GREEK CITIES
AND GREEK ISLANDS
ABOUT KITHIRA / KYTHIRA
Kythira (Cythera, Kythera, ) is an
islandIsland
An island or isle is any piece of land that is
surrounded by water. Very small islands such as
emergent land features on atolls are called
islets....
of Greece.
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a
country in southeastern Europe, situated on the
southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with
Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey
to the east, historically part of the Ionian Islands Ionian
Islands
The Ionian Islands are a island group in Greece.
They are traditionally called "Eptanisa", i.e.
"the Seven Islands" , but the group includes
many smaller islands as well as the seven
principal ones....
. It lies opposite the eastern tip of the
Peloponnesos peninsula. It is administratively
part of the Piraeus PrefecturePiraeus Prefecture
Piraeus is one of the prefectures of Greece. It
is part of the peripheries of Greece of Attica
and the Athens-Piraeus super-prefecture
super-prefectures of Greece....
(centered in the Athens.
Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece,
dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the
List of cities by time of continuous habitation,
its recorded history spans around 3,400
years....
metropolitan area) although geographically
distant from the prefecture's population center.
It has a land area of 279.593 km2 (107.951 sq
mi), the second-largest (after Megara is an
ancient city in Attica, Greece. It lies in the
northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth
opposite the island of Salamis Island, which
belonged to Megara in archaic times, before
being taken by Athens....) in the Attica.
Attica is a Peripheries of Greece in Greece,
containing Athens, the capital of Greece. Attica
is subdivided into the prefectures of Greece of
Athens Prefecture, Piraeus Prefecture, East
Attica and West Attica....
periphery Peripheries of Greece
The peripheries are the official regional
administrative divisions of Greece. There are 13
peripheries , which are further subdivided
into
54 Prefectures of Greece....
Discussion
Kythira (Cythera, Kythera, ) is an islandIsland
An island or isle is any piece of land that is
surrounded by water. Very small islands such as
emergent land features on atolls are called
islets....
of Greece.
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a
country in southeastern Europe, situated on the
southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with
Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey
to the east....historically part of the Ionian
IslandsIonian Islands
The Ionian Islands are a island group in Greece.
They are traditionally called "Eptanisa", i.e.
"the Seven Islands" , but the group includes
many smaller islands as well as the seven
principal ones....
. It lies opposite the eastern tip of the
Peloponnesos peninsula. It is administratively
part of the Piraeus Prefecture Piraeus
Prefecture
Piraeus is one of the prefectures of Greece. It
is part of the peripheries of Greece of Attica
and the Athens-Piraeus super-prefecture
super-prefectures of Greece. (centered in the
Athens.
Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece,
dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the
List of cities by time of continuous habitation,
its recorded history spans around 3,400
years....
metropolitan area) although geographically
distant from the prefecture's population center.
It has a land area of 279.593 km2 (107.951 sq
mi), the second-largest (after Megara is an
ancient city in Attica, Greece. It lies in the
northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth
opposite the island of Salamis Island, which
belonged to Megara in archaic times, before
being taken by Athens.) in the Attica.
Attica is a Peripheries of Greece in Greece,
containing Athens, the capital of Greece. Attica
is subdivided into the prefectures of Greece of
Athens Prefecture, Piraeus Prefecture, East
Attica and West Attica....
periphery Peripheries of Greece
The peripheries are the official regional
administrative divisions of Greece. There are 13
peripheries , which are further subdivided into
54 Prefectures of Greece. It is also the
second-least densely populated Population
density
Population density is a measurement of
population per unit area or unit volume. It is
frequently applied to living organisms, and
particularly to humans....
(after neighboring Antikythira) in Attica. The
rugged terrain is a result of prevailing winds
from the surrounding seas which have shaped its
shores into steep rocky cliffs with deep bays.
