Elba (ĕlˈbä) [key], island, 86 sq mi (223 sq km), Tuscany,
central Italy, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, 6 mi (9.7 km) from the
Italian mainland, part of the Tuscan Archipelago. Iron ore has
been mined there since Etruscan and Roman times, and there are
ironworks at Portoferraio, the island's main town. Wine, olive
oil, and fruit are also produced, and there is a large tourist
industry. Elba has come under numerous foreign powers, including
Syracuse (mid-5th cent. B.C.), Pisa (11th cent. A.D.–A.D. 1399),
Spain, and Naples. It was briefly (May, 1814–Feb., 1815) a
sovereign principality under the exiled Napoleon I, who improved
the island's roads and agriculture. After Napoleon's dramatic
escape from Elba and his subsequent exile to Saint Helena
Island, Elba passed to Tuscany. The Columbia Electronic
Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University
Press. All rights reserved. More on Elba from Fact Monster: See
more Encyclopedia articles on: Italian Political Geography