Zakynthos is one of the most well known Greek islands with thousands of tourists visiting this island every year!
So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about Zakynthos!
- Zakynthos is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea
- It is also spelled Zakinthos
- It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands
- Zakynthos is a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region
- And its only municipality
- It covers an area of 405.55 km2 (156.6 sq mi)
- Its coastline is roughly 123 km (76 mi) in length
- The name, like all similar names ending in -nthos, is pre-Mycenaean or Pelasgian in origin
- In Greek mythology the island was said to be named after Zakynthos, the son of the legendary Arcadian chief Dardanus
- Zakynthos is a tourist destination
- With an international airport served by charter flights from northern Europe
- The island’s nickname is “the Flower of the Levant”
- Bestowed upon it by the Venetians who were in possession of Zakynthos from 1484- 1797
- Zakynthos was hit by a 7.3-magnitude earthquake in 1953
- Which destroyed most of the buildings on the island
- Subsequently, all buildings have been fortified to protect against further tremors
- On 26 October 2018, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake south of the island caused no injuries but damaged the local pier and a 13th Century monastery
- Famous landmarks include the Navagio beach
- A cove on the northwest shore isolated by high cliffs
- It is accessible only by boat
- Numerous natural “blue caves” are cut into cliffs around Cape Skinari
- And accessible only by small boats
- Keri, on the south of the island, is a mountain village with a lighthouse
- The whole western shore from Keri to Skinari contains rock formations including arches
- Northern and eastern shores feature numerous wide sandy beaches
- Some of which attract tourists in summer months
- The largest resort is Laganas
- Marathonissi islet near Limni Keriou has tropical vegetation, turquoise waters, beaches, and sea caves
- It is also known as “Turtle Island”
- Bochali hill above the Zakynthos town contains a small Venetian castle
- Zakynthos is a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region
- And the only municipality of the regional unit
- The seat of administration is Zakynthos, the main town of the island
- Since Zakynthos was under the rule of the Venetian Republic it had closer contact with Western literary trends than other areas inhabited by Greek people
- An early literary work from the island is the Rimada, a 16th-century romance in verse about Alexander the Great
- Notable early writers include Tzanes Koroneos (author of Andragathemata of Bouas, a work of historical fiction), Nikolaos Loukanis (a 16th-century Renaissance humanist), Markos Defaranas (1503–1575, possibly the author of the Rimada), Pachomios Roussanos (1508–1553, a scholar and theologian), and Antonio Catiforo (1685–1763, a grammarian and satirist)
- Towards the end of the 18th century, the so-called Heptanese School of Literature developed, consisting mainly of lyrical and satirical poetry in the vein of Romanticism prevalent throughout Europe at the time
- It also contributed to the development of modern Greek theatre
- An important poet of this school was Zakynthian Dionysios Solomos
- Another was Nikolaos Koutouzis, who also figures prominently in the Heptanese School of Painting
- Others include Georgios Tertsetis (1800–1873, politician, poet, and historian)
- The island is covered by a network of roads, particularly the flat eastern part, with main routes linking the capital with Volimes on north, Keri on the south, and peninsula Vassiliki on the west
- The road between Volimes and Lithakia is the spine of the western half of the island
- The island has one airport, Zakynthos International Airport (on former GR-35) which connects flights with other Greek airports and numerous tourist charters
- It is located 4.3 km (2.7 mi) from Zakynthos and opened in 1972
- Zakynthos also features two ports
- The main port, located in the capital
- And another in the village of Agios Nikolaos
- From the main port there is a connection to the port of Kyllini, which is the usual route for arrivals to the island by sea from the mainland
- From the port of Agios Nikolaos there is a connection to the island of Kefalonia
- Two academic departments belonging to the Technological Educational Institute of the Ionian Islands have been located on Zakynthos since 2003
- The department of Environmental Technology and Ecology has developed laboratory and field station infrastructures along Zakynthos and the Strofades islets
- The other department is the Protection and Conservation of Cultural Heritage
- Freshwater resources on Zakynthos are limited
- And as a result a Greek-Norwegian educational collaboration is being established on the island
- The Science Park Zakynthos is a collaboration between the Technological Educational Institute of the Ionian Islands (TEI), the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), and the Therianos Villas and Therianos Family Farm on Zakynthos
- Among the most famous Zakynthians is the 19th-century poet Dionysios Solomos
- Whose statue adorns the main town square
- The Italian poet Ugo Foscolo was born in Zakynthos
- The famous Renaissance surgeon and anatomist Andreas Vesalius died on Zakynthos
- After being shipwrecked while making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land
- His body is thought to have been buried on the island but the site has been lost
- Early 19th-century poet and playwright Elizabeth Moutzan-Martinegou was also born there
- Since the mid 1980s, Zakynthos (known as Zante) has become a hub for 18- 30 year old tourists leading to Alykanas and Laganas (former quiet villages)
- