Saint Eustratius (Island)
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Agios Efstratios or Saint Eustratius (Άγιος Ευστράτιος in Greek) is a small Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea about 30 km southwest of Limnos and 80 km northwest of Lesbos. The three islands with nearby islets form the prefecture of Lesbos, part of the Greek archipelagic periphery of the North Aegean.
Agios Efstratios is quiet, isolated, and dry, with a population of approximately 300 people.
The climat is arid, with little rainfall during winter months and long, hot summers. The landscape is mostly rocky, with scarce and low vegetation. Crops are insignificant; the surrounding sea, however, is rich in fish which is taken by local fishermen.
The island was named after Saint Eustratius, who lived in exile on the island.
The Greek artist Jimmy Tsiblis spent part of his life at Agios Efstratios. He was president of the Opera House for 12 years. During his stay, he composed the collection of poems "To Telos tis Arhis" ("The End of the Beginning"), referring to the political prisoners during the 1930s.
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[edit] Recent Political History
The island was used to house political prisoners in internal exile during the 1930s. In 1968, an earthquake demolished most of the houses, which were replaced by concrete prefabricated buildings laid out in a military-like camp formation. Nonetheless, the island retains a very attractive capital, also called Agios Efstratios, while preserving a rather unspoiled Mediterranean environment with pristine beaches. It is mostly a place for relaxation and meditation. In the 1970s, the island was again used as an offshore prison for political dissidents. The most famous prisoner was Mikis Theodorakis, the composer of the music of Zorba the Greek (film).
[edit] Unique Feature. An Opera House
Agios Efstratios is the only small island in Europe with an Opera House.
[edit] February 2007 NATO exercise
On February 26, 2007, Turkey for the first time objected to the scheduled NATO military exercise in the North Aegean sea, on the grounds that the island was a demilitarized zone. The exercise was organized by the Greek Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC-7) for February, 27, commanded by Greek Air Force General based at Larissa. The day before, the commander of the Turkish Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC-6) at Eskisehir notified the American NATO Air Force commander General Lee McFann that the island is considered demilitarized by Turkey and the exercise should be cancelled. McFann cancelled the exercise without further investigating even without notifying CAOC-7. He justified this by stating that NATO remains neutral when there is a disagreement between two member countries. The Greek Operation Centre also cancelled the exercise due to bad weather conditions. After the incident became known, the Greek government formally complained to NATO.
[edit] External links
| Municipalities and communities of the Lesbos Prefecture |
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| Agia Paraskevi • Agiasos • Atsiki • Eresos-Antissa • Evergetoulas • Gera • Kalloni • Loutropoli Thermis • Mantamados • Mithymna • Moudros • Myrina • Mytilene • Nea Koutali • Petra • Plomari • Polichnitos |
| Agios Efstratios |
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