For many centuries, while naval travel was the
only means for transportation, the island
possessed a strategic location. Since ancient
times, until the mid 19th century, Kythira had
been a crossroads of merchants, sailors, and
conquerors. As such, it has had a long and
varied history and has been influenced by many
civilizations and cultures. This is reflected in
its architecture (a blend of traditional, Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the
Mediterranean Sea located between the southern
Balkans and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between
the mainland's of Greece and Turkey
respectively....
and Venetian Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy, the capital
city of the Italian regions Veneto, a population
of 271,251 . Together with Padua, Italy, the
city is included in the Padua-Venice
Metropolitan Area ....
elements), as well as the traditions and
customs, influenced by centuries of coexistence
of the Greek, Venetian, Ottoman and British
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island lying to the
northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List
of islands by area, and the largest in Europe.
With a population of 58.9 million people it is
List of islands by population....
civilizations as well as its numerous visitors.
Geography
The island is home to numerous beaches of
varying type and size, though due to the
island's rugged and mountainous terrain, only
about half of them are accessible by road.
The island is close to the Hellenic-arc plate
boundary, and thus, a highly seismogenic part of
the region. Many earthquakes in recorded history
have had their epicentres near or on the island.
Probably the largest in recent times is the 1903
earthquake near at the village of Mitata, that
caused significant damage as well as limited
loss of life. At the beginning of the 21st
century, two main earthquakes have been of
concern: that of November 5 2004, an earthquake
Earthquake.
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release
of energy in the Earth's crust that creates
seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a
seismometer, also known as a seismograph....
measuring between 5.6 and 5.8 on the Richter
scale Richter magnitude scale
The Richter magnitude scale, or more correctly
local magnitude ML scale, assigns a single
number to quantify the amount of moment
magnitude scale Radiated seismic energy released
by an earthquake....
and the earthquake of January 8 2006, measuring
6.9 on the Richter scale. The epicenter
Epicenter
The epicenter or epicenter is the point on the
Earth's surface that is directly above the
hypocenter or focus, the point where an
earthquake or underground explosion
originates....
of the latter was in the sea about 20km to the
east of Kythira, at a depth of approximately
70km. Damage was caused to many buildings,
particularly old ones, mostly in the village of
Mitata, but there were no casualties. Due to its
strength it was felt as far as Italy.
Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a
country located on the Italian Peninsula in
Southern Europe and on the two largest islands
in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia,
Egypt.
Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with
the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in
Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt
borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the
Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red
Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to
the west, and Jordan.
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of
Jordan, is an Arab country in Southwest Asia
spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert
down to the Gulf of Aqaba....
The Kythirian Straights, formed by the
southeastern peninsula of the Peloponnese.
The Peloponnese or Peloponnesus is a large
peninsula and Regions of Greece in southern
Greece, forming the part of the country south of
the Gulf of Corinth....
and the islands of Elafonissos and Kythira
represent one of the most dangerous navigational
hazards in the Mediterranean. The majority of
sea-traffic transiting from Athens.
Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece,
dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the
List of cities by time of continuous habitation,
its recorded history spans around 3,400 years,
Istanbul.
Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, List of
metropolitan areas in Europe by population, and
List of cities proper by population in the world
with a population of 12.6 million, and the Black
Sea.
The Black Sea is an inland sea sea bounded by
southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the
Anatolia and is ultimately connected to the
Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean Sea and
Aegean Seas and various straits....
heading west of the Aegean Sea.
The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the
Mediterranean Sea located between the southern
Balkans and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between
the mainlands of Greece and Turkey
respectively....
pass through the straights and are often subject
to strong winds and shipwrecking on Cape Malea.
Cape Malea is one of the peninsulas in the
southeast of the Peloponnese in Greece. It
separates the Ionian Sea in the west from the
Aegean Sea in the east....
History
At the start of the second millennium BC it was
a Minoan. Minoan civilization
The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age
civilization which arose on the island of Crete.
The Minoan culture flourished from approximately
27th century BC to 1450 BC; afterwards,
Mycenaean Greece culture became dominant at
Minoan sites in Crete....
colony and in 424 BC it came under the sway of
Athens. Athens , the Capital and largest city of
Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one
of the List of cities by time of continuous
habitation, its recorded history spans around
3,400 years....
