Pantelleria (redirected from Cossyra)

Pantelleria (pän`tāl-lārē`ä), volcanic island, 32 sq mi (83 sq km), S Italy, in the Mediterranean Sea between Sicily and Tunisia. Sweet wine, capers, raisins, and dried figs are exported. A colony of the Phoenicians and then of the Carthaginians, it passed to the Romans in 217 B.C. The island was later taken by the Arabs (8th cent. A.D.) and by the Normans (12th cent.). Because of its strategic location, it was strongly fortified by Italy in the 20th cent. During World War II, Pantelleria was bombed into surrender by the Allies in 1943. On the island are extinct cones (the highest rising to 2,743 ft/836 m), numerous fumaroles, and hot mineral springs.

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Pantelleria

an Italian island in the Mediterranean, between Sicily and Tunisia: of volcanic origin; used by the Romans as a place of banishment. Pop.: 7316 (1991 est.). Area: 83 sq. km (32 sq. miles)

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Pantelleria 

an island belonging to Italy and located in the Mediterranean Sea southwest of Sicily. Surface area, 83 sq km. Population, 8,800 (1969). The maximum elevation is 836 m. The island is formed from the above-water part of an extinct volcano. It consists of trachytes, comendites (pantellerites), and other volcanic rocks. Pantelleria has effervescent and thermal springs. There are frequent earthquakes. Viticulture and gardening are practiced on the island.