Isole Pelagie (îles Pélages)

The islands have been inhabited by Carthaginians and Romans throughout history as is evidenced by remains of Punic tombs and Roman buildings. In 1436 Lampedusa was given by Alfonso of Aragon to Don Giovanni de Caro, baron of Montechiaro. In 1553, the Turks raided Lampedusa, capturing 1000 slaves from their population. A colony was founded in 1843 by Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies after French settlers arrived in 1760.
The islands held significant importance in World War II because of its nautical and aerial infrastructure, which would help the Allies launch an invasion of Sicily. On 9 May 1943, Operation Corkscrew began with the bombing of Pantelleria. Pantelleria would be captured by the Allies on 11 June 1943 after the surrender of admiral Gino Pavesi. Meanwhile, bombing campaigns on the island of Lampedusa would begin on 5 June 1943. Lampedusa would further be subjected to a British landing on 7 June, which would be repelled. On 12 June, a final bombardment would annihilate the Italian defenses, leading to Captain Orazio Bernardini surrendering. On 13 June, the operation ended with the capture of Linosa and Lampione. Today, the islands serve as a stepping stone for immigrants to get from North Africa to Italy.

Birds
The Pelagian Islands have been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because they support breeding populations of Scopoli's shearwaters and European shags.

Marine protected area

Of particular ecological concern in the islands is the protection of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) which is endangered throughout the Mediterranean as a result of its nesting sites being taken over by tourism. In Italy the beaches of Pozzolana di Ponente on Linosa and Isola dei conigli on Lampedusa are two of the last remaining sites where the turtle regularly lays its eggs, the other (larger) sites being in southern Calabria (close to Reggio Calabria). The it:Area Marina Protetta Isole Pelagie nature reserve, covering all three islands, was instituted in 2002.