Sardinia

Sardinia (Italian Sardegna), island, western Italy, in the Mediterranean Sea. Together with the surrounding small islands, it constitutes Sardinia Region. It is located immediately south of Corsica, being separated from it by the Strait of Bonifacio. The second largest island in the Mediterranean, Sardinia is 270 km (170 mi) long and 120 km (75 mi) wide. The surface is generally mountainous, the highest point being 1,834 m (6,017 ft) in the Monti del Gennargentu. The best farmland is in the Campidano, a plain in the southwestern part of the island. Livestock raising and farming are the chief occupations; grain, olives, grapes, and tobacco are grown. Other important industries on Sardinia include fishing and the mining of lead, zinc, copper, and salt. Major cities include Cagliari, Nuoro, and Sassari.

The Carthaginians founded trading stations in Sardinia. Rome seized it in 238 bc. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Sardinia was overrun by the Vandals and then passed to the Byzantines in the 6th century ad . From the 8th to the 11th century Sardinia was repeatedly harassed by the Saracens. From the 11th to the 14th century the Pisans and Genoese fought each other for possession of the island. In the 14th century the pope, who claimed the overlordship, gave Sardinia to the king of Aragón. The Aragonese and their sovereign successors, the Spanish, ruled Sardinia until the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, which gave it to Austria. In 1720 it came under the rule of the house of Savoy. United with Savoy, Piedmont (Piemonte), and Nice, Sardinia became the Kingdom of Sardinia. In 1861 Sardinia became part of the kingdom of Italy. Area of region, 24,100 sq km (9,300 sq mi); population (2007 estimate) 1,659,443.