Province of Messina

The province of Messina (provincia di Messina; pruvincia di Missina) was a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, Italy. Its capital was the city of Messina. It was replaced by the Metropolitan City of Messina.

Territory
It had an area of 3247 km2, which amounts to 12.6 percent of total area of the island, and a total population of more 650,000. There are 108 comuni (: comune) in the province.

The province included the Aeolian Islands, all part of the comune (municipality) of Lipari (with the exception of Salina). The territory is largely mountainous, with the exception of alluvial plain at the mouths of the various rivers. The largest plain is that in the area between Milazzo and Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, which, together with Messina, form a metropolitan area of some 500,000 inhabitants, one of the largest in southern Italy. Much of the population is concentrated in the coastal area, after the hill towns have been largely abandoned from the 19th century.

The main mountain ridges are the Peloritani, up to 1300 m in elevation, and the Nebrodi, up to 1900 m, which are included in a Regional Natural Reserve.

Rivers of the province include the Alcantara and the Pollina, which forms the border with the province of Palermo to the west.

Main comuni
The main comuni (municipalities) by population are: