Page 8 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

parliament and president, and limited legislative powers in such areas as
tourism, transport, industry and the environment. There is no separatist
movement to speak of, though suspicion of central government runs deep.
Compared to north Italy, the economy has remained relatively underdeveloped.

Though there are pockets of industrial activity, Sicily is mainly agricultural.
However, the sector has suffered considerable setbacks over recent years,
while local fishermen struggle with quota restrictions and competition from
international mega-boats that hoover up vast shoals of tuna. These days,
tourism plays an increasingly crucial role in the Sicilian economy.
One of the most densely populated islands in the Mediterranean, Sicily’s

population is something over five million, with settlement mainly concentrated
in the two cities of Palermo and Catania, on the northern and eastern coasts.
Disregard for regulations long accepted in the rest of Europe is rife in Sicily,
and this anarchic approach to the law manifests in myriad ways. Thanks to the

local distaste for wearing seat belts, most garages now stock a device
designed to override car safety systems and save drivers the irritation of
bleeping belt alerts.