Elba

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This article is about the Tuscan island. For other uses, see Elba (disambiguation).

Elba
Image:Elba Westküste.jpg West Coast
Geography

Location	Tyrrhenian Sea
Coordinates	42° 45.71’ N 10° 14.45’ E
Archipelago	Tuscan Archipelago
Area	223 km²
Highest point	Monte Capanne 1,018 m
Administration
Italy
Region	Tuscany
Province	Livorno
Largest city	Portoferraio (12,013)
Demographics
Population	31,059 (as of Jan 1st, 2007)
Density	138/km²

Elba (Latin: Ilva) is an island in Tuscany, Italy, 20 km (or 12 miles) from the coastal town of Piombino (42°44′N, 10°22′E). It is the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, and the third largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia. Elba and the other islands (Gorgona, Capraia, Pianosa, Montecristo, Giglio and Giannutri) of the Tuscan Archipelago are protected in the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago. The French island of Corsica lies about 50 km to the west. In Italian it is called Isola d'Elba.

The island is divided into eight communes: Portoferraio, Campo nell'Elba, Capoliveri, Marciana, Marciana Marina, Porto Azzurro, Rio Marina and Rio nell'Elba.

The land area of the island is about 224 km² (86 square miles) and the coastline is about 147 km (91 miles). The highest mountain is Monte Capanne at 1,018 metres (3,340 feet). The island has a population of approximately 30 000.

1 History
2 Airport
3 Image Gallery
4 References
5 External links

History

Originally inhabited by Ligures Ilvati who gave the ancient name Ilva, the island was well known from very ancient times for its iron resources an its valued mines. The Greeks called it Aethalia (flame) after the flames of the furnaces for the metal production.

Then was taken by force by the Etruscans first and (after 480 BC) by the Romans. After the end of the Roman Empire, the island suffered from ravages by barbarians and Saracens. In the early 11th century it became a possession of the Republic of Pisa. When the latter, in 1398, was sold to the Visconti of Milan, the island was acquired by the Appiani, Lords of Piombino, who retained it for two centuries. In 1546 part of the island was handed over to Cosimo I de' Medici, who fortified Portoferraio, renaming it "Cosmopoli", while in 1577 the rest of the island returned to the Appiani. In 1603 Philip II of Spain captured Porto Azzurro and built there two fortresses. In 1802 the island became a French possession, and its economy flourished.

Following the Treaty of Fontainebleau, French emperor Napoleon I was exiled to Elba after his forced abdication in 1814 and arrived at Portoferraio on May 3, 1814 to begin his exile there. He was allowed to keep a personal guard of six hundred men. Although he was nominally sovereign of Elba, the island was watched (more or less) by British naval patrols.

Image:Napoleon-Elbe.jpg

Return of Napoleon Bonaparte from Elba. Painted by Ambroise Louis Garneray

During these months, partly to pass the time and partly out of a genuine concern for the well-being of the people, he carried out a series of economic and social reforms to improve the quality of life on Elba. Napoleon stayed on Elba for 300 days before he escaped and returned to France on February 26 for the Hundred Days. After his defeat at Waterloo he was subsequently exiled again, this time to the barren and isolated South Atlantic island of Saint Helena. Napoleon's stay on Elba is the basis for the famous English language palindrome: "Able was I ere I saw Elba." It is the connection with Napoleon that Elba is best known for internationally.

In the Congress of Vienna the island was given to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In 1860 it became part of the new unified Kingdom of Italy.

French troops landed on Elba on June 17 1944, liberating the island from the Germans. Faulty intelligence and strong defences made the battle more difficult than expected.

More recently, the island has become famed for its wine. It is today a renowned tourist resort.