LAMPEDUSA, a small island in the Mediterranean, province of Girgenti, 112 m. south-south-west from the town of Girgenti.
Pop. (1921, including Linosa) 2,593. The two islands are now known as the Isole Pelagie, and are reached by steamer from Porto Empedocle. Its greatest length is about 7 m., its greatest width about 2 m.; the highest point is 400 ft. above sea-level It stands on the edge of the submarine platform of the east coast of Tunisia, from which (at Mahadia) it is 90 m. distant east wards. The soil is calcareous; it was covered with scrub (chiefly the wild olive) until comparatively recent times, but this has been cut, and the rock is now bare. The valleys are, however, fairly fertile. On the south, near the only village, is the harbour, dredged to a depth of 13 ft. and good for torpedo boats and small craft. There are prehistoric hut-foundations, also Punk tombs and Roman buildings near the harbour. The island is the Lopadusa of Strabo, and the Lipadosa of Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, the scene of the landing of Roger of Sicily and of his conversion by the hermit. In 1436 it was given by Alfonso of Aragon to Don Giovanni de Caro, baron of Montechiaro. A
thousand slaves were taken from its population in 1553. In 1661, Ferdinand Tommasi, its then owner, received the title of prince from Charles II. of Spain. In 1737 the earl of Sandwich found only one inhabitant upon it; in 176o some French settlers established themselves there. Catherine II. of Russia proposed to buy it as a Russian naval station, and the British government thought of doing the same if Napoleon had seized Malta.
In 1843 onwards Ferdinand II. of Naples established a colony there. There is now an Italian penal colony, with some 400 convicts. Eight miles west is the islet of Lampione. Linosa, some 3o m. to the north-north-east, measures about 2 by 2 m., and is entirely volcanic; its highest point is 610 ft. above sea-level. It has landing-places on the south and west and is more fertile than Lampedusa, but suffers from lack of springs. Fragments of Roman pottery and Roman coins have been found there, but cisterns and ruins of houses are probably later.