Kos Κως
Ruins of an agora in Kos town
Geography
Coordinates:	36°51′N 27°14′E / 36.85, 27.233
Island Chain:	Dodecanese
Area:[1]	290. The Agora was an open "place of assembly" in ancient Greek city-states 313 km² (112 sq.mi.)
Highest Mountain:	Mount Dikaio (843 m (2,766 ft))
Government
Greece
Periphery:	South Aegean
Prefecture:	Dodecanese
Capital:	Kos (town)
Statistics
Population:	30,947 (as of 2001)
Density:	107 /km² (276 /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:	853 xx
Area Code:	22420
License Code:	ΚΧ, ΡΟ, PK
Website
www.kos.gr

Kos or Cos (Greek; Κως) is a Greek island in the south Sporades group of the Dodecanese, next to the Gulf of Gökova/Cos. 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 The (Northern Sporades (Βόρειες Σποράδες are an Archipelago along the east coast of Greece, northeast of the island of Euboea, in The Dodecanese ( Greek Δωδεκάνησα Dodekánisa 'twelve islands' are a group of 12 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the Aegean The Gulf of Gökova (Gökova körfezi Gulf of Kerme ( Turkish: Kerme körfezi Greek: Κεραμεικός κόλπος Latin: Ceramicus It measures 40 km by 8 km, and is only 4 km from the coast of Bodrum, Turkey and the ancient region of Caria. Bodrum (from Petronium; formerly Halicarnassus (Halikarnas Ancient Greek: Ἁλικαρνασσός) is a Turkish Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Municipalities of Caria Cramer's detailed catalog of Carian towns in Classical Greece is based entirely on ancient sources The island has both fertile plains and infertile highlands with a population of 30,947. It is comprised of three municipalities: Kos, the administrative center and largest town (pop. 17,890), Dikaio, and Irakleides. Dikaio (Δίκαιο is a municipality on the island of Kos, in the Dodecanese prefecture of Greece. Irakleides (Ηρακλείδες is a municipality on the island of Kos, in the Dodecanese, Greece.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Culture 4 Religion 5 Notable people 6 References 7 External links

History

Further information: Ancient Greece, Roman Greece, Byzantine Greece, and Ottoman Greece

The island was originally colonised by the Carians. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Roman Greece is the period of Greek history (of Greece proper as opposed to the other centers of Hellenism in the Roman world following the Roman victory over Roman Greece See also Roman Greece The Greek peninsula became a Roman protectorate in 146 BC, and the Aegean islands were added Most of Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire from the 14th century until its declaration of independence in 1821. The Carians ( Greek: Κάρες Kares) were the inhabitants of Caria. A contingent from Kos participated in the War of Troy^[2] The Dorianss invaded it in the 11th century BC, establishing a Dorian colony with a large contingent of settlers from Epidaurus who took with them their Asclepius cult and made their new home famous for its sanatoria. In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her The Dorians or Dorian Greeks ( Greek:, Dōrieis singular, Dōrieus were Epidaurus (Ἐπίδαυρος Epidavros) was a small city ( Polis) in ancient Greece, at the Saronic Gulf. Asclepius (pronounced /æsˈkliːpiːəs/, Greek, transliterated Asklēpiós; Latin Aesculapius) is the god of Medicine The other chief sources of the island's wealth lay in its wines, and in later days, in its silk manufacture.

Its early history as part of the religious-political amphictyony that included Lindos, Kamiros, Ialysos, Cnidus, and Halicarnassus,^[3] is obscure. The Amphictyonic League ( Amphictyony) was a form of Greek religious organization that was enjoined to support specific temples or sacred places and At the end of the 6th century Kos fell under Achaemenid domination, but rebelled after the Greek victory at Cape Mykale in 479. The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenid Persian Empire ( haχɒmaneʃijɒn (558–330 BC was the first of the Persian Empires to rule over significant portions of During the Greco-Persian Wars, when it expelled the Persians twice, it was ruled by tyrants, but as a rule it seems to have been under an oligarchic government. The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenid Persian Empire ( haχɒmaneʃijɒn (558–330 BC was the first of the Persian Empires to rule over significant portions of In the 5th century it joined the Delian League, and after the revolt of Rhodes served as the chief Athenian station in the south-eastern Aegean (411-407). The Delian League was an association of approximately 150 5th-century BC Greek City-states under the leadership of Athens, whose purpose was to continue Rhodes (Ρόδος Ródos, ˈɾo̞ðo̞s Rodi ردوس Rodos; Ladino: Rodi or Rodes) is a Greek island The History of Athens is one of the longest of any city in Europe and in the world In 366 BC, a democracy was instituted. Events By place Persian empire In Persia, a number of Satraps of King Artaxerxes II begin a revolt in alliance with After helping to weaken Athenian power, in the Social War (357-355 BC), it fell for a few years to the king Mausolus of Caria. Mausolus ( Greek: Μαύσωλος; also Maussollus) was ruler of Caria (377&ndash353 BC Municipalities of Caria Cramer's detailed catalog of Carian towns in Classical Greece is based entirely on ancient sources In 366 BC, the capital was transferred from Astypalaia to the new-built town of Kos, laid out in a Hippodamian grid plan. Events By place Persian empire In Persia, a number of Satraps of King Artaxerxes II begin a revolt in alliance with Astipalea (or Astypalea or Astypalaia, Greek: Αστυπάλαια) is a Greek island with 1238 residents (2001 Census Hippodamus of Miletus ( or Hippodamos Greek Ἱππόδαμος (498 BC &mdash 408 BC was an ancient Greek Architect Urban Planner Physician Mathematician Meteorologist

