Kea (island)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kea Κέα |
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|---|---|
 View of a landscape near Vourkari |
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| Geography | |
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| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Island Chain: | Cyclades |
| Area:[1] | 128.926 km² (50 sq.mi.) |
| Government | |
 Greece |
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| Periphery: | South Aegean |
| Prefecture: | Cyclades |
| Capital: | Ioulis |
| Statistics | |
| Population: | 2,417 (as of 2001) |
| Density: | 19 /km² (49 /sq.mi.) |
| Postal Code: | 840 02 |
| Area Code: | 22880 |
| License Code: | ΕΜ |
| Website | |
| www.kea.gr | |
Kea, (also known as Gia (Greek: Κέα/Τζια), Tzia, Zea, Keos (Ancient: Κέως), or in Latin as Ceos), is an island of the Cyclades archipelago, in the Aegean Sea, in Greece. Its capital, Ioulis, is inland at a high altitude (like most ancient Cycladic settlements, for the fear of pirates) and is considered quite picturesque. Other major villages of Kea are Korissia (the port) and Vourkari (a fishing village). After suffering depopulation for many decades, Kea has been recently rediscovered by Athens as a convenient destination for weekends and yachting trips. The population in 2001 was 2,417.
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[edit] Geography
It is the island of the Cyclades complex that is closest to Attica (about 1 hour by ferry from Lavrio) and is also 20 km from Cape Sounio as well as 60 km SE of Athens. Its climate is arid and its terrain is hilly. Kea is 19 km long from north to south and 9 km wide from west to east. The area is 129 km² with the highest point being 560m.
The municipality includes the island of Makronisos to the northwest as well as a couple of ferry and shipping lines.
[edit] History
Kea is the location of a Bronze Age settlement at the site now called Ayia Irini, which reached its height in the Late Minoan and Early Mycenaean eras (1600-1400 BCE).
In the classical period Kea (Ceos) was the home of Simonides and of his nephew Bacchylides, both ancient Greek lyric poets, and the Sophist Prodicus, and the physician Erasistratus. The inhabitants were known for offering sacrifices to the Dog Star Sirius and Zeus to bring cooling breezes while awaiting for the reappearance of Sirius in summer; if the star rose clear, it would portend good fortune; if it was misty or faint then it foretold (or emanated) pestilence. Coins retrieved from the island from the 3rd century BC feature dogs or stars with emanating rays, highlighting Sirius' importance.[2]
During the Byzantine period many churches were built and the prosperity of the island rose. Kea was Byzantine until, in 1204, it was captured by the Venetians in the wake of the fourth crusade. It was recaptured by the Byzantines in 1278. In 1296 it fell to the Venetians again, who soon built a castle on the ancient acropolis of Ioulis. The port became a haven for pirates and by 1470 there were only around 200 inhabitants on the island.
Kea was occupied by the Turks in 1527. The Turks never settled on the island but they did repopulate it with Arvanites at the end of the 16th century. During this period the island attracted many of the religious and intellectual personalities who wanted to lay low. With the island virtually free of Turks, it was a good place to be. But in 1668 the Turks destroyed the island because they had sided with the Venetians. But afterwards the remaining inhabitants were granted significant rights and by the end of the century the population was 3000.
[edit] Historical population
| Year | Communal population | Change | Island population | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | - | - | - | - |
| 1991 | - | - | 1,797 | - |
| 2001 | - | - | 2,417 | +620/+34.50% |
[edit] Communities
- Chavouna
- Ellinika Kea
- Kato Meria
- Ioulis
- Kea
- Korissia
- Koundouros, Greece
- Otzias
- Pisses
- Vourkari
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Basic Characteristics. Ministry of the Interior. www.ypes.gr. Retrieved on 2007-08-07.
- ^ Holberg, JB (2007). Sirius:Brightest Diamond in the Night Sky. Chichester, UK: Praxis Publishing, p. 20. ISBN 0-387-48941-X.
[edit] External links
- Official Island website
- An 1885 travel guide to Keos (Zea), an excerpt from James Theodore Bent's The Cyclades, or Life among the Insular Greeks
- Map and Aerial photos:
- Coordinates:
- Mapquest - Kea, street map not yet available
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