Messina Strait: The Shocking Reason No Bridge Exists 🌊🌉😱

@HistroGraph2025

histography2025  Messina Strait: The Shocking Reason No Bridge Exists 🌊🌉😱   Why There’s Still No Bridge Between Sicily and Mainland Italy 🇮🇹  Sicily sits only 3 km from the mainland, but a bridge has never been built. In this video I explain the real reasons — earthquakes, violent winds, unstable seabed, huge costs, and political corruption — in under 6 minutes.  Quick facts covered: 1908 Messina earthquake; tectonic risks; proposed 3.3 km suspension bridge; estimated €15B cost; political and mafia influence.  Watch the full breakdown and maps — subscribe to HistroGraph for more history + geography explained   #Messina, #Sicily, #StraitOfMessina, #HistroGraph, #History, #Geography, #Bridge, #Earthquake, #Engineering, #Italy,

Transcript

00:00Do you know why there's still no bridge between Sicily and mainland Italy?

00:04Sicily is home to around 5 million people,

00:06and it's separated from the rest of the country by only 3 kilometers across the Strait of Messina.

00:10Not that much, compared to other projects that have already been built.

00:14But this place is far more complicated,

00:16and it's not just about geography, but also about the Mafia.

00:19The region is indeed extremely seismically active.

00:22Right here lies the boundary between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates,

00:26which constantly push against each other, causing frequent earthquakes.

00:30That's why in 1908, this area experienced one of the most devastating earthquakes in European history,

00:35with a magnitude of 7.2 that took around 80,000 lives.

00:39Moreover, this narrow place is where two seas meet,

00:42causing winds to reach up to 100 kilometers per hour.

00:45Despite all this, building a bridge is still possible.

00:48There's even a completed design that takes into account all the geographic challenges.

00:52The span would be more than 3 kilometers,

00:55making it the longest suspension bridge in the world, and also the most expensive.

00:59It's estimated to cost around 15 billion euros.

01:03Opponents argue that these billions would be better spent on social programs,

01:06while supporters believe that the bridge would unite the country

01:09and give a huge boost to the southern economy.

01:11As a result, the project has been launched and frozen many times,

01:14each time with massive sums of money allocated.

01:17And this, perhaps, is where the real reason lies.

01:19Corruption within the government and the influence of the Sicilian Mafia,

01:23which controls much of the construction industry

01:25and has an interest in keeping the project unfinished.

01:28Because as long as it's in progress, the money keeps flowing.

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