Ischia

Ischia
View of Ischia from Procida
Highest point
Elevation789 m (2,589 ft)
Coordinates40°43′52″N 13°53′45″E / 40.731204°N 13.895721°E / 40.731204; 13.895721
Geography
Ischia is located in Campania
Ischia
Ischia
Ischia is located in Italy
Ischia
Ischia
Ischia (Italy)
Geology
Mountain typeComplex volcano
Last eruptionJanuary to March 1302[1]
Ischia
Geography
LocationTyrrhenian Sea
Area47 km2 (18 sq mi)
Highest elevation789 m (2589 ft)
Highest pointMount Epomeo
Administration
Italy
RegionCampania
Metropolitan CityNaples
Largest settlementIschia (pop. 18,253)
Demographics
Population62,027 (2009)
Pop. density1,339.7/km2 (3469.8/sq mi)

Ischia (/ˈɪskiə/ ISK-ee-ə, Italian: [ˈiskja], Neapolitan: [ˈiʃkjə]) is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the city of Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Although inhabited since the Bronze Age, as a Greek emporium it was founded in the 8th or 9th century BCE, and known as Πιθηκοῦσαι, Pithekoūsai (Monkey Island).[2]

Roughly trapezoidal in shape, it measures approximately 10 km (6 miles) east to west and 7 km (4 miles) north to south and has about 34 km (21 miles) of coastline and a surface area of 47 square kilometres (18.1 sq mi). It is almost entirely mountainous; the highest peak is Mount Epomeo, at 788 metres (2,585 feet).[3] The island is very densely populated, with 60,000 residents (more than 1,300 inhabitants per square km).[citation needed] Ischia is the name of the main comune of the island. The other comuni of the island are Barano d'Ischia, Casamicciola Terme, Forio, Lacco Ameno and Serrara Fontana.

  1. ^ "Ischia: Eruptive History". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution.
  2. ^ Quinn, Josephine Crawley (2024). How the world made the West: a 4.000-year history (First published ed.). London Oxford New York New Delhi Sidney: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5266-0518-4.
  3. ^ "Mount Epomeo". Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites.