Map - Province of Syracuse (Provincia di Siracusa)

Province of Syracuse (Provincia di Siracusa)
The Province of Syracuse (provincia di Siracusa; pruvincia di Sarausa) was a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. Its capital was the city of Syracuse, a town established by Greek colonists arriving from Corinth in the 8th century BC. It had an area of 2,109 km2 and a total population of 403,985 (2016). Syracuse had 8% of the Sicilian population and 8.2% of Sicily's area.

Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it was replaced in August 2015 by the Free municipal consortium of Syracuse (Libero consorzio comunale di Siracusa).

The Province of Syracuse lies in the southeastern Sicily, in southwestern Italy. It is bordered to the north and north-west by the Province of Catania to the west by the Province of Ragusa, and to the east and south by the Ionian and Mediterranean seas. It occupies an area of 2109 km2. In 2002, ancient centres of Noto, Palazzolo Acreide and six other towns in the Noto Valley, were awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status, and is a significant attraction due to its historical, architectural, artistic and archaeological interest. The towns are particularly dense with late Baroque architecture, dates to the immense rebuilding of the towns which took place after the 1693 earthquake which devastated Sicily. The capital of Syracuse is an important road and rail hub of Sicily. The Park of Neapolis on the island of Ortygia is connected by three bridges to the mainland. The island contains the Maniace Castle, dated to the Hohenstaufen period and the Doric Temple of Athena, which was renovated by the Normans.

The Hyblaean Mountains are the dominant mountain range in the province, sloping down to a coastline which contains stretches of white sandy beaches, cliffs, bays, and islets. The coast to the south of Syracuse contains numerous protected areas, such as the Area Marina Protetta del Plemmirio, the Riserva Naturale Orientara Cavagrande between Cassibile and Avola, and the Riserva Naturale Orientata faunistica di Vendicar, north of Pachino. Within the province lies Lago di Lentini, the largest lake in Sicily, and reputedly the largest artificial lake in Europe, which supports a marshland habitat with over 150 different species.

 
Map - Province of Syracuse (Provincia di Siracusa)
Country - Italy
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Italy (Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern and Western Europe. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, it consists of a peninsula delimited by the Alps and surrounded by several islands; its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical region. Italy shares land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino. It has a territorial exclave in Switzerland, Campione. Italy covers an area of 301230 km2, with a population of about 60 million. It is the third-most populous member state of the European Union, the sixth-most populous country in Europe, and the tenth-largest country in the continent by land area. Italy's capital and largest city is Rome.

Italy was the native place of many civilizations such as the Italic peoples and the Etruscans, while due to its central geographic location in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, the country has also historically been home to myriad peoples and cultures, who immigrated to the peninsula throughout history. The Latins, native of central Italy, formed the Roman Kingdom in the 8th century BC, which eventually became a republic with a government of the Senate and the People. The Roman Republic initially conquered and assimilated its neighbours on the Italian peninsula, eventually expanding and conquering a large part of Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. By the first century BC, the Roman Empire emerged as the dominant power in the Mediterranean Basin and became a leading cultural, political and religious centre, inaugurating the Pax Romana, a period of more than 200 years during which Italy's law, technology, economy, art, and literature developed.
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