Ragusa (Italy)

Ragusa (Italy), town, south-eastern Sicily, southern Italy, southern Europe. Located in an agricultural region 52 km (32 mi) south-west of Syracuse, Ragusa lies at an elevation of 490 m (1,600 ft) on a narrow tongue of land between two deep, precipitous valleys. The city consists of two distinct parts, Upper Ragusa and Lower Ragusa. Upper Ragusa, generally known as Ragusa, was founded in 1693, soon after the catastrophic earthquake that devastated much of south-eastern Sicily; it lies 120 m (400 ft) above Lower Ragusa. Lower Ragusa, which is called Ragusa Ibla, is the older area and rests on or near the site of the ancient town of Hybla Heraea. The town was divided into two separate communes in 1855, but these were reunited in 1926. Ragusa is a commercial and industrial centre, with an oil refinery, asphalt pits, and a cement factory. Petroleum from Ragusa’s refinery is piped to the port of Augusta, 54 km (34 mi) to the north-east, for distribution. The town was the junction point of the Allied landing in Sicily in World War II. In 2002 Ragusa and seven other historic cities in south-eastern Sicily were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Population 69,582 (1997 estimate).