| Kalymnos Κάλυμνος |
|
|---|---|
 Pothia |
|
| Geography | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: | |
| Island Chain: | Dodecanese |
| Total Isles: | 7 |
| Area:[1] | 134. 544 km² (52 sq.mi.) |
| Government | |
 Greece |
|
| Periphery: | South Aegean |
| Prefecture: | Dodecanese |
| Capital: | Kalymnos city (Pothia) |
| Statistics | |
| Population: | 16,441 (as of 2001) |
| Density: | 122 /km² (316 /sq. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. South Aegean is one of the thirteen Peripheries of Greece. It consists of the Cyclades and Dodecanese islands in the South Aegean Sea. The Dodecanese ( Greek Δωδεκάνησα Dodekánisa 'twelve islands' are a group of 12 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the Aegean mi. ) |
| Postal Code: | 852 00 |
| Area Code: | 224x0-xx |
| License Code: | ΚΧ, ΡΟ, PK |
| Website | |
| www.kalymnos-isl.gr | |
Kalymnos, (Greek: Κάλυμνος) is a Greek island and municipality in the south-eastern Aegean Sea. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Etymology In ancient times there were various explanations for the name Aegean. It belongs to the Dodecanese and is located to the west of the peninsula of Bodrum (the ancient Halicarnassos), between the islands of Kos (south, at a distance of 12 km) and Leros (north, at a distance of less than 2 km): the latter is linked to it through a series of islets. The Dodecanese ( Greek Δωδεκάνησα Dodekánisa 'twelve islands' are a group of 12 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the Aegean Bodrum (from Petronium; formerly Halicarnassus (Halikarnas Ancient Greek: Ἁλικαρνασσός) is a Turkish Halicarnassus (Άλικαρνᾱσσός &mdash Halikarnassós or Ἁλικαρνασσός &mdash Alikarnassós Halikarnas modern Kos or Cos ( Greek: Κως Turkish: İstanköy; Italian: Coo formerly Stanchio in English is a Greek Leros ( Greek: Λέρος Italian: Lèro) is a Greek Island and municipality in the Dodecanese prefecture Kalymnos lies between two to five hours away by sea from Rhodes. Rhodes (Ρόδος Ródos, ˈɾo̞ðo̞s Rodi ردوس Rodos; Ladino: Rodi or Rodes) is a Greek island The island was previously been called Càlino in Italian and Kilimli in Turkish. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages.
In 2001 the island had a population of 16,235, making it the third most populated island of the Dodecanese, after Kos and Rhodes. It is known in Greece for the affluence of much of its population, and also stands both the wealthiest member of the Dodecanese and one of the wealthiest Greek islands overall. The Municipality of Kalymnos, which includes the populated offshore islands of Pserimos (pop. Pserimos (Ψέριμος Δωδεκανήσου is a small Greek island in the Dodecanese chain lying between Kalymnos and Kos in front of 130), Telendos (54), Kalólimnos (20), and Pláti (2), as well as several uninhabited islets, has a combined land area of 134. 544 km² and a total population of 16,441 inhabitants.
Contents |
Geography
The island is roughly rectangular in shape, with a length of 21 km and a width of 13 km, and covers an area of 109 km². Moreover, on the north side there is a peninsula which stretches in direction NW. Kalymnos is mainly mountainous, with a complicated pattern. There are three main chains going from W-NW to E-SE, and a fourth one which innervates the peninsula. The coastline is very irregular, with many sheltered coves. There are some springs, one among them being thermal. The soil is mainly made of limestone, but in the valleys there is a compact bank of volcanic tuff, relict of an ancient volcano, located near the village of Kantouni. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 Tuff (from the Italian "tufo" is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption The island is mainly barren, except the valleys of Vathi and Pothia, where olives, oranges and vineyards grow.
Earthquakes are a frequent occurrence around Kalymnos.
Archipelago of Kalymnos
Kalymnos is neighbored by the small island of Telendos, which was part of Kalymnos, but after a major earthquake 554 AD was split and separated from Kalymnos by a strip of water (about 800 m wide).
