Map of Sicily
Sicily is a first-level division of Italy. Its largest mapped city is Palermo, with about 863,000 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Sicily, and the tables list its 6 mapped cities along with the mountains, ports, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 6
- Largest City
- Palermo
- Country
- Italy
- Highest Point Mapped
- 3,322 m
Interactive Map of Sicily
About Sicily
Sicilia (; Classical Latin: [sɪˈkɪ.li.a]; Ancient Greek: Σικελία, romanized: Sikelía) was the first province acquired by the Roman Republic, encompassing the island of Sicily. The western part of the island was brought under Roman control in 241 BC at the conclusion of the First Punic War with Carthage. A praetor was regularly assigned to the island from c. 227 BC. The Kingdom of Syracuse under Hieron II remained an independent ally of Rome until its defeat in 212 BC during the Second Punic War. Thereafter the province included the whole of the island of Sicily, the island of Malta, and the smaller island groups (the Egadi islands, the Lipari islands, Ustica, and Pantelleria).
During the Roman Republic, the island was the main source of grain for the city of Rome. Extraction was heavy, provoking armed uprisings known as the First and Second Servile Wars in the second century BC. In the first century, the Roman governor, Verres, was famously prosecuted for his corruption by Cicero. In the civil wars which brought the Roman Republic to an end, Sicily was controlled by Sextus Pompey in opposition to the Second Triumvirate. When the island finally came under the control of Augustus in 36 BC, it was substantially reorganised, with large Roman colonies being established in several major cities.
For most of the Imperial period, the province was a peaceful, agrarian territory. As a result, it is rarely mentioned in literary sources, but archaeology and epigraphy reveals several thriving cities, such as Lilybaeum and Panormus in the west, and Syracuse and Catania in the east. These communities were organised in a similar way to other cities of the Roman Empire and were largely self-governing. Greek and Latin were the main languages of the island but Punic, Hebrew and probably other languages were also spoken. There were several Jewish communities on the island and from around AD 200 there is also evidence of substantial Christian communities.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Sicilia (Roman province) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Sicily in Depth
History
Agathocles, tyrant of Syracuse from 317 and King of Sicily from 307 or 304 BC, died in 289 BC. A group of his Campanian mercenaries, called the Mamertines, were offered compensation in exchange for leaving the city. They took control of Messina, killing and exiling the men, and holding the women in bondage.
In response to this, the Syracusan general Hiero, who had reorganised the mercenaries and was able to bring banditry under control in 269 BC, began advancing on Messina. The Carthaginians, always eager to prevent the excessive empowerment of a single force and to keep Sicily divided, offered aid to the Mamertines. Hiero had to return to Syracuse, where he assumed the title of king.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Sicilia (Roman province) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Sicily: Key Facts
| Capital | Syracuse |
|---|---|
| Established | 241 BCE |
Facts from Wikidata Q691321 (CC0).
History of Sicily: Empires and States
The atlas records 22 polities whose mapped territory included part of Sicily, from Greek City-States in 630 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| Greek City-States | 630–272 BCE |
| Carthage | 307–278 BCE |
| Roman Republic | 247–32 BCE |
| The Roman Empire | 31 BCE – 440 CE |
| Western Roman Empire | 395–440 CE |
| Vandal Kingdom | 441–489 CE |
| Ostrogothic Kingdom | 500–535 CE |
| Eastern Roman Empire | 536–632 CE |
| The Byzantine Empire | 536–849 CE |
| Emirate of Sicily | 850–1071 CE |
| Fatimid Caliphate | 911–959 CE |
| Norman Italy | 1072–1138 CE |
| Kingdom of Sicily | 1139–1384 CE |
| Crown of Aragon | 1285–1515 CE |
| Kingdom of Spain | 1516–1777 CE |
| The Spanish Empire | 1516–1777 CE |
| Iberian Union | 1582–1639 CE |
| Habsburg Monarchy | 1721–1733 CE |
| Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic | 1762–1814 CE |
| Kingdom of the Two Sicilies | 1815–1859 CE |
| Kingdom of Italy | 1862–1945 CE |
| Republic of Italy | 1946–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Sicily
Sicily on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Largest Cities in Sicily
6 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palermo | 863,000 | Sicily | Admin-1 region capital |
| 2 | Catania | 674,542 | Sicily | Populated place |
| 3 | Messina | 252,026 | Sicily | Populated place |
| 4 | Siracusa | 123,657 | Sicily | Populated place |
| 5 | Marsala | 77,784 | Sicily | Populated place |
| 6 | Ragusa | 68,956 | Sicily | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in Sicily
1 mountain mapped. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monte Etna | 3,322 m | 10,899 ft | Europe |
Ports in Sicily
15 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mazara del Vallo | 53 m | Very Small | Eastern Mediterranean | medium vessels |
| 2 | Marsala | 49.4 m | Small | Western Mediterranean | medium vessels |
| 3 | Termini Imerese | 45.7 m | Very Small | Western Mediterranean | medium vessels |
| 4 | Trapani | 42.1 m | Very Small | Western Mediterranean | medium vessels |
| 5 | Licata | 42.1 m | Very Small | Eastern Mediterranean | medium vessels |
| 6 | Milazzo | 38.4 m | Minor | Western Mediterranean | medium vessels |
| 7 | Porto Empedocle | 34.7 m | Very Small | Eastern Mediterranean | large vessels |
| 8 | Catania | 34.7 m | Small | Adriatic & Ionian Seas | medium vessels |
| 9 | Gela | 31.1 m | Very Small | Eastern Mediterranean | medium vessels |
| 10 | Augusta | 5.5 m | Small | Adriatic & Ionian Seas | medium vessels |
The other 5 (channel depth, class, sea, max vessel)
- Lipari · 5.5 m · Very Small · Western Mediterranean · point_of_interest
- Porto Di Palermo · 5.5 m · Small · Western Mediterranean · large vessels
- Messina · 5.5 m · Small · Adriatic & Ionian Seas · large vessels
- Siracusa · 5.5 m · Major · Adriatic & Ionian Seas · large vessels
- Pozzallo · Very Small · Eastern Mediterranean · large vessels
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sicily
6 World Heritage Sites mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valle dei Templi | 1997 | Cultural | (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) |
| 2 | Villa Romana del Casale | 1997 | Cultural | (i) (ii) (iii) |
| 3 | Aeolian Islands | 2000 | Natural | (viii) |
| 4 | Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica | 2005 | Cultural | (ii) (iii) (iv) (vi) |
| 5 | Etna Park | 2013 | Natural | (viii) |
| 6 | Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale | 2015 | Cultural | (ii) (iv) |
Sicily: Quick Answers
- Where is Sicily?
- Sicily is a first-level division of Italy, in Europe. Its mapped cities centre on 37.6055° N, 14.4062° E.
- What is the largest city in Sicily?
- Palermo is the largest city mapped in Sicily, with a metropolitan population of about 863,000.
- How many cities are in Sicily?
- YearMaps maps 6 cities and towns in Sicily, with a combined metropolitan population of about 2.06 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the highest mountain in Sicily?
- The highest summit mapped in Sicily is Monte Etna at 3,322 m.