Palermo, Sicily

From Encyclopediak

Palermo, a seaport of Sicily, capital of a province of the same name, situated on the northwest side of the island, on the Bay of Palermo. The prominent buildings are the royal palace, the university, a cathedral of the 12th century, the archbishop's palace, the custom-house and several medieval houses and towers. The new harbor has large docks and shipbuilding yards. The manufactures are chiefly glass, gloves and leather. The surrounding plains yield oranges and lemons, which constitute the principal exports. The fisheries of the island are significant. The city was probably founded by the Phoenicians. It became the capital of the Carthaginian dominions in Sicily, was captured by the Greeks, the Romans and the Normans, and the final deliverance from foreign rule was brought about by Garibaldi in 1860. Population in 1900 345,891.,