Between Kalymnos and Kos there is the islet of Pserimos which is inhabited and, with an area of 11 km², is one of the largest among the lesser islands of Dodecanese. Pserimos (Ψέριμος Δωδεκανήσου is a small Greek island in the Dodecanese chain lying between Kalymnos and Kos in front of Near Pserimos lies the islet of Platí, and about 5 km to the NE there is the small islet of Kalolimnos. Kalolimnos ( Greek: Καλόλιμνος) is a small Greek island in the Dodecanese chain lying between Kalymnos and Imia
History
Inhabited originally by Carians, during the ancient ages Kalymnos depended on Kos, and followed its history. Municipalities of Caria Cramer's detailed catalog of Carian towns in Classical Greece is based entirely on ancient sources Kos or Cos ( Greek: Κως Turkish: İstanköy; Italian: Coo formerly Stanchio in English is a Greek In the Middle Ages it was Byzantine, and during the XIII Century it was used by Venice as a naval base. Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the In 1310 it became a possession of the Knights of Rhodes, and later (mainly in 1457 and 1460) was often attacked by the Ottomans, which conquered it in 1522. The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta (known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta ( SMOM) Order of Malta The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Unlike Rhodes and Kos, during the Ottoman period there was no Turkish immigration to Kalymnos.
On May 12, 1912, during the Italo-Turkish War, Kalymnos was occupied by Italian sailors of the Regia Marina. Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War (also known in Italy as guerra di Libia, "the Libyan war" and in Turkey as Trablusgarp Savaşı) was fought The Regia Marina ( Italian Royal Navy) dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification. Italy took control of the island along with other islands of the Dodecanese until 1947, when the Dodecansese finally were united with mainland Greece. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest
Economy
Being mostly barren (only 18% of the land can be cultivated), agriculture played always a minor role in economy of the island, except for the valley of Vathi. The island is famous for its citrus fruits.
Kalymnos owed its past wealth to the sea, mainly with trading and boat building, but the main industry of the island was Sponge fishing. The sponges or poriferans (from Latin porus "pore" and ferre "to bear" are Animals Here the island was the main centre of production in the Aegean, and still now is a traditional occupation with related exhibitions, along with other local folklore, at three local museums. Another industrial activity typical of Kalymnos was the production of painted head scarfs, which were the most original component of the female dress. Lately, the most important activity became tourism.
Since the beginning of last century there has been a very strong emigration abroad (in 1925 the population amounted to 24,000 inhabitants), especially to the USA and Australia. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The cities of Darwin and Melbourne in Australia, and Tarpon Springs in the USA house large Greek communities of Kalymnian descent. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Tarpon Springs is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the
Description of the island
The district capital of Kalymnos, situated in a natural amphitheatre, is Pothia, which is the main port of the island. The town features Italianate architecture, a silver-domed cathedral dedicated to Jesus (Christos), the churches of Aghios Nikolaos and Aghios Stefanos and the Monastery of St. In the course of the history of Classical architecture, an Italianate style of architecture was a distinct nineteenth-century phase in which Italian sixteenth-century Savas, perched on a hilltop overlooking the town.
Being a mostly barren island with little agriculture, on the island there are few established villages (Vathi being an exception).
The main population lives in town during the winter, and during the summer months migrates to the various holiday resorts around the island.
Massouri is the most touristic location of the island with plenty of hotels and night life. For those who are looking for a quieter place, Panormos, Emborios and Plati Gialos are the answers. The small island of Pserimos is very near to Pothia and has beautiful sandy beaches. Pserimos (Ψέριμος Δωδεκανήσου is a small Greek island in the Dodecanese chain lying between Kalymnos and Kos in front of
Limestone cliffs with a multitude of caves and overhanging areas have made Kalymnos a destination for international rock climbers; and more specifically for sport climbing. The huge yellow cave full of stalactites above the town of Masouri (The "Grande Grotta") and the long and tall walls that surround it are most popular. The other small hamlets of Kalymnos are Vathy, Myrties, Emborios and the small village of Agios Petros at the north end of the island.
References
- Bertarelli, L. V. (1929). Guida d'Italia, Vol. XVII. Consociazione Turistica Italiana, Milano.
- ^ Basic Characteristics. Ministry of the Interior. www. ypes. gr. Retrieved on 2007-08-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great.
External links
- Kalymnos travel guide from Wikitravel
- Official website (English) (Greek)
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic