Cagliari (/kælˈjɑːri/, also UK: /ˌkæliˈɑːri, ˈkæljəri/, US: /ˈkɑːljəri/; Italian: [ˈkaʎʎari] ; Sardinian: Casteddu [kasˈteɖːu] ; Latin: Caralis [käˈɾaːlɪs]) is an Italian municipality and the capital and largest city of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. It has about 146,627 inhabitants, while its metropolitan city, 16 other nearby municipalities, has about 417,079 inhabitants. According to Eurostat, the population of the functional urban area, the commuting zone of Cagliari, rises to 476,975. Cagliari is the 26th largest city in Italy.
An ancient city with a long history, Cagliari has seen the rule of several civilisations. Under the buildings of the modern city there is a continuous stratification attesting to human settlement over the course of some five thousand years, from the Neolithic to today. Historical sites include the prehistoric Domus de Janas, partly damaged by cave activity, a large Carthaginian era necropolis, a Roman era amphitheatre, a Byzantine basilica, three Pisan-era towers and a strong system of fortification that made the town the core of Spanish Habsburg imperial power in the western Mediterranean Sea. Its natural resources have always been its sheltered harbour, the often powerfully fortified hill of Castel di Castro, the modern Casteddu, the salt from its lagoons, and, from the hinterland, wheat from the Campidano plain and silver and other ores from the Iglesiente mines.
