| Comune di Ustica | |
|---|---|
| Image:Ustica-Stemma.png Municipal coat of arms | |
| Country | Image:Flag of Italy.svg Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Province | Palermo (PA) |
| Mayor | Aldo Messina (since May 27, 2005) |
| Elevation | 49 m |
| Area | 8 km² |
| Population | |
| - Total (as of 2001) | 1,330 |
| - Density | 166/km² |
| Time zone | CET, UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | |
| Gentilic | Usticesi or Usticani |
| Dialing code | 091 |
| Postal code | 90010 |
Ustica is the name of a small island, about 9 km across, situated 52 km north of Capo Gallo, Italy. Roughly 1,300 people live in the comune (municipality) of the same name. There is regular ferry service from the island to Palermo, Italy.
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The island has been populated since about 1500 BCE by Phoenician peoples, . In ancient Greece, the Island was named Osteodes (ossuary) in memory of the thousands of Carthaginian mutineers left there to die of hunger in the 4th century BCE. The Romans renamed the island Ustica, Latin for burnt, for its black rocks. The island is also known locally as the black pearl.
In the 6th century, a Benedictine community settled in the island, but was soon forced to move because of ongoing wars between Europeans and Arabs. Attempts to colonize the island in the Middle Ages failed because of raids by Barbary pirates.
In the mid-1700s, the island was settled by approximately 90 people from the island of Lipari, an island also located north of Sicily, but east of Ustica. They brought with them the patron saint of Lipari, San Bartolomeo, who became the patron saint of Ustica as well. In the mid- to late-1800s and early-1900s, as the population of the island grew too large, hundreds of Ustican families emigrated to the United States. Many of these families settled in New Orleans and surrounding areas, where there are today thousands of descendants whose ties remain strong to Ustica. A smaller number of families settled in San Jose and San Francisco, in New York, and in Massachusetts.
During the Fascist government in Italy and until the 1950s, Ustica was used as an island prison.
The island became infamous on June 27, 1980, when Itavia Flight 870 crashed a short distance from the island, killing all 81 passengers and crew.
The island is characterized by reduced sources of water, and the vegetation is consequently scarce. The coast has numerous rocks and grottoes.
Ustica is home of the honeybee Apis mellifera sicula.
Ustica is particularly known for scuba diving, with a number of diving schools established on the island. Recreational divers are attracted by the relatively deep dives, which are a feature of the islands volcanic geology.
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