The Cyclades are an island complex located in the Aegean Sea. The Cyclades consist of 33 islands , as well as six small islands between Naxos and Amorgos, which form the Small Cyclades. In addition, the prefecture of Cyclades includes many smaller islands and islets. Some islands are not inhabited at all, while others do not have more than 300 inhabitants.
According to mythology, the Cyclades got their name from the eponymous Nymphs, whom Poseidon transformed into rocks. It is also said that the ancient geographers gave this name to the islands from the word “Circle”, because they create an imaginary circle around the sacred island of Delos, the birthplace of Apollo. Around 111,000 inhabitants live in the Cyclades and their seat is Ermoupoli.
Have you ever wondered where their islands got their name from? The 12 largest islands are presented below.
- NAXOS: The largest island of the Cyclades, Naxos is 103 nautical miles from Piraeus. There are two theories about the name of the island. According to the first, the island got its name from “Naxos”, the ruler of the first colonies, which were the Cares. The second theory says that the island got its name from the ancient Greek word “naxai” , which means “sacrifice” from the sacrifices that were made on the island in honor of the gods.
- ANDROS: The northernmost island of the Cyclades is located southeast of Evia and through Rafina it is connected by ferry to mainland Greece. According to mythology, the first inhabitant of the island was Andros (or Andrews), of divine origin, from whom the island took its name.
- PAROS: Paros is located west of Naxos and in the center of the Cyclades. This island had many names besides its current name. Regarding the name “Paros” , it is said to be due to the Arcada inhabitant of the island of Paros, Parrasios.
- TINOS: Tinos belongs to the northern Cyclades and is located southeast of Andros and northwest of Mykonos. And this island of the Cyclades had various names and the name “Tinos” comes from King Tinos, the first settler and leader of a group of Ionians from Caria in Asia Minor. Local tradition says that the island got its name from Princess Tinos.
- MILOS: Milos is a volcanic island in the Aegean Sea, north of the Cretan Sea. It is said that the name of the island comes from the word “vilos” which evolved into “apple” and meant “sheep” .
- KEA: Kea or Tzia is the sixth largest island in the Cyclades and is the closest Cycladic island to Attica. In the past, Kea was called Hydrousa, while during the Turkish occupation it was called Gia. The island got its current name “Kea” from the hero Keos, who was the leader of the Locrians from Nafpaktos, who had settled the island in ancient times.
- AMORGOS: Amorgos got its name from the amorgis plant, a type of flax from which the “aliki amorgides” , tunics of Amorgos, were made. Amorgos is an ideal destination for hiking on paths that start and/or end in a settlement and offer the visitor amazing images of the natural landscape.
- IOS: This Cycladic island is also called “Nios” by the locals, who are respectively called “Niotes”. Ios got its name from the ancient word “ia”, meaning the flowers that grew abundantly on the island. According to others, Ios owes its name to the Phoenician word “ios” , which means a pile of stones, as Ios has many rocks.
- KYTHNOS: Kythnos got its name from King Kythnos of the ancient Dryopes, who were the first inhabitants of Kythnos. In the past, the island was also called Dryopis, as well as Thermia because of the hot springs that exist in the bay of Loutra.
- MYKONOS: The island of the winds, one of the most famous summer tourist destinations. Mykonos got its name from the hero Mykonos, descendant of the mythical king of Delos Anios, son of Apollo and the nymph Rhoios, daughter of Dionysus.
- SYROS: The capital of Syros is Ermoupoli, which is also the capital of the Cyclades Prefecture as well as the seat of the South Aegean Region. There are two versions for the name of the island. The first says that the island got its name from the word “osyra” , which means happy, while the second says that it got its name from the word “syr “ , which means rock.
- SANTORINI: Santorini is known for its volcano and for its magnificent sunset. The name Santorini refers to Agia Irini, called in Italian-Latin Santa lightroom torrent ita Irini or Santa Irini. So, it is said that the Venetians named the island after the 13th century . The island is also known as Thira.
These were the stories behind the names of the twelve largest islands in the Cyclades. The history of the entire Cycladic prefecture is long and its beauty even greater. All that remains for us is to travel to the largest island complex of our country and discover its download key pes 2017 history, its culture and its beauties.
SOURCES:
https://www.e-kyklades.gr/travel/?lang=en
https://bimag.gr/posa-nhsia-einai-oi-kyklades/
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https://www.parianostypos.gr/index.php/paros-antiparos/paros-antiparos-istoria
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https://www.katriscars.com/milos.php
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