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Lampedusa

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Location

The Resume

    Located on the Mediterranean Sea
    Under the jurisdiction of mainland Sicily (Agrigento province)
    Acquired by the new Kingdom of Italy, in 1860
    Largest island of the Italian Pelagie Islands
    Population density is estimated at (as of 2015) 6,000
    Area of 20.2 square kilometres (7.8 square miles)
    Primarily known as a European entry point for migrants, mostly coming from Northern Africa

Why Lampedusa might be annoying:

    It didn't have a telephone connection until the late 1960s.
    It is politically administered by Italy, but is closer in proximity to the African continent (thereby making it a quasi-colony?)
    Since the early 2000s, it has been a prime visa point for irregular migrants seeking to enter Europe illegally (usually by paid 'people smugglers').
    The overcrowded conditions of its temporary immigrant reception center was criticized by the UN for being over-crowded and poorly maintained.
    An inmate riot of Nigerian and Malian workers sparked a fire at the Reception Center which destroyed a large portion of the holding facility, in 2009.
    A boat carrying migrants from Somalia capsized offshore, in 2013, resulting in least 300 deaths (it was later known as the 'Lampedusa boat disaster').
    A 2015 study determined it to be the deadliest migrant route in the world (between January and April of that year, close to 1600 migrants died trying to get there).
    It continues to spark debate within the European Union whenever Italy requests aid to accommodate incoming migrants (European Parliament has shown difficulty categorizing them as 'economic migrants' or refugees).

Why Lampedusa might not be annoying:

    It has a claim to history for having been a part of Malta when it was still a British colony.
    It is home to Rabbit Beach which was voted the world's best beach by TripAdvisor, in 2013.
    Pope Francis visited the island as part of his first official visit outside of Rome (2013).
    It is seen as perhaps the closest safe haven for many on the African continent seeking to escape persecution/war.
    It saw a dramatic spike of immigration in 2011, due to the Arab Spring's provoking revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya.
    Even before Arab Spring, the island was a primary target of aggression from the Libyan government, which frequently made the island its scapegoat for Euro-American military aggression.
    It was largely neglected by the Kingdom of Italy, which briefly entertained the notion of making it the site for a new penal colony in the late 1800s.
    It had been rendered borderline uninhabited in the 1550s after a series of raids carried out by Barbary pirates (one of which saw them carry off 1,000 captives into slavery).
    It was used for the filming location for the 'Mediterraneo' music video, sung by the late Italian pop star, Mango, in 1992.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 35 Votes: 5.71% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 21 Votes: 47.62% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying