Sporades

For the genus of beetle, see Sporades (genus).
Sporades
Περιφερειακή ενότητα
Σποράδων
Regional unit

The Sporades

The Sporades within the Aegean Sea
Coordinates: 39°7′N 23°43′E / 39.117°N 23.717°E / 39.117; 23.717Coordinates: 39°7′N 23°43′E / 39.117°N 23.717°E / 39.117; 23.717
Country Greece
Region Thessaly
Area
  Total 275.7 km2 (106.4 sq mi)
Population (2011)
  Total 13,798
  Density 50/km2 (130/sq mi)

The (Northern) Sporades (/ˈspɒrədz/; Greek: Βόρειες Σποράδες) are an archipelago along the east coast of Greece, northeast of the island of Euboea,[1] in the Aegean Sea. They consists of 24 islands, four of which are permanently inhabited: Alonnisos, Skiathos, Skopelos and Skyros.[1] They may also be referred to as the Thessalian Sporades (Θεσσαλικές Σποράδες).

Etymology

"Sporades" means "those scattered" (compare with "sporadic"), and was used from Classical Antiquity to refer to the Aegean island groups outside the central archipelago of the Cyclades. In modern geographical parlance, there are five different Sporades groups:

Administration

Sporades regional unit

As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Sporades (Greek: Περιφερειακή ενότητα Σποράδων) was created out of part of the former Magnesia Prefecture, region of Thessaly. The regional unit is subdivided into 3 municipalities. These are:[2]

The island of Skyros with a few uninhabited islets of its area is part of the region of Central Greece.

References

  1. 1 2 "Skyros - Britannica Concise" (description), Britannica Concise, 2006, webpage: EB-Skyros notes "including Skiathos, Skopelos, Skyros, and Alonnisos."
  2. Kallikratis reform law text PDF

Notes

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External links

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