Metropolitan City of Cagliari

Metropolitan City of Cagliari
Metropolitan City

Palazzo Reale, the provincial seat

Location of the Metropolitan City of Cagliari
Country  Italy
Region Sardinia
Established 4 February 2016
Capital(s) Cagliari
Comuni 17
Area
  Total 1,248 km2 (482 sq mi)
Population (2015)
  Total 431,302
  Density 350/km2 (900/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
ISTAT ?

The Metropolitan City of Cagliari (Italian: Città metropolitana di Cagliari) is one the Metropolitan cities of Italy. It has been established by a Sardinia Autonomous Region law, according to its constitutional jurisdiction, and replaced the Province of Cagliari.[1] The metropolitan area is composed by the city of Cagliari and other 16 municipalities. It covers about 1114 km² and has 422 308 inhabitants.

Geography

Cagliari metropolitan area by night

The Metropolitan City of Cagliari extends over the plain of Campidano and the first hills between two mountain ranges, at west side Monti Arcosu, Monti Lattias and Punta Sebera, at east side Punta Serpeddì and the Sette Fratelli mountain. These massive rocks are made up of very old Ordovician shale and Carboniferous granite and barely exceed the 1000 meters of altitude with a maximum in 1116 of Mount Is Caravius.. The city is spread over and around the hill of the historic district of Castello, and other nine limestone hills of the middle-late Miocene, unique heights of a little more than one hundred meters above sea level on the long plains of Campidano. The plain is actually a Graben formed during the Alpine orogeny of the Cenozoic, which separated Sardinia from the European continent, roughly where it is now the Gulf of Lion in France, and broke up with various up and down tectonic movements the ancient island Paleozoic skeleton.[2] It was covered by marine deposits of Miocene and alluvial deposits of Holocene.

The repeated intrusion of the sea left calcareous sediments that formed a series of hills that mark the territory of Cagliari: that where there is the fortified town near the harbor of the port and the birthplace of the city, Mount Urpinu, the St. Elias hill, also known as the Sella del Diavolo ("Saddle of the Devil") for its shape, Tuvumannu and Tuvixeddu, where there was the ancient Punic and Roman necropolis, the small Bonaria hill, where stands the basilica, and the San Michele hill, on top of which is the eponymous castle. The modern city has occupied the flat spaces between the hills and the sea to the south and south-east, along the Poetto beach, the lagoons and ponds of Santa Gilla and Molentargius, remains of more recent marine intrusions, in an articulate landscape, with many landmarks panoramas on the bay, the plain, the mountains that surround it at east.

Climate

Cagliari and the Campidano plain has a Mediterranean climate (Csa in the Köppen climate classification) with hot, dry summers and very mild winters. The extreme values in summer sometimes slightly are over 40 °C (104 °F) (sometimes with very high humidity), while in winter, under special and rare conditions drop slightly below zero. Heavy snowfalls occur on average every thirty years.

The average temperature of the coldest month, January, is about 10 °C (50 °F), and those of the warmest month, August, about 25 °C (77 °F). But heat waves can occur, due to African anticyclone since June. From mid-June to mid-September, rain is a rare event, reduced to some storms in the afternoon. The rainy season starts in September, but the first cold days come in December, usually the wettest month as well.

Winds are frequent, especially the mistral and sirocco; in summer days a marine sirocco breeze (s'imbattu) lowers the temperature and the heat.

Climate data for Cagliari
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 14.3
(57.7)
14.8
(58.6)
16.5
(61.7)
18.6
(65.5)
22.9
(73.2)
27.3
(81.1)
30.4
(86.7)
30.8
(87.4)
27.4
(81.3)
23.1
(73.6)
18.3
(64.9)
15.4
(59.7)
21.7
(71.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 9.9
(49.8)
10.3
(50.5)
11.8
(53.2)
13.7
(56.7)
17.7
(63.9)
21.7
(71.1)
24.7
(76.5)
25.2
(77.4)
22.3
(72.1)
18.4
(65.1)
13.8
(56.8)
11.0
(51.8)
16.7
(62.1)
Average low °C (°F) 5.5
(41.9)
5.8
(42.4)
7.1
(44.8)
8.9
(48)
12.4
(54.3)
16.2
(61.2)
18.9
(66)
19.6
(67.3)
17.1
(62.8)
13.7
(56.7)
9.3
(48.7)
6.6
(43.9)
11.8
(53.2)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 49.7
(1.957)
53.3
(2.098)
40.4
(1.591)
39.7
(1.563)
26.1
(1.028)
11.9
(0.469)
4.1
(0.161)
7.5
(0.295)
34.9
(1.374)
52.6
(2.071)
58.4
(2.299)
48.9
(1.925)
427.5
(16.831)
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) 6.8 6.8 6.8 7.0 4.4 2.1 0.8 1.3 4.3 6.5 7.4 7.4 61.6
Mean monthly sunshine hours 136.4 139.2 186.0 213.0 269.7 288.0 334.8 310.0 246.0 198.4 147.0 127.1 2,595.6
Source: Servizio Meteorologico,[3]

