Lipari Islands

Lipari Islands or Aeolian Islands, volcanic group of 17 islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, southern Italy, near north-eastern Sicily, totalling 114 sq km (44 sq mi) in area. Lipari is the most important island of the group. The next in size are Vulcano, Stromboli, Salina, Filicudi, Alicudi, and Panarea. The principal products of the islands are grapes, figs, olives, and pumice stone. The islands were settled by the Greeks in the 6th century bc. Although only Stromboli and Vulcano have active volcanoes, the islands' geology provides an important record of volcanic island-building. Lipari Islands form an important centre of volcanology; they were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2000.