Sardinia

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General information about Sardinia

The Island of Sardinia and its surrounding islands is an Autonomous Region with “Special” Statute, since 1947. The regional statute mainly takes under consideration the unique historical and cultural features of the Island. In 1948 the “Regione Autonoma della Sardegna” officially took off.

Cagliari city is the capital. The Region, the 8 Provinces and 377 Municipalities are distinct territorial bodies lead by specific administrative regulations.

Situated in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Sardinia with its 1.800 kilometres of coastline, is nowadays one of the most popular destinations for the tourism both for its natural beauty and its history. The many waves of invaders, who plundered and settled in Sardinia during the thousands of years of Sardinian history, came from the sea.

Sardinia has a total land-area of 24.090 km2 and has both rural and urban areas. The major population centres are to be found in the city of Cagliari in south Sardinia and Sassari in the north.

Sardinia population of just over 1.6 million lives at an average density of 69 people per square kilometre (roughly 1/3 as the Italian average). More than half of the population lives in the commercial and industrial belt of south Sardinia, with around 100 people per square kilometre.