On the mountains the climate is very different, with plentiful averages rainfalls, cold winters and mild warm summers,(Csb in the Köppen climate classification).

Climate data for Is Cannoneris near Punta Sebera m. 716 on sea level
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 9.2
(48.6)
10.2
(50.4)
12
(54)
13.7
(56.7)
18.3
(64.9)
22.6
(72.7)
26.4
(79.5)
27.9
(82.2)
23.4
(74.1)
18.2
(64.8)
13.8
(56.8)
10.9
(51.6)
17.2
(63)
Daily mean °C (°F) 6.7
(44.1)
7.3
(45.1)
8.8
(47.8)
10.4
(50.7)
14.4
(57.9)
19.0
(66.2)
22.0
(71.6)
23.7
(74.7)
19.6
(67.3)
15.4
(59.7)
11.2
(52.2)
7.9
(46.2)
13,9
(56.96)
Average low °C (°F) 3.1
(37.6)
5.2
(41.4)
5.8
(42.4)
7.8
(46)
11.5
(52.7)
15.5
(59.9)
19.7
(67.5)
19.4
(66.9)
16.2
(61.2)
12.7
(54.9)
9.1
(48.4)
5.6
(42.1)
11.0
(51.8)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 156
(6.14)
155
(6.1)
128
(5.04)
95
(3.74)
64
(2.52)
17
(0.67)
4
(0.16)
15
(0.59)
49
(1.93)
128
(5.04)
141
(5.55)
178
(7.01)
1,130
(44.49)
Source: Servizio Meteorologico

Metropolitan Municipalities

Satellite view
Aerial view
Municipality (in Italian and Sardinian) Area (km²) Census 2001 Jan 2015 % Inhab./km² Distance from city center (km)
Cagliari / Casteddu 85.45 164 249 154 019 -6,6 1 802 0
Quartu Sant'Elena / Quartu Sant'Aleni 96.20 68 040 70 675 3,9 735 9
Selargius/Ceraxius 26.71 27 440 28 972 5,6 1 085 9
Assemini / Assèmini 117.50 23 973 26 965 12,5 229 14
Capoterra / Cabuderra 68.25 21 391 23 850 11,5 349 20
Monserrato / Pauli 6.50 20 356 20 391 0,2 3.137 7
Sestu 48.32 15 233 20 376 33,8 422 11
Sinnai / Sìnnia 223.38 15 235 17 114 12,3 77 15
Quartucciu 27.87 10 766 13 131 22,0 471 9
Elmas / Su Masu 13.70 7 930 9 253 16,7 675 10
Uta / Uda134.46 6 692 8 392 25,3 52 29
Decimomannu / Deximumannu 28.05 6 836 8 092 18,4 288 19
Maracalagonis 101.60 6 731 7 836 16,4 77 18
Pula 138.79 6 535 7 319 12,0 53 33
Settimo San Pietro 23.21 5 949 6 669 12,1 287 13
Sarroch / Sarroccu 67.88 5 243 5 292 0,9 78 25
Villa San Pietro / Santu Perdu 39.61 1 778 2 067 16,3 62 21
Total 1248.42 414 377 430 413 3,9 345

Economy

The traditional economy was based on agriculture, the cultivation of wheat, vineyards, olive groves, garden and orchards where there was plenty of water in the dry summer. The mountains were exploited for firewood and coal that were sold at Cagliari. There were also some mines, particularly the iron mine of San Leone in the territory of Assemini. And of course there were the large salt pans east and west of Cagliari.

Saras oil refinery

Nowadays in the capital city are concentrated most of the administrative tasks, the retail trade in the areas of the historical center, financial services and technology to business, professional offices, health services, while industries, warehousing services, major shopping centers are concentrated in the other municipalities of the metropolitan area and, along the coast, most of the tourist activities.

