Montecristo
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 Monte Cristo
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| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Tyrrhenian Sea |
| Archipelago | Tuscan Archipelago |
| Area | 10.39 km2 (4.01 sq mi) |
| Length | 4.1 km (2.55 mi) |
| Width | 3.4 km (2.11 mi) |
| Coastline | 17 km (10.6 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 645 m (2,116 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Fortezza |
| Administration | |
| Region | Tuscany |
| Province | Livorno |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 2 |
| Pop. density | 0.15 /km2 (0.39 /sq mi) |
Montecristo (Italian pronunciation: [monteˈkristo]; also Monte Cristo), formerly Oglasa (in Ancient Greek: Ὠγλάσσα Ōglassa), is an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea and part of the Tuscan Archipelago. Administratively it belongs to the municipality of Portoferraio in the province of Livorno, Italy. The island has an area of 10.39 km2 (4.01 sq mi), it is approximately 4.1 km (2.5 mi) wide at its widest point and is 3.4 km (2.1 mi) long; the coasts are steep, and extend for 16 km (9.9 mi). The island is a state nature reserve and forms part of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park.
Much of the island's fame is derived from the fact that it provides the setting for part of the novel The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas.
The history of the island begins with the Iron Age. The Etruscans exploited the forests of oak needed to fuel the bloomeries of the mainland where the iron ore of Elba's mines was melted. The Greeks gave Montecristo its oldest known name, Oglasa or Ocrasia, after the yellowish colour of the rocks. The Romans, however, knew it under the name Mons Jovis, and erected an altar to Iuppiter Optimus Maximus on the highest mountain, of which some traces remain. During the imperial age, the Romans opened some quarries to extract granite, perhaps used in the construction of villas on the islands of Giglio, Elba, and Giannutri.
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