Country Italy Comuni 108 Postal code 98000-98100 Area 3,247 km² | Time zone CET (UTC+1) Telephone prefix 090, 0941, 0942 Population 651,921 (Dec 2011) | |
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Points of interest Alcantara, Isola Bella, Mount Etna, Palazzo Corvaia, Stromboli Destinations | ||
Messina (Italian: Provincia di Messina; Sicilian: Pruvincia di Missina) was a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. Its capital was the city of Messina. It was replaced by the Metropolitan City of Messina.
Contents
Map of Province of Messina, Italy
Territory
It had an area of 3,247 square kilometres (1,254 sq mi), which amounts to 12.6 percent of total area of the island, and a total population of more 650,000. There are 108 comuni (singular: comune) in the province [1], see Comuni of the Province of Messina.
The province included the Aeolian Islands, all part of the comune of Lipari (with the exception of Salina). The territory is largely mountainous, with the exception of alluvial plain at the mouths of the various rivers. The largest plain is that in the area between Milazzo and Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, which, together with Messina, form a metropolitan area of some 500,000 inhabitants, one of the largest in southern Italy. Much of the population is concentrated in the coastal area, after the hill towns have been largely abandoned from the 19th century.
The main mountain ridges are the Peloritani, up to 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) in elevation, and the Nebrodi, up to 1,900 metres (6,200 ft), which are included in a Regional Natural Reserve.
Rivers of the province include the Alcantara and the Pollina, which forms the border with the province of Palermo to the west.
Main communes
The main comunes by population are: