It is located in the south-west of the island, at about an hour by car or train from the regional capital, Cagliari.

The city was built to provide housing for the workforce of the nearby mines.

Vitale Piga was appointed mayor of Carbonia and served in that capacity from September 28, 1939 to April 24, 1942.

[3] The city has grown since its founding in 1938 due to immigration from elsewhere on the island and from mainland Italy (in particular from the regions of Veneto, Sicily, Abruzzo, Marche, Basilicata and Campania),[4] reaching about 45,000 residents in 1951.

Today most Carbonians are employed in heavy industry, and in the tertiary sector.