Geography
With 24,090 km², Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily. From north to south, the island stretches 270 km, from west to east 150 km.
The shortest distance to the mainland is 180 km to the coast of Tunisia. Sardinia is 200 km away from the Italian mainland, making it the most isolated island in the Mediterranean.
The coastline is 1,850 km of extremely varied and beautiful beaches.
On the map, the outline of the island resembles a footprint, from which the Greek name “ichnousa” (shoe sole) is derived. Today, this name stands for the Sardinian type of beer, among other things.
Mountains and geology
Bizarre weathering on the east coast
About half of Sardinia is mountainous.
The most impressive mountain massifs are the Gennargentu and the Supramonte.
The Punta la Marmora in the Gennargentu is the highest peak on the island, at 1,834 metres. The limestone mountain range of the Supramonte is the second highest massif at 1,463 m.
Other distinctive mountains are Monte Albo near Siniscola and Monte Limbara near Tempio Pausania.
There are beautiful caves in the mountains and in the steep coast. Deep gorges run through the limestone mountains in particular. Here you can go on impressive hikes.
The geology of the mountains varies greatly. In Gallura, almost all the bedrock is granite, Monte Albo and Supramonte consist of limestone.
In the west, volcanic rock predominates. Here, the “giare” and Monte Arci in the Marmilla are particularly worth seeing.
Even for laymen, the geological subsoil of the individual regions can be recognised by the old house facades.
Traditionally, stones from the surrounding area were always used to build houses. Thus, the diverse historical town centres are a reflection of Sardinia’s equally varied geological structure.
Dripstone in the Grotta su Marmuri near Ulassai
Low plains that can serve as cultivable land for agriculture cover only about 20% of the island. The most important is Campidano, which stretches between Oristano and Cagliari.
Wind and water created fantastic shapes from the rocks over the course of time. You will find particularly beautiful ones at Capo ‘d Orso, Capo Testa and the Gulf of Orosei.
In the limestone massifs of the island, the water has created many impressive stalactite caves. However, only ten of them are open to the public.
The mineral resources of the Sulcis and Igliesente attracted foreign conquerors even in ancient times. The rich silver deposits were particularly interesting at that time.
Mining is still practised today. The main minerals mined are iron, magnesium, antimony, lead and zinc.
Granite and marble are also important export goods.
In terms of geology, Sardinia is very old and geologically stable. In contrast to the Italian mainland, there are no earthquakes here.
Rivers and lakes
At Lago di Coghinas
Many rivers run through the island.
The longest river is the Tirso with a length of almost 160 km, followed by the Flumendosa (127 km) and the Coghinas (123 km).
The amount of water in the rivers varies greatly throughout the year, and in summer they sometimes dry up completely. Only the Temo has so much water at Bosa that it is navigable for several kilometres.
Almost all the lakes were artificially created to compensate somewhat for the seasonal fluctuations in the amount of water. Most of these reservoirs are extraordinarily scenic, some can be navigated by boat and invite fishing.
The small Lago Baratz near Alghero is the only natural lake in Sardinia.
Because the water power of many rivers is not sufficient to keep their mouths open into the sea, they are silting up. The fresh water backs up to form a “stagno”. At the same time, salty seawater seeps in and forms a small lagoon lake with brackish water .
There are over 80 of these “stagni” along the coasts of Sardinia.
In the past, these waters were particularly infested with malaria. Today they are extremely valuable as biotopes and habitats for many animal species – about 8,000 flamingos spend the winter here.
The “stagni” are also of great importance for the production of sea salt. Almost 50% of all Italian sea salt comes from Sardinia.