Pelagie Islands facts for kids
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Native name:
Ìsuli Pilaggî
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| Geography | |
| Location | Mediterranean Sea |
| Coordinates | 35°30′41″N 12°36′14″E / 35.511410°N 12.603841°E |
| Archipelago | Pelagie Islands |
| Total islands | 3 |
| Major islands | Lampedusa, Linosa, Lampione |
| Area | 25.5 km2 (9.8 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
| Region |  Sicily |
| Province | Agrigento |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 6,556 (1 January 2019) |
The Pelagie Islands (Italian: Isole Pelagie; Sicilian: Ìsuli Pilaggî) are a group of three small islands. Their name comes from the Greek word pélagos, which means "open sea." These islands are Lampedusa, Linosa, and Lampione.
You can find them in the Mediterranean Sea, located between Malta and Tunisia, just south of Sicily. Even though some parts of the islands are geographically closer to Africa, they are a part of Italy. They belong to the Sicilian province of Agrigento.
The islands have some farming, but much of the land is quite dry. In the past, there were more olive trees and other plants. Today, the main jobs on the islands involve fishing, especially for sponges. Tourism is also very important, especially on Lampedusa.
Protecting the Marine Life
A very important goal for these islands is to protect the Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). This type of turtle is in danger across the whole Mediterranean Sea. This is because their nesting spots, where they lay their eggs, are often taken over by tourist activities.
In Italy, two of the last places where these turtles regularly lay their eggs are on the Pelagie Islands. These spots are Pozzolana di Ponente beach on Linosa and Isola dei conigli on Lampedusa. To help protect these special places and the turtles, the Area Marina Protetta Isole Pelagie nature reserve was created in 2002. This reserve covers all three islands.
See also
- Islas Pelagias para niños (In Spanish)
