Sicily, sis'il ly, the largest island of the Mediterranean, belonging to Italy, from the southwestern extremity of which it is separated by the narrow Strait of Messina. It has an area of about 9700 sq. mi. The north and east coasts are steep and cliffy and are provided with good harbors, the finest being that of Palermo. The greater part of the surface consists of a plateau of varying elevation, and the highest point is the active volcano of Etna, in the eastern part of the island. The climate, as in the other regions of the Mediterranean, is mild and agreeable, except when the island is visited by the sirocco. The soil is very fertile. Three-fourths of the cultivated surface is covered with cereals, chiefly wheat, though oats and barley are also grown. Cotton, sugar and tobacco are also cultivated to some extent. Fruits of every variety are extensively grown, including large quantities of oranges and lemons. The vine flourishes almost everywhere, and much wine is produced. The chief exports are fruits, wine, sulphur, olive oil and sumach. Tunny and sardine fisheries are carried on round the coast. Manufactures are but little developed. The chief seats of foreign commerce are the three principal towns, Palermo, Messina and Catania. The system of roads and railways is still defective. Education is extremely backward; life and property are by no means secure, and brigandage still exists. At the dawn of history, the older races inhabiting Sicily the Sicani and the Siculi, were hemmed in by Phoenician and Greek colonies. The Greeks, who entered the island in the eighth century B.C., founded the great cities of Syracuse, Agrigentum and Messina, drove the Phoenicians to the northwest coast and spread their influence and culture over the whole island. Greek art and literature flourished, and many Greek names of distinction are connected with Sicily. The Carthaginians later took the place of their kinsmen, the Phoenicians, and between them and the Greeks a struggle ensued, which ended in favor of the latter (480 B. C.). War with the Carthaginians brought the Romans to Sicily, and they extended their rule over the whole, Sicily becoming a Roman province in 212 B. C. On the decline of the Roman Empire, the island was overrun by the Goths, who retained possession till the sixth century A. D., when Sicily became part of the Byzantine Empire. In the beginning of the ninth century, the Saracens became masters and continued so till their expulsion in the eleventh century by the Normans, who remained long enough in possession to establish the feudal system in all its rigor. For a continuation of the history of Sicily, see SICILIES, KINGDOM OF THE TWO.