What Is the Name of the Island of Sicily?

Sicily (Italian: Sicilia [siˈtʃiːlja]; Sicilian: Sicilia or Sìcili) is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and an autonomous region of Italy.

Alternative & Historical Names

• Trinacria (Greek: Τρινακρία) – "Three-caped," referring to its triangular shape (Capes Peloro, Passero, Lilibeo). Ancient symbol: Gorgon's head with three bent legs.
• Sicania – From the Sicani, one of the island's three indigenous pre-Greek peoples (with Elymians and Sicels).
• Sicilia – From the Sicels (Siculi), an Italic tribe who crossed from mainland ~1200 BC.

Key Facts

• Area: 25,711 km² (9,927 sq mi)
• Population: ~5 million
• Capital: Palermo
• Strategic location: Separates Tyrrhenian, Ionian, and Mediterranean Seas; 3 km from mainland (Strait of Messina).
• UNESCO sites: Valley of the Temples, Villa Romana del Casale, Aeolian Islands, Syracuse, Mount Etna, Arab-Norman Palermo.

Etymology Summary

Sicilia ← Sicels (people) ← possibly from Proto-Indo-European *sik- "to cut/separate" (referring to the strait) or a pre-Indo-European substrate.