Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 20 regions of Italy. It is one of the five Italian autonomous regions and is referred to as Regione Siciliana. Sicily is located in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula, from which it is separated by the narrow Strait of Messina, its most prominent landmark is Mount Etna, the tallest active volcano in Europe, one of the most active in the world 3,329 m high. The island has a typical Mediterranean climate; the earliest archaeological evidence of human activity on the island dates from as early as 12,000 BC. By around 750 BC, Sicily had three Phoenician and a dozen Greek colonies and it was the site of the Sicilian Wars and the Punic Wars. After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, Sicily was ruled during the Early Middle Ages by the Vandals, the Ostrogoths, the Byzantine Empire, the Emirate of Sicily; the Norman conquest of southern Italy led to the creation of the Kingdom of Sicily, subsequently ruled by the Hohenstaufen, the Capetian House of Anjou and the House of Habsburg.

It was unified under the House of Bourbon with the Kingdom of Naples as the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. It became part of Italy in 1860 following the Expedition of the Thousand, a revolt led by Giuseppe Garibaldi during the Italian unification, a plebiscite. Sicily was given special status as an autonomous region on 15 May 1946, 18 days before the Italian constitutional referendum of 1946. However, much of the autonomy still remains unapplied financial autonomy, because the autonomy-activating laws have been deferred to be approved by the joint committee, since 1946. Sicily has a rich and unique culture with regard to the arts, literature and architecture, it is home to important archaeological and ancient sites, such as the Necropolis of Pantalica, the Valley of the Temples and Selinunte. Sicily has a triangular shape, earning it the name Trinacria. To the north-east, it is separated from Calabria and the rest of the Italian mainland by the Strait of Messina, about 3 km wide in the north, about 16 km wide in the southern part.

The northern and southern coasts are each about 280 km long measured as a straight line, while the eastern coast measures around 180 km. The total area of the island is 25,711 km2, while the Autonomous Region of Sicily has an area of 27,708 km2; the terrain of inland Sicily is hilly and is intensively cultivated wherever possible. Along the northern coast, the mountain ranges of Madonie, 2,000 m, Nebrodi, 1,800 m, Peloritani, 1,300 m, are an extension of the mainland Apennines; the cone of Mount Etna dominates the eastern coast. In the southeast lie the lower Hyblaean Mountains, 1,000 m; the mines of the Enna and Caltanissetta districts were part of a leading sulphur-producing area throughout the 19th century, but have declined since the 1950s. Sicily and its surrounding small islands have some active volcanoes. Mount Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe and still casts black ash over the island with its ever-present eruptions, it stands 3,329 metres high, though this varies with summit eruptions.

It is the highest mountain in Italy south of the Alps. Etna covers an area of 1,190 km2 with a basal circumference of 140 km; this makes it by far the largest of the three active volcanoes in Italy, being about two and a half times the height of the next largest, Mount Vesuvius. In Greek mythology, the deadly monster Typhon was trapped under the mountain by Zeus, the god of the sky. Mount Etna is regarded as a cultural symbol and icon of Sicily; the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, to the northeast of mainland Sicily form a volcanic complex, include Stromboli. The three volcanoes of Vulcano and Lipari are currently active, although the latter is dormant. Off the southern coast of Sicily, the underwater volcano of Ferdinandea, part of the larger Empedocles volcano, last erupted in 1831, it is located between the island of Pantelleria. The autonomous region includes several neighbouring islands: the Aegadian Islands, the Aeolian Islands and Lampedusa; the island is drained by several rivers, most of which flow through the central area and enter the sea at the south of the island.

The Salso flows through parts of Enna and Caltanissetta before entering the Mediterranean Sea at the port of Licata. To the east, the Alcantara flows through the province of Messina and enters the sea at Giardini Naxos, the Simeto, which flows into the Ionian Sea south of Catania. Other important rivers on the island are the Platani in the southwest. Sicily has a typical Mediterranean climate with mild and wet winters and hot, dry summers with changeable intermediate seasons. On the coasts in the south-west, the climate is affected by the African currents and summers can be scorching. Sicily is seen as an island of warm winters. Snow falls above 900 -- 1000 metres; the interior mountains Nebrodi and Etna, enjoy a mountain climate, with heavy snowfalls during winter. The summit of Mount Etna is snow capped from October to May. On the other hand in the summer it is not unusual that there is the sirocco, the wind from the