The Cagliari-Sarroch port system was the third in Italy for goods movements in 2014[4]

The Macchiareddu-Grogastru area between Cagliari and Capoterra, in conjunction with a large international container terminal port at Giorgino is the most important industrial area of Sardinia. Multinational corporations like Coca Cola, Heineken, Unilever, Bridgestone and Eni Group have factories in this area. Within its metropolitan area, at Sarroch, there is one of the six oil refinery supersites in Europe, Saras.

Campus Tiscali

The communications provider Tiscali has its headquarters in the boroughs of the town, just near one of the biggest container terminals on the Mediterranean sea.

The metropolitan area of Cagliari is the wealthiest area of the island. According Eurostat,[5] the metropolitan area of Cagliari in 2009 had a per capita purchasing power standard (PPS) income of 21.699 euros, that is 92.4% of the European Union (27) data. In 2011 [6] the inhabitants of the metropolitan area returned an individual income tax per capita that was 96% of national average. The city of Cagliari returned 128% of National average, while entire Sardinia returned only 80%.

Main sights

Churches

Is Concias Giant's Grave

Archaeological sites

In the area there are the ruins of neolithic and chalcolithic villages and several domus de Janas; there are also many nuraghes; the Nuraghe Diana on the coast of Quartu Sant'Elena and the nuraghes Sa Domu de S'Orcu and Antigori on the coast of Sarroch are particularly important. A deep sacred well is present in Settimo San Pietro and the giant's graves Is Concias in the territory of Quartucciu.

Nora, the theater

The punic and especially the Roman periods are represented by the massive remains of the city of Nora. In Cagliari is located the Tuvixeddu necropolis and an important Roman Amphitheatre.

Metropolitan forests

Sette Fratelli mountains
Forested areas near Cagliari

The metropolitan area is limited to the east and west by high mountain ranges just over 1000 meters above sea level, largely covered by Mediterranean forests, dominated by evergreen oak, cork oak and arbutus. To the west the WWF nature reserve of Monte Arcosu lies, created to protect the subspecies of Sardinian deer (Cervus elaphus ssp. Corsicanus) and extended 36 km2 (14 sq mi), and the forests managed by the Ente Foreste of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia: Piscina Manna, Is Cannoneris, Monti Nieddu Gutturu Mannu for others 256 square kilometers; to the east Ente Foreste manages the Campidano Forest, and the forest of the Sette Fratelli ("Seven Brothers"), a vast massif with crested peaks that appear in the number of seven when seen from Cagliari (hence the name) and covers additional 132 km2 (51 sq mi).

The woods environment varies with altitude in both temperature and precipitation. In the municipality of Pula, for example, the coastal plain has an annual average rainfall of about 450 mm (18 in), while the mountains (Is Cannoneris, about 800 meters above sea level) have more than 1,200 mm (47 in). The forest is populated by the Sardinian deers (Cervus elaphus corsicanus), now saved from extinction, the fallow deer, reintroduced after its extinction, wild boars, foxes, European pine martens and others.

Metropolitan beaches

Poetto beach, Cagliari

In the municipalities of the metropolitan area located numerous beaches. The most important is the "Poetto", the beach of Cagliari and Quartu Sant'Elena, 10 km of fine sand in front of the "Sella del Diavolo". East of Cagliari there are the beaches of Geremeas and Solanas while West of the city are situated the beaches of Nora and Santa Margherita, in the commune of Pula.

Transportation

References

  1. law n°12, 02/04/2016 http://www.regione.sardegna.it/j/v/1270?s=300929&v=2&c=13906&t=1&anno
  2. R. Pracchi and A. Terrosu Asole, ed. (1971). Atlante della Sardegna. Cagliari: Editrice la Zattera.
  3. Tabelle climatiche 1971-2000 della stazione meteorologica di Cagliari-Elmas Ponente dall'Atlante Climatico 1971-2000 - Servizio Meteorologico dell'Aeronautica Militare
  4. http://www.assoporti.it/sites/www.assoporti.it/files/statistiche/Movimenti_portuali_2014_14lug15.pdf
  5. http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/region_cities/metropolitan_regions/data_metro/database_sub3
  6. Ministry of Economy, Government of Italy

External links

Media related to Metropolitan City of Cagliari at Wikimedia Commons

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