GREEK CITIES
AND GREEK ISLANDS
ABOUT SANTORINI
About Santorini Geography
The world famous island of Santorini is the
southern most island of the Cycladic group in
the Aegean Sea, and is located 63 nautical miles
north of Crete.
Its surface area is 73 sq. km. and its
population, distributed among thirteen villages,
just exceeds thirteen thousand six hundred
people, according to the census of 2001.
Latitude: from 36 19' 56'' to 36 28'
40''N
Longitude: from 25 19' 22'' to 25 29'
13''E
How to reach Santorini
By plane
Santorini can be reached from most international
airports via Athens. The flying time from Athens
to Santorini is approximately 40 minutes.
Nearly all international scheduled flights
arriving in Athens allow adequate time for
making the connecting flight to Santorini.
Numerous charter flights from different European
Cities fly directly to the island during the
summer period. During the same period Santorini
is also connected with flights to and from
Thessaloniki.
By ferry boat
Another way to reach the island is by a regular
ferry boat service from the port of Piraeus,
Thessaloniki or Crete and almost all the
Cycladic islands. The boat trip takes
approximately 8 - 13 hours depending on the
ferry and the ports of call.
Daily high speed boats are also available only
during the summer period leaving from the port
of Piraeus and from numerous other Cycladic
islands and Crete. The trip lasts about 4 5
hours.
The present-day crescent shape of the island is
a consequence of the activity of the volcano in
prehistoric times. The island itself owes its
very existence to the volcano.
Geology
The last huge eruption of the volcano dates back
3,600 years, to the late bronze age. Thirty
million cubic meters of magma in the form of
pumice and ash were blown to a height of up to
36 kilometers above the island. Pumice deposits,
dozens of meters thick, buried one of the most
prosperous pre-historic settlements of that
period, feeding the myth of the lost Atlantis.
The mild activity of the volcano after this
major eruption continues into the present (the
most recent eruption occurred in 1950) building
up two small islands within the caldera, Palea
and Nea Kameni. These islands represent the
volcano's most recent activity.
The marvelous dry climate and continuous
sunshine create year around conditions which are
perfect for observation, photographs and videos
under an extraordinary variety of natural lights
and colours that give the visitor the
exceptional advantage of reaching the interior
of the volcano by boat
History
Human presences on the island seem to have
existed since the middle of the 3rd millennium
B.C. The excavations at Akrotiri have confirmed
that human activity on the island continued
until the eruption of the volcano around 1500
B.C, which entirely buried the island beneath
very thick layers of pozzuolona, At that point,
all traces of human activity vanished from the
island until the end of the 13th century B.C.
According to Herodotus, the island was initially
called Strongyle (the Round One). Then later,
because of its beauty, it was named Kalliste
(the Fairest One). The Phoenicians settled in
Kalliste, and after the Phoenicians, the
Lacedaemonians arrived and renamed the island
after their leader, Theras. In the 9th century
B.C. Thera, became an important stopping point
of that era in the travel routes between the
East and the West. The Phoenician alphabet was
adopted at this time for writing in the Greek
language. Interestingly though, the conservative
Therans, did not follow the cultural development
of their counterparts in the other Cycladic
islands. At about 630 B.C the Therans reached
the north coast of the African continent where
they founded Cyrene, the only Theran colony.
From as early on as the 6th century B.C. Thera
had its own coinage. During the Classical period
in Greece [5th and 4th century B.C.] Thera did
not play any significant role in the events of
that Hellenic time. During the Peloponesian War
Thera sided with Sparta, as expected. In
Hellenistic times the island's strategic
position made Thera an important base for the
war campaigns in the Aegean of the successors to
Alexander the Great.
During the Roman Empire, Thera was little more
than a small, insignificant island. However,
when Christianity reached the island early, an
organized church was established by the 4th
century A.D. The island had neither political
nor military significance in Byzantine times,
although Alexius I Comnenus [1081 - 1118]
founded the church of the Panagia Episkopi at
Gonia. After the fall of Constantinople in the
Fourth Crusade
[1204], the Duchy of Naxos was founded and Thera
became the seat of one of the four Catholic
Bishops of the Duchy. The name Santorini was
given at that time by the Crusaders, named after
a small chapel of Agia Irini [Santa Irene] which
some say was located at Perissa and others say
it was at Riva on Therasia.
In the years under Frankish rule [1207 - 1579],
Santorini experienced the development of a
thriving cotton cultivation and viticulture, but
the island suffered as much from piratical raids
as it did from the rivalries between the local
Latin rulers as well as the Duke and the Sultan.
The Turkish dominion [1579 - 1821] resulted in
the abolition of piracy and the development of
international trade. The Santorinians created
close contacts with the great harbours of the
Eastern Mediterranean (Alexandria,
Constantinople, Odessa) where they founded
important communities.
In 1821, Santorini with its shipping power, took
part in the fight for independence from the
Turks, and in 1830, the island became part of
the independent Greek state. Up until the
beginning of the 20th century shipping,
textiles, tomato production and viticulture were
all flourishing markets, but the change from
sail to steam-driven ships and the relocation of
the island's factories to mainland Greece had a
negative effect on the island's economy. After
the 1956 earthquake there was a huge decrease in
the population resulting in an economic
catastrophe. Towards the end of the 1970s
however, tourism began to develop, bringing
economic relief to the island.
Weather Conditions
The climate in Santorini is typical of the
Mediterranean climate: generally extended
periods of sunshine throughout most of the year,
relatively warm and dry summers and mild and
rainy winters.
The year can be broadly subdivided into two main
seasons: the warm and dry season lasting from
April until October and the cold and rainy
season lasting from November until the end of
March. Long periods of consecutive rainy days
are not common in Santorini, even during the
winter, and the sky does not remain cloudy for
more than a few days in a row, as it does in
other regions of the world.
During the warm and dry season the weather is
usually stable, the sky is clear, the sun is
bright and there is generally no rainfall. A
sweater/jacket is advised, especially in April
and October, as evenings often bring cooler
temperatures.
Useful Phones Numbers
Bus Service
+30 22860 25404 +30 22860 25404
Taxi Service
+30 22860 22555 +30 22860 22555
+30 22860 23951 +30 22860 23951
Police
+30 22860 22649 +30 22860 22649
Port Authorities
+30 22860 22239 +30 22860 22239
Post Office
+30 22860 22238 +30 22860 22238
Cable Car
+30 22860 22977 +30 22860 22977
Akrotiri Archaeological Site
+30 22860 81366 +30 22860 81366
Hospital
+30 22860 22237 +30 22860 22237
Municipality of Thira
+30 22860 22231 +30 22860 22231
Community of Oia
+30 22860 71228 +30 22860 71228
Airlines
Civil Aviation Authorities
+30 22860 28400 +30 22860 28400
Aegean Airlines
+30 22860 28500 +30 22860 28500
Olympic Airways airport office
+30 22860 31525 +30 22860 31525
Banks
Agricultural Bank of Greece
+30 22860 22261 +30 22860 22261
Alpha Bank
+30 22860 23801 +30 22860 23801
Commercial Bank of Greece
+30 22860 22533 +30 22860 22533
Eurobank
+30 22860 25851 +30 22860 25851
National Bank of Greece
+30 22860 22370 +30 22860 22370
+30 22860 23136 +30 22860 23136
Piraeus Bank
+30 22860 25415 +30 22860 25415
+30 22860 25441 +30 22860 25441
While in Greece, the above telephone
numbers should be dialed as seen, however
omitting +30.