In Ancient Greece / Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends
belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their
List of Greek mythological figures mortals and
Greek hero cult, Cosmology Metaphysical
cosmology, and the origins and significance of
their own cult and ritual practices....
Mythology.
The word mythology refers to a body of
folklore/myths/legends that a particular culture
believes to be true and that often use the
supernatural to interpret natural events and to
explain the nature of the universe and humanity,
Kythira was considered to be the island of
celestial Aphrodite.
Aphrodite is the classical Greek mythology
goddess of love, sex, and beauty. According to
Greek oral poet Hesiod, she was born when Uranus
was castrated by his son Cronus, the Goddess of
love, (cf. Cyprus , officially the Republic of
Cyprus , is an island country situated in the
eastern Mediterranean Sea, east of Greece, west
of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, south of Turkey
and north of Egypt, the island of Aphrodite, the
Goddess of Love).
Over the centuries it knew a succession of
conquerors from the Romans Rome is the capital
city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest
and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents
in an urban area of some to the Byzantines,
Venetians and Turks Turkey, known officially as
the
Republic of Turkey, is a Eurasian country
that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in
southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region
of Southern Europe, and it was frequently looted
by Barbary pirates.
Kytherians still talk about the destruction and
looting of Paliochora, known as by its
contemporaries as Agios Dimitrios, was a village
of approximately eight-hundred on the island of
Kythira in southern Greece....
by Barbarossa Aruj Reis was a Turkish people
privateer and Ottoman Empire Bey of Algiers and
Beylerbey of the Mediterranean. He was born on
the island of Midilli in today's Greece and was
killed in a battle with the Spanish people in
Algeria, it has become an intrinsic part of the
Kytherian folklore, yet one can easily accept
the stories of locals by noticing the number of
monasteries embedded in the rocky hillsides to
avoid destruction by the pirates.
After a long period under VenetianRepublic of
Venice
The Most Serene Republic of Venice or Venetian
Republic was a state originating from the city
of Venice . It existed for over a millennium,
from the late 7th century AD until the year
1797, control, the island fell to FranceFrance
France , officially the French Republic , is a
country whose Metropolitan France is located in
Western Europe and that also comprises various
Overseas departments and territories of
France....
in 1797, when it became part of the short-lived
department Mer - Egee was a one of three
short-lived French Department in France in
present Greece. It came into existence after
Napoleon's conquest in 1797 of the Republic of
Venice, when Venetian Greek possessions such as
the Ionian islands fell to the French
Directory....
Demographics
Like many of the smaller Aegean islands. The
Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the
Mediterranean Sea located between the southern
Balkans and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between
the mainland's of Greece and Turkey
respectively, Kythira's population is
decreasing. While the island had reached a peak
population of about 14,500 in 1864, that has
steadily declined mostly due to emigration, both
internal (to major urban centers of Greece ,
officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country
in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern
end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania,
Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east)
and external (to Australia, officially the
Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the
southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of
the world's smallest continent, the major island
of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of
Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific
Oceans, the United States of America is a
Federal government constitutional republic
comprising U.S. state and a federal district.
The country is situated mostly in central North
America, where its Contiguous United States and
Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and
territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and
Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the, Germany.
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of
Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is
bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark,
and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and
the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and
Switzerland; and to the west by France,
Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
) in the first half of the 20th century. Today
its population hovers around 3,354 people (2001
census), but the modern Greek.
The Greeks , also known as Hellenes, are a
nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus
and neighboring regions, who can also be found
in Greek Diaspora communities around the
world....
diaspora has produced around 60,000 Kytherian
descendants in Australia alone.
Economy
Kythira's economy is largely built on tourism in
Greece
Greece attracts more than 16 million tourists
each year, thus contributing 15% to the nation's
Gross Domestic Product Economy of Greece. Greece
has been an attraction for international
visitors since antiquity for its rich and long
History of Greece and more recently for its
glorious
Mediterranean coastline and beaches.
