Santorini

Nearest Travel Links

Airport JTR: Thira: 3 km
Ferry: Athinios port: 7 km

Some useful information about the island

The santorini's group of islands is consisted of Thera, Thirasia, Aspronisi, Palea and Nea kameni (volcanoes) islands and is located in the most southern part of the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea 63 Nautical miles north of Crete.The surface area of Thera is 73sq.km. and its population, distributed among fourteen villages, is 13.600 people, according to 2001 census.

In Prehistoric times, in the 17th century BC, Santorini was formed by a series of volcanic eruptions which affected the whole Aegean, all the way to Crete. Originally, the island was named Kallisti (the beautiful one) and Strogyli (the round one). Many people inhabited the island, starting from the Pre-Hellenes, then the Phoenicians and the Dorians, who named the island Thira, after their King Thiras. During the 16 th century BC, the Minoans settled on the island, which became an important center of the Minoan civilization.

Around 1600 B.C. a violent volcanic explosion caused the submergence of the central part of Santorini, creating a huge basin of 83 square miles, called the Caldera . During the Persian Wars, the island sided with the Athenian Alliance. Later Santorini came under the rule of Sparta.

In 1956, another severe volcanic eruption caused much destruction on Santorini, but the island has managed to re-build and to develop into one of the most popular and well-loved vacation spots in the world.