Mal di Ventre
| Native name: Isula de Malu 'Entu | |
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Mal di Ventre
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| Geography | |
| Location | Mediterranean Sea |
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Area | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value).[1] |
| Length | 2 km (1.2 mi)[1] |
| Width | 0.8 km (0.5 mi)[1] |
| Highest elevation | 18 m (59 ft) |
| Country | |
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Italy
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| Province | Oristano |
| Municipality | Cabras |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
Mal di Ventre (Sardinian: Malu 'Entu) is a private island located off the coast of Sardinia. Mal di Ventre is notable for its Roman ruins and was the site of a Sardinian nationalist attempt at creating a micronation in 2008.
Location and geography
Mal di Ventre is located in the Mediterranean Sea, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from Oristano in central-west Sardinia. The island is inside a marine protected area and its western coast is exposed to the Mistral, giving it a rugged topography as a result.[2] There is a lighthouse at the island's highest point, 18 metres (59 ft) above sea level.[3]
History
The name of the island comes from Piedmontese cartographers, who translated the Sardinian name of the island Malu Entu (Sardinian for "bad winds") as Mal di Ventre (which translates to "stomach pain"). Ancient civilizations used to live on the island. The island was also inhabited during Roman times. The island contains ruins of Roman buildings, as well as the remnants of an ancient well.[3] In 1898, the island became part of Parco del Sinis-Montiferru (Sinis-Montiferru institutional park).[3]
Mal di Ventre was owned by British entrepreneur John Miller, who had owned the island since 1972. In July 2014 the island was put up for sale, with an asking price of GB£1.2 million.[2]
Republic of Malu Entu
In September, 2008, a former truck driver named Salvatore Meloni and his followers seized Mal di Ventre and declared it to be an independent state as part of a broader and controversial effort to win the independence of Sardinia. Inspired by the independence movements of Kosovo, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Meloni declared himself president of the Republic of Malu Entu and set up a presidential residence in a blue plastic tent. He declared the nation tax free and claimed that over 300 had people expressed interest in moving there.[4] The island was previously a meeting place for the Sardinian Independentist Party. Not long after he took over the island, Meloni sent drafts of his initiative to both the United Nations and Silvio Berlusconi, who was President of the Council of Ministers at the time.[5]
In 2011, Meloni was charged with tax evasion to the sum of 5 million euros.[6] In the summer of 2012 Meloni was convicted for his role in trying to take over the island and sentenced to a year and eight months.[7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The Telegraph."Sardinian island declares 'independence'." telegraph.co.uk, 22 Sept. 2008.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
