Pelagie islands

Published: 31 December 2025

The Pelagie islands, consisting of Lampedusa, Linosa and Lampione, are part of the Sicilian province of Agrigento. They are located in the southern Mediterranean sea, 176 kilometres south west of Porto Empedocle, on the southern coast of Sicily. However, the islands are closer to Tunisia than they are to Sicily, which makes them an attractive first destination for immigrants from the African continent making their way to Europe.

Lampedusa

Lampedusa is the main island of the Pelagie archipelago.

It is just over 20 square kilometres in area and has a population of approximately 4,500. It was well known in ancient times and was a useful landing spot for the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Arabs. It's possible that the name comes from the ancient Greek word 'Lampas' meaning torch, after the lighthouse that marked the island. Although politically Italian, the island has much more in common with north Africa.

There is some agriculture on the island but fishing is the main source of income. In addition, Lampedusa has always been a popular holiday destination for Italians and the beautiful 'Rabbit Beach' (Spiaggia dei Conigli), on the south coast of the island has been voted the world's best beach. However, in recent times the island has been inundated with refugees, arriving by their thousands, and housed in overcrowded camps until they can be moved onto the mainland. The poor condition of the boats used to bring them, and the sheer weight of numbers on board, have led to many tragedies close to the island and the resulting international publicity has damaged Lampedusa's tourism industry.

Linosa

Linosa is located 43 kilometres north of Lampedusa and is the second largest of the Pelagie islands.

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