Sicily is an Italian island in the in the center of the Mediterranean Sea. Mountains and hills make up 85% of Sicily. Its highest peak is Mount Etna, an active volcano! This volcano rises up to 11,122 feet (3,390 meters). It is on the east coast of Sicily. Mount Etna is supposed to erupt periodically.
Around Mount Etna is a very populated town called Catania. Catania is popular, because the ash from Mount Etna makes great soil. Catania had to be rebuilt in 1669 because of an eruption. Sicily also gets hit by earthquakes. Messina, a different town on Sicily, had to be rebuilt in 1908 because of a big earthquake.
Sicily's people include Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, North Africans, and Normans. Discoveries have even been made of pre-historic people living on Sicily. T hey have traces of Arabic, Greek, and other languages. The people of Sicily have strong bonds with each other. Hundreds of years of invasion and foreign rule discouraged the people's trust in the government and encouraged a Code of Omerta. According to the Code of Omerta, a person who listens to the government is dishonorable. This code and the island's tradition of private justice supports the Mafia. The Mafia is a network of groups doing illegal things. In 1980, the government convinced the many people to fight organized crime.
Most Sicilians are farmers or work at fishing industries. A lack of jobs was to blame for a major migration in the late 1800's to the early 1900's. They mostly went to America.
Many Sicilians are Roman Catholics. Their celebrations include horse races, pole climbing contests, and fireworks.
