Capri, Italy

Capri

View of Capri from the sea
Capri
Geography
Location	Tyrrhenian Sea
Coordinates	40°33′00″N 14°14′00″E / 40.55000°N 14.23333°E / 40.55000; 14.23333Coordinates: 40°33′00″N 14°14′00″E / 40.55000°N 14.23333°E / 40.55000; 14.23333
Area	10.4 km2 (4.0 sq mi)
Highest elevation	589 m (1,932 ft)
Highest point	Monte Solaro
Administration
Italy
Region	Campania
Province	Naples
Largest settlement	Capri (pop. 7,278)
Demographics
Population	12,200 (2002)
Pop. density	1,170 /km2 (3,030 /sq mi)

Capri (/kəˈpriː/; Italian pronunciation: [ˈkaːpri]) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town Capri that is located on the island shares the name. It has been a resort since the time of the Roman Republic.

Some of the main features of the island include the following: the Marina Piccola (the little harbour), the Belvedere of Tragara (a high panoramic promenade lined with villas), the limestone crags called sea stacks that project above the sea (the Faraglioni), the town of Anacapri, the Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra), and the ruins of the Imperial Roman villas.

Capri is part of the region of Campania, Province of Naples. The town of Capri is the island's main population centre. The island has two harbours, Marina Piccola and Marina Grande (the main port of the island). The separate comune of Anacapri is located high on the hills to the west.

The etymology of the name Capri is unclear; it might either be traced back to the Ancient Greeks (Ancient Greek κάπρος kapros meaning "wild boar"), the first recorded colonists to populate the island. But it could also derive from Latin capreae (goats). Fossils of wild boars have been discovered, lending credence to the "kapros" etymology; on the other hand, the Romans called Capri "goat island". Finally, there is also the possibility that the name derives from an Etruscan word for "rocky", though any historical Etruscan rule of the island is disputed.