The popular season usually begins with the Greek
holiday of Pentecost at the end of May, and
lasts until the middle of September. During this
time, primarily during August, the island's
population will often triple due to the tourists
and natives returning for vacation.
Only five of the island's villages are on the
coast (Platia Amos, Agia Pelagia, Diakofti,
Avlemonas, & Kapsali) Additionally, the island
is known for its active nightlife, which centers
on the village of Kapsali at the southern tip of
the island. During July and August, several
traditional dances will be held in various
villages. These dances usually attract the
majority of the island's population, the biggest
of which are the festival of 'Panagia' in
Potamos on the 15th of August, and the wine
festival in Mitata on the first Friday and
Saturday of August.
Government
Kythira is administratively exceptional in that:
It geographically, culturally and historically
belongs (is closer) to the Ionian islands. It is
administered and belongs to the prefecture of
Piraeus is a city in the periphery of Attica,
Greece, and a municipality within Athens urban
area, located 10 km southwest of its center, in
Attica.
There are close ties and some service provision
by the nearby mainland prefecture of Lakonia.
For the geographic area in Greece, see Laconia
also refers to the sea-going vessel TSMS Lakonia,
originally named Johan van Oldenbarnevelt....
Kythira (town)
The capital, Chora, is located on the southern
part of the island having no ports connected to
the southern Peloponnese or Vatika. Kythira's
port for Vatika was previously situated at Agia
Pelagia, although in recent years this port has
been decommissioned and has been replaced by a
new port at the coastal town of Diakofti,
Kythira.
Most of the over 60 village names end with "-anika"
and a few end with -athika, -iana and -ades.
This is due to the villages being named after
influential families that settled first in that
region. For Example, 'Logothetianika' is derived
from the Greek last name of 'Logothetis'.
Transportation
The island in the past has been plagued by a
poor infrastructure that has been unaiding to
the effects of the weather on transportation
during the winter months. However the
construction of the new port in Diakofti along
with the renovation of the island's airport have
significantly reduced these effects. A new road
from the island's most populated town of Potamos
in the north to the island's capital of Chora in
the south is currently in the planning and
development stage.
Port
Despite the fact that the island has been a
trade route for centuries, construction of a
modern port was postponed several times until
the latter half of the 20th century. In 1933,
efforts were made to construct a port in the
village of Agia Pelagia, yet financial and
governmental problems meant that decades later
that one was built. That small port of Agia
Pelagia (currently being renovated from a ferry
dock to a tourist/recreational boat dock) was
the island's main port until the mid-1990s.
Around that time the new port of Diakofti, the
site originally chosen by the island's British
rulers
in the 19th century, was constructed
along with a modern wider road, aiming to
support larger cargo and passenger vessels. The
port of Diakofti currently serves scheduled
routes to/from Gythion, Kalamata, Antikythera,
Piraeus is a city in the periphery of Attica,
Greece, and a municipality within Athens urban
area, located 10 km southwest of its center,
Crete.
Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and
the List of islands in the Mediterranean largest
island in the Mediterranean Sea at 8,336 km?
....
& Neapolis - Vatika. Proposals have been made to
attach a Marina to the south side of the port,
however no plans or timetables have been
produced. Additionally, the harbour of Agia
Patrikia (north of Agia Pelagia) is the primary
fishing boat harbour, housing two wide boatramps
and a boat repair facility.
Airport
The island's primary airport is the Kithira
Island National AirportKithira Island National
Airport
Kithira Island National Airport is an airport in
Kithira, Greece . The airport was renovated in
1998 and the terminal and control tower were
rebuilt.
located in the region between the village of
Friligiannika and Diakofti, about 8km from the
capital. The airport was revamped and extended
at the turn of the 21st century, largely by
private funds provided by the local population.
The island is served by Olympic Airlines.
Olympic Airlines is the flag carrier airline of
Greece, based in Athens. It operates services to
35 domestic destinations and to 39 destinations
world-wide flights.