In the Hellenistic age Kos attained the zenith of its prosperity. The Hellenistic period of European history was the period between the death of Alexander the Great (Alexander III of Macedon in 323 BC and the annexation Its alliance was valued by the kings of Egypt, who used it as an outpost for their navy to watch the Aegean. As a seat of learning it rose to be a kind of provincial branch of the museum of Alexandria, and became a favorite resort for the education of the princes of the Ptolemaic dynasty; among its most famous sons were the physician Hippocrates, the painter Apelles, the poets Philitas and, perhaps, Theocritus. Alexandria ( Egyptian Arabic: اسكندريه Eskendereyya; Standard Arabic: ar الإسكندرية Al-Iskandariyya; Ἀλεξάνδρεια Hippocrates of Cos II or Hippokrates of Kos ( ca. 460 BC – ca Philitas or Philetas of Cos ( – c 285 BC was a scholar and poet during the early Hellenistic period of Ancient Greece. Theocritus ( Greek: Θεόκριτος the creator of Ancient Greek Bucolic Poetry, flourished in the 3rd century BC

Kos was also known as Meropis and Nymphæa. Diodorus Siculus (xv. 76) and Strabo (xiv. Strabo ( Greek: Στράβων 63/64 BC – ca AD 24 was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher. 657) describe it as a well-fortified port. Its position gave it a high importance in Ægean trade; while the island itself was rich in wines of considerable fame (Pliny, xxxv. Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author 46). Under Alexander III of Macedon and the Egyptian Ptolemies (from 336 B. Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' Macedon or Macedonia ( Greek grc Μακεδονία grc-Latn Makedonía) was the name of a kingdom centered in the northern-most The Ptolemaic dynasty (sometimes also known as the Lagids, from the name of Ptolemy I's father Lagus) was a Hellenistic Macedonian royal family C. ) the town developed into one of the great centers in the Ægean; Josephus ("Ant. Josephus (AD 37 – c 100 also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu (Joseph son of Matthias and after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus " xiv. 7, § 2) quotes Strabo to the effect that Mithridates was sent to Kos to fetch the gold deposited there by the queen Cleopatra of Egypt. Mithridates or Mithradates (in Greek, Mιθριδάτης or Mιθράδάτης) is the Hellenistic form of an Iranian Theophoric Cleopatra VII Philopator (in Greek, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ; January 69 BC &ndash 30 BC was a Hellenistic ruler of Egypt Ptolemaic Egypt began when Ptolemy I Soter declared himself Pharaoh of Egypt in 305 BC and ended with the death of queen Cleopatra Herod is said to have provided an annual stipend for the benefit of prize-winners in the athletic games (Josephus, "B. Herod (הוֹרְדוֹס Horodos, Greek: Herōdes) also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (73 BC – 4 BC in Jericho J. " i. 21, § 11), and a statue was erected there to his son Herod the Tetrarch ("C. I. G. " 2502 ).

Except for occasional incursions by corsairs and some severe earthquakes, the island has rarely had its peace disturbed. Corsairs were French Privateers from the north-western French port of St-Malo, located on the northern coast of Brittany. Following the lead of its great neighbour, Rhodes, Kos generally displayed a friendly attitude towards the Romans; in 53 AD it was made a free city. Year 53 was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. The island was later conquered by the Venetians, who then sold it to the Knights Hospitaller of Rhodes (the Knights of St John) in 1315. The Most Serene Republic of Venice ((Serenìsima Repùblica Vèneta or Repùblica de Venesia Serenissima Repubblica The Knights Hospitaller (also known as the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St Two hundred years later the Knights faced the threat of a Turkish invasion and abandoned the island to the Ottoman Empire in 1523. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish The Ottomans ruled Kos for 400 years until it was transferred to Italy in 1912. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest In World War II, the island was taken over by Germany until 1945, when it became a protectorate of the United Kingdom, who ceded it to Greece in 1947. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The island was formerly known as Turkish: İstanköy; Italian: Coo and Stanchio in English. Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy.

Geography

The island is part of a chain of mountains from which it became separated after earthquakes and subsidence that occurred in ancient times. An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant A mountain range is a chain of Mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys 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 These mountains include Kalymnos and Kappari which are separated by an underwater chasm c. Kalymnos, (Κάλυμνος is a Greek island and municipality in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Pserimos (Ψέριμος Δωδεκανήσου is a small Greek island in the Dodecanese chain lying between Kalymnos and Kos in front of 70 m (40 fathoms deep), as well as the volcano of Nisyros and the surrounding islands. A fathom is a unit of Length in the Imperial system (and the derived U Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the Nisyros (Νίσυρος also transliterated Nissiros) is a volcanic Greek island and municipality located in the Aegean Sea.

There are a wide variety of rocks in Kos which is related to its geographical formation. Prominent among these are the Quaternary layers in which the fossil remains of mammals such as horses, hippopotami and elephants have been found. Overview The term Quaternary ("fourth" was proposed by Giovanni Arduino in 1759 for alluvial deposits in the Po river valley in northern FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. The hippopotamus ( Hippopotamus amphibius) from the Greek ἱπποπόταμος ( hippopotamos, ιππος hippos meaning "horse" Elephants ( family: Elephantidae) are large land Mammals of the order Proboscidea. The fossilised molar of an elephant of gigantic proportions was presented to the Paleontology Museum of the University of Athens. Molars are the rearmost and most complicated kind of Tooth in most Mammals In many mammals they grind food hence the Latin name mola, " Millstone Palaeontology redirects here For the Scientific journal, see Palaeontology (journal. The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Εθνικόν και Καποδιστριακόν Πανεπιστήμιον Αθηνών usually referred to simply as the

The shores of Kos Island are washed by the waters of the Aegean Sea. Its coastline is 112 km long and is caressed by long immaculate beaches, leading to its main industry being tourism. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel Farming is the principal occupation of many of the island's inhabitants, with their main crops being grapes, almonds, figs, olives, and tomatoes, along with wheat and corn. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture For the Tokyo University supercomputer see Gravity Pipe. GRAPE, or GRA phics P rogramming E nvironment is The Almond ( Prunus dulcis, syn Prunus amygdalus Batsch Amygdalus communis L Ficus is a Genus of about 850 Species of woody Trees Shrubs Vines Epiphytes and hemi-epiphytes in the family The Olive ( Olea europaea) is a Species of small Tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern The tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum, syn Lycopersicon lycopersicum) is a herbaceous usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family Wheat ( Triticum spp is a worldwide cultivated grass from the Levant area of the Middle East. Cos lettuce may be grown here, but the name is unrelated. Romaine or cos lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L var longifolia) is a variety of Lettuce which grows in a long head of sturdy leaves with a firm rib

The main villages of Kos island are Kardamena, Kefalos, Tingaki, Antimachia, Mastihari, Marmari and Pyli. A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City. Kardamena (Καρδάμαινα is a small Greek town 7 km from Kos Island International Airport at Antimachia situated mid-way along the south coast of the Kefalos, a Greek resort is situated at the southwest side of the island of Kos, in the municipality of Irakleides, 43 km from Kos Town Smaller ones are Zia, Zipari, Platani, Lagoudi and Asfendiou.

Culture

The main port and population centre on the island, also called Kos, is also the tourist and cultural centre, with whitewashed buildings including many hotels, restaurants and a small number of nightclubs forming the famous Kos town "barstreet". ||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|} A port is a facility for receiving Ships and transferring cargo The town has a 14th century fortress at the entrance to its harbour, erected in 1315 by The Knights of Saint John of Rhodes. Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for A harbor or harbour (see spelling differences) or haven, is a place where ships may shelter from the Weather or are stored

The ancient physician Hippocrates is thought to have been born on Kos, and in the center of the town is the Plane Tree of Hippocrates, a dream temple where the physician is traditionally supposed to have taught. The Tree of Hippocrates is the plane tree (or platane, in Europe) under which according to the Legend, Hippocrates of Kos Sleep temples (also known as dream temples or Egyptian sleep temples) are regarded by some as an early instance of Hypnosis over 4000 years ago The limbs of the now elderly tree are supported by scaffolding. The small city is also home to the International Hippocratic Institute and the Hippocratic Museum dedicated to him. The Hippocratic Museum is a Museum, on the Greek Island of Kos, dedicated to the ancient Greek Physician Hippocrates Near the Institute are the ruins of Asklepieion, where Herodicus taught Hippocrates medicine. In ancient Greece, an asclepieion (or asklepieion) was a healing temple, sacred to the god Asclepius. Herodicus ( Greek: Ἡρóδιĸος was a Greek physician of the fifth century BC and a native of Selymbria. Kardamena is a popular resort for young British holidaymakers and has a large number of bars and nightclubs.

Religion

The main religion practiced is Greek Orthodoxy. The Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία Hellēnorthódoxē Ekklēsía) is formed by several autocephalous churches Kos has one of the four cathedrals in the entire Dodecanese. This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral There is also a Roman Catholic Church on the island as well as a Mosque catering to the Muslim community of Kos. A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion The Synagogue is no longer used for religious ceremonies as the Jewish community of Kos was practically wiped out by the Nazis in World War II. A synagogue (from Greek: grc συναγωγή transliterated synagogē, "assembly" he בית כנסת beit knesset, "house of PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German It has, however, been restored and is maintained with all religious symbols intact and is now used by the Municipality of Kos for various events, mainly cultural.

Notable people

• Hippocrates (5th century BC), "father of medicine"
• Apelles (4th century BC) painter
• Marika Papagika (early 20th century) singer

References

External links

• 36°51′N, 27°14′E

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