The chemical composition of the Small Magellanic Cloud
  The Small Magellanic Cloud is a close, irregular galaxy that has experienced
a complex star formation history due to the strong interactions occurred both
with the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Galaxy. Despite its importance, the
chemical composition of its stellar populations older than 1-2 Gyr is still
poorly investigated. I present the first results of a spectroscopic survey of
200 Small Magellanic Cloud giant stars performed with FLAMES@VLT. The derived
metallicity distribution peaks at [Fe/H] -0.9/-1.0 dex, with a secondary peak
at [Fe/H] -0.6 dex. All these stars show [alpha/Fe] abundance ratios that are
solar or mildly enhanced (+0.1 dex). Also, three metal-poor stars (with [Fe/H]
-2.5 dex and enhanced [alpha/Fe] ratios compatible with those of the Galactic
Halo) have been detected in the outskirts of the SMC: these giants are the most
metal-poor stars discovered so far in the Magellanic Clouds.
