Greece - The Cyclades Islands (2)
The Cyclades - is a Greek island group in the Aegean Sea;
The Cyclades comprise about 220 islands, the major ones being Amorgós, Anáfē, Ándros, Antíparos, Dēlos, Eschátē, Íos, Kéa, Kímōlos, Kýthnos, Mēlos, Mýkonos, Náxos, Páros, Folégandros, Sérifos, Sífnos, Síkinos, Sýros, Tēnos, and Thēra or Santoríni. Most of the smaller islands are uninhabited.
Milos Island– Melos, and before the Athenian massacre and recolonization in 416 BC as Μάλος (Doric Greek) – Malos, is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete. Milos is the southwesternmost island in the Cyclades group.
The beautiful island is famous for the statue of Aphrodite (the "Venus de Milo", now in the Louvre), and also for statues of the Greek god Asclepius (now in the British Museum) and the Poseidon and an archaic Apollo in Athens. The Municipality of Milos also includes the uninhabited offshore islands of Antimilos and Akradies. The combined land area is 160.147 km² and the 2001 census population was 4,771 inhabitants.
Mykonos Island - is a Greek very beautiful island and a top tourist destination, renowned for its cosmopolitan character which attract large numbers of tourists. The island is part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. It spans an area of 105.183 km2 (41 sq mi) and rises at an elevation of 341 m (1,119 ft) at its highest point. The beautiful island is composed primarily of granite. It has little natural fresh water and relies on the desalination of sea water in order to meet its needs. There are 9,320 inhabitants (2001) most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, also known as Chora (i.e. the Town in Greek, a common denomination in Greece when the name of the island itself is the same as the name of the principal town), which lies on the west coast. Itis believed that the beautiful island was named after a local hero, who is considered an offspring of the god Apollo and was worshipped locally in antiquity.
Naxos Island - is a Greek island, the largest island (429 km2 ) in the Cyclades island group in the Aegean. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture.
The beautiful island comprises the two municipalities of Naxos and Drymalia. The largest town and capital of the island is Hora or Naxos City, with 6,533 inhabitants (2001 census). The main villages are Filoti, Apiranthos, Vivlos, Agios Arsenios, Koronos and Glinado.
Naxos is a popular tourist destination, with several easily accessible ruins. It has a number of beautiful beaches, such as those at Agia Anna, Agios Prokopios, Alikos, Kastraki, Mikri Vigla, Plaka, and Agios Georgios, most of them near Hora. Naxos is the most fertile island of the Cyclades. It has a good supply of water in a region where water is usually inadequate. Mount Zas (999 metres) is the highest peak in the Cyclades, and tends to trap the clouds, permitting greater rainfall. This has made agriculture an important economic sector with various vegetable and fruit crops as well as cattle breeding, making Naxos the most self sufficient island in the Cyclades;
Paros Island - is an island of Greece in the central Aegean Sea. One of the Cyclades beautiful island group, it lies to the west of Naxos, from which it is separated by a channel about 8 km (5 mi) wide. It lies approximately 100 nmi (185 km) south-east of Piraeus. Today, Paros is one of the most popular European tourist hotspots. The Municipality of Paros includes numerous uninhabited offshore islets totaling 196.308 km² of land. Its nearest neighbor is the Community of Antiparos, lying to its southwest. Paros also became known for its fine white marble which gave rise to the term Parian which is used for China and fine marbles worldwide;
Folegandros Island, or Pholegandros beautiful island - is a small Greek beautiful island in the Aegean Sea which, together with Sikinos, Ios, Anafi and Santorini, forms the southern part of the Cyclades. Its surface area is about 32 square kilometres (12 square miles) and it has 667 inhabitants. It has three small villages, Chora, Karavostassis, and Ano Meria, which are connected by a paved road.
Serifos, Seriphos, or Seriphus- is a Greek beautiful island municipality in the Aegean Sea, located in the western Cyclades, south of Kythnos and northwest of Sifnos. The area is 75.207 km² and the population was 1,414 at the 2001 census. It is located about 170 km (92 nmi) ESE of Piraeus. When Acrisius was warned by an oracle that his own grandson would kill him, he cast his daughter (Danaë) and her infant son Perseus adrift at sea in a wooden chest. It was the beautiful island of Seriphos where the vessel had come ashore.
Source: Wikipedia
Labels: Greece-Cyclades Islands
