Lampedusa, Italy
Lampedusa is a small Italian island located among the waters of the Mediterranean. It possess a southern European charm. Here you can find some of the most beautiful lagoons in Europe. And all this in combination with plenty of sunshine throughout the year. The island is very quiet place, dominated by the traditional Mediterranean lifestyle. The main part of the food of the local population comes from the sea and the climate here is one of the healthiest in the world.
Geography. Lampedusa is situated in the southern part of the Mediterranean Sea, on the midway between Malta and Tunisia.
Geographically the island is a part of the continent of Africa, but culturally and politically is a European island, which is part of Italy and is also a member of the European Union.
The island is situated at about 130 km from Tunisia, 160 km from Malta and around 207 km from Sicily. Its coordinates are 35° north latitude and 12° east longitude.
The geographical location of Lampedusa in the heart of the Mediterranean makes it the ideal place for the perfect summer vacation.
Climate. Lampedusa has a hot subtropical Mediterranean climate. There are two seasons – summer and winter. The summer is very long and hot, and strongly remain the conditions in Cyprus, Crete and Andalusia.
The summer starts around the second half of March or early April with a rapid rise of the temperature, reaching around 20°C, but because of the strong sun and fine weather the temperatures are felt as much higher.
In May, already is quite warm with daytime temperatures around 25°C at the shade. The maximum of the temperature is in August, when reach around 32 – 33°C at the shade.
After August the temperatures begin to decrease gradually, but the weather remain still warm and suitable for swimming until the late November, when the daily temperatures are about 21-22°C.
The winter lasts from December to the first half of March. The coldest month is January with daily temperatures around 16°C. December and February are about 1 – 2 degrees warmer.
The rainfalls during the year are scarce. The rainiest months are November, January and February, and the driest – June, July and August.
Overall, however, the climate is dry and even in the winter does not raining much.
Nature. If you see the nature of Lampedusa you with certainly will understand that the local climate is very dry and hot. The vegetation is not dense.
Here you can see only some dry loving species. There are mainly date palm that can grow at the conditions of drought and high temperatures, but there are also olive and citrus trees.
Overall, however, the island is covered by scrub lands. The local landscape is dominated mainly by herbaceous plants and bushes that here and there diversified the rocky beige background of the island.
The island is famous for its extraordinary lagoons, which are considered to be among the best for swimming and diving places in Europe.
Although the biggest part of the beaches are rocky, the stony sea coasts of Lampedusa as a magnet attracting the lovers of the diving and swimming.
Nuts lay alongside the coast of Lampedusa with their luxury yachts just swim and enjoy to the transparent waters around the island.
Indeed the waters here are crystal clear, because the coast is composed of larger or smaller limestone rocks and no sand, which to obfuscate the water.
Relief. Lampedusa has mainly a hilly or plain relief. The altitude of the island is insignificant. The island is higher in the west and lower in the east parts.
The highest point rises only 133 m altitude. The coastline is indented. There are many small, but very picturesque coves with crystal clear waters.
Population and settlements. The population of Lampedusa is a sparse and concentrated in the southeastern part of the island. It numbers about 6000 inhabitants, but during the summer months the population increases about six times.
The majority of the residents live in the town of Lampedusa. Such as many other places in the Mediterranean, here also has a tangible sense of Orient.
Here the hasting is something unknown. The life runs at a very slow speed. During the midday hours the streets are deserted and waste.
The streets are lively only in the morning and in the evening, when the people of Lampedusa are dealing with their daily activities.
Economy. Lampedusa’s economy is based exclusively on the tourism industry. During the tourist season the number of the visitors exceeds few times the number of the local population and this fact speaks about a stable income from tourism.
Of course, the standard of living in Lampedusa is lower than in the cities of northern Italy, but the local people also have a very good quality of life.
The best time for rest in Lampedusa is during May, June, September and October. July and August are too hot and winter is too cool to bathe into the sea.
If you travel to Lampedusa you have to wear clothes that keep cool – choose loose clothing made of natural fabrics and light colours.
If you visit the island during the winter months (December, January and February) it will be better if you wear some warm and some spring, light clothes, because here the weather can be too warm even in the winter.
In short:
– Population – 6000 people.
– Official language – Italian.
– Official currency – Euro.
– Climate – subtropical, hot.
– The hottest month – August (33°C)
– The coldest month – January (16°C)
– Vegetation – date palm, olives, citrus, bushes.
– The greatest attraction – lagoons in the southern part of the island and the ruins in the Valle de la Bartoli.