Elba

Elba (ĕl`bä), island, 86 sq mi (223 sq km), Tuscany, central Italy, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, 6 mi (9.7 km) from the Italian mainland, part of the Tuscan Archipelago. Iron ore has been mined there since Etruscan and Roman times, and there are ironworks at Portoferraio, the island's main town. Wine, olive oil, and fruit are also produced, and there is a large tourist industry. Elba has come under numerous foreign powers, including Syracuse (mid-5th cent. B.C.), Pisa (11th cent. A.D.–A.D. 1399), Spain, and Naples. It was briefly (May, 1814–Feb., 1815) a sovereign principality under the exiled Napoleon I, who improved the island's roads and agriculture. After Napoleon's dramatic escape from Elba and his subsequent exile to Saint Helena Island, Elba passed to Tuscany.

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Elba

Island off the western coast of Italy, in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Occupying an area of 86 sq mi (223 sq km), it is the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. France obtained Elba from Rome in 1802. When Napoleon abdicated in May 1814, he was exiled to Elba. The island was recognized as an independent principality with Napoleon as its ruler until February 1815, when he returned to France to begin the Hundred Days. Thereafter Elba was restored to Tuscany.

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Elba

a mountainous island off the W coast of Italy, in the Mediterranean: Napoleon Bonaparte's first place of exile (1814--15). Pop.: 27 722 (1991 est.). Area: 223 sq. km (86 sq. miles)

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Elba

site of Napoleon’s first exile (1814). [Fr. Hist.: NCE, 854]

See : Banishment

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Elba

an island belonging to Italy in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Tuscan Archipelago; separated from the Apennine Peninsula by the Piombino Channel (12 km wide). Area, 223 sq km. Population, 28,800 (1971). Elba has numerous bays. The island is composed mainly of granites, and elevations reach 1,019 m. Olives, figs, and grapes are cultivated. The chief port of the island is Portoferraio. Napoleon I’s first exile, which lasted from May 4, 1814, to Feb. 26, 1815, was spent on Elba.