The second-largest island (after Sicily) in the Mediterranean, Sardinia has an area of 24,090 km² (9,301 mi²) and a population of 1,648,044 (2001). Its capital is Cagliari. Increasing numbers of tourists are lured by the beautiful coastline and a mild climate. Sheep and goats are raised there; wheat, barley, grapes, and olives are produced; and fishing and cork production are important to the economy. Despite rich mineral deposits, Sardinia had a largely undeveloped economy until the 1950s. The island still has little industry.

The earliest traces of human settlement on Sardinia date to about 100,000 years ago, during the Paleolithic Period. The most striking prehistoric monuments are the unique defensive towers called nuraghi, which date to the 2d millennium BC; outstanding examples are at Barumini. Phoenicians settled on Sardinia in about 800 BC. It was conquered by Rome in 238 BC and held by the Vandals and the Byzantines in the 5th and 6th centuries AD.