proibhit new building activities on the coast (except in urban centers), next to forests, lakes or other environmental or cultural sites.
Renewable energies are increasing noticeably in the last years, mainly focused on wind power, favoured from the windy climate, but also on solar power, (Carlo Rubbia, nobel Prize in Physics, is realising an experimental solar thermal energy central) and on Biofuel, based on Jatropha oil. Today Sardinia is the italian region which absorb the highest percentage of greenhouse gases.
Natural Parks and Reserves
Sardinia has three National Parks:
- Archipelago of La Maddalena's National Park;
- Asinara National Park;
- Gennargentu National Park has been established on the eastern coast of Sardinia. It is home to animals such as the European wildcat.
Ten regional Parks:
- Parco naturale regionale di Porto Conte
- Parco regionale Molentargius - Saline
- Parco del Limbara
- Parco del Marghine e Goceano
- Parco del Sinis - Montiferru
- Parco del Monte Arci
- Parco della Giara di Gesturi
- Parco del Monte Linas - Oridda - Marganai
- Parco dei Sette Fratelli - Monte Genas
- Parco del Sulcis
60 wildlife reserves, 5 W.W.F oasis, 25 natural monuments. It is considered one of the most beautiful Italian islands.
See also
External links
Line notes
- ^ C.M.Hogan, 2008
- ^ UNESCO, 2008
References
- Stephen L. Dyson and Robert J. Rowland, Jr. Archaeology and History in Sardinia from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages. Shepherds, Sailors, and Conquerors (Philadelphia: The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2008), Pp. viii, 240.
- C. Michael Hogan, Jan. 23, 2008, Cydonia, The Modern Antiquarian, [2]
- UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription data for Su Nuraxi di Barumini (2008) [3]
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