Carbonia, Sardinia Explained

Carbonia
Official Name:Comune di Carbonia
Pushpin Map:Italy Sardinia
Coordinates:39.1672°N 8.5222°W
Region:Sardinia
Province:South Sardinia
Frazioni:Bacu Abis, Barbusi, Cannas, Corongiu, Cortoghiana, Genna Corriga, Flumentepido, Is Gannaus, Is Meis, Medadeddu, Medau Desogus, Serbariu, Sirai, Sirri
Mayor Party:PD
Mayor:Pietro Morittu
Area Total Km2:145.54
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:28265
Population As Of:31 December 2017
Population Demonym:Carboniesi or Carboniensi
Elevation M:111
Saint:St. Pontian
Day:Third Thursday of May
Postal Code:09013
Area Code:0781

Carbonia (pronounced as /it/; Crabònia pronounced as /sc/) is a town and Italian: [[comune]] (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia, Sardinia, Italy. Along with Iglesias it was a co-capital of the former province of Carbonia-Iglesias, now suppressed. It is located in the south-west of the island, at about an hour by car or train from the regional capital, Cagliari.

History

Carbonia was founded on the 18 December 1938 by the Fascist regime. Benito Mussolini ordered the building of the city and was present at its inauguration. The city was built to provide housing for the workforce of the nearby mines. The name Carbonia comes from the Italian word for coal, abundant in the area.

Vitale Piga was appointed mayor of Carbonia and served in that capacity from September 28, 1939 to April 24, 1942.[2] Piga authored a book on the coalfields of the Sulcis region titled Il giacimento carbonifero del Sulcis: Carbonia.[3]

The city has grown since its founding in 1938 due to immigration from elsewhere on the island and from mainland Italy (in particular from the regions of Veneto, Sicily, Abruzzo, Marche, Basilicata and Campania),[4] reaching about 45,000 residents in 1951. Currently it has a population of over 28,000.

Since the closing of the mines in the 1970s, Carbonia has had a high unemployment rate. After the closure of the mines the town's economy was converted to the metallurgical industry. Today most Carbonians are employed in heavy industry, and in the tertiary sector.

Main sights

Government

See also: List of mayors of Carbonia.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Italy. Carbonia is twinned with:

External links


Notes and References

  1. Population data from Istat
  2. Web site: Carbonia ieri sera ha ricordato Vitale Piga, podestà della città dal 28 settembre 1939 al 24 aprile 1942.. La Provincia del Sulcis Iglesiente. 11 November 2017. it-IT. 2020-01-26.
  3. Book: Piga, Vitale. Il giacimento carbonifero del Sulcis: Carbonia. 1938. Confederazione Fascista Dei Lavoratori Dell'industria. it.
  4. Book: Stefano Musso. Tra fabbrica e società - Mondi operai nell'Italia del Novecento. Feltrinelli. 321. 88-07-99054-7. 1999.