Motor Launch ML-286 is a First World War submarine chasers built by Elco, that saw action with Royal Navy. It is listed as one of the Little Ships that were used in the 1940, Dunkirk evacuation, it is in a poor condition and lies on the banks of the River Thames at Isleworth Ait. ML-286 is the last surviving Royal Naval'Motor Launch' of the more than 550 that served in the First World War; the first motor launches entered service in the First World War. These were 580 80-foot-long vessels built by the US Elco company for the Admiralty, receiving the designations ML-1 to ML-580, they served between 1916 and the end of the war with the Royal Navy defending the British coast from German submarines. Her first commander was the War artist, Lieutenant Geoffrey Allfree After the War ML286 was sold off by the Ministry and was given the name Cordon Rouge and later, in 1930 she became Eothen, her name at Dunkirk, she towed to Teddington. She was requisitioned for service as an auxiliary patrol vessel in the Thames but found to be unsuitable, was returned to her owners in August of 1940.

Eothen lies in a poor condition on the banks of the River Thames. It is being monitored and recorded by volunteer members of the Thames Discovery Programme based at Museum of London Archaeology. Coastal Motor Boat Torpedo boat Harbour Defence Motor Launch Coastal Forces of the Royal Navy Gordon S. Maxwell; the Motor Launch Patrol. J. M. Dent and Sons. W. W. Nutting. Cinderellas of the Fleet. "The Movies" – The Ships and Men of the Royal Navy Motor Launch Patrol, 1914–1919 World War 1 at Sea – list of Motor Launches or ML's built by Elco in World War 1 Forgotten Wrecks of the First War

A list of rivers of Saxony, Germany: Alte Luppe Bahra Bahre Batschke Bauerngraben Biela Black Elster Black Pockau Bobritzsch Borlasbach Brunndöbra Burgauenbach Chemnitz Colmnitzbach Cunnersdorfer Wasser Dahle Döllnitz Eastern Rietzschke Elbe Eula Fällbach Feilebach Fleißenbach Flöha Freiberger Mulde Friesenbach Geberbach Gimmlitz Goldbach Göltzsch Gösel Gottleuba Greifenbach Große Bockau Große Lößnitz Große Mittweida Große Pyra Große Röder Großschweidnitzer Wasser Gruna Grundwasser Hammerbach Haselbach Helfenberger Bach Hoyerswerdaer Schwarzwasser Jahna Jahnabach Jauer Kabelske Käbnitz Kaitzbach Kaltenbach Kemmlitzbach Keppbach Ketzerbach Kirnitzsch Kleine Bockau Kleine Luppe Kleine Pleiße Kleine Pyra Kleine Röder, tributary of the Black Elster Kleine Röder, tributary of the Große Röder Kleine Spree Kleine Triebisch Kleinwaltersdorfer Bach Klosterwasser Kotitzer Wasser Krebsgraben Krippenbach Lachsbach Landgraben Landwasser Langes Wasser Lausenbach Lausur Legnitzka Leinegraben Leubnitzbach Litte Löbauer Wasser Lober Lockwitzbach Lossa Lößnitzbach Lungwitzbach Luppe Lusatian Neisse Maltengraben Mandau Müglitz Mühlgrundbach Mulde Münzbach Nahle Natzschung Neue Luppe Northern Rietzschke Oberhermsdorfer Bach Oelsabach Orla Otterbach Parthe Paußnitz Pietzschebach Pleiße Pließnitz Pöbelbach Pöhlbach Pöhlwasser Polenz Pösgraben Preßnitz Prießnitz Pulsnitz Quänebach Räderschnitza Raklitza Red Mulde Red Pockau Red Weißeritz Romereifeldgraben Rosenbach Roter Graben Rotes Wasser Ruhlander Schwarzwasser Satkula Schaukelgraben Schirmbach Schlettenbach Schlumper Schnauder Schwarzbach, tributary of the Große Mittweida Schwarzbach, tributary of the Mulde Schwarzbach, tributary of the Sebnitz Schwarzbach, tributary of the White Elster Schwarze Röder Schwarzer Bach Schwarzer Graben Schwarzer Schöps Schwarzwasser, tributary of the Mulde Schwarzwasser, tributary of the Preßnitz Schweinitz Schwennigke Sebnitz Sehma Seidewitz Seifenbach Seltenrein Spitzkunnersdorfer Bach Spree Steindöbra Striegis Struga Svatava Svitávka Syrabach Treba Trebnitz Treuener Wasser Trieb Triebisch Verlorenes Wasser Weinske Weißer Schöps Weißeritz Wesenitz White Elster White Mulde Wiederitz Wild Weißeritz Wilisch Wilzsch Wisenta Wittgendorfer Wasser Würschnitz Wyhra Zschampert Zschonerbach Zschopau Zwickauer Mulde Zwittebach Zwönitz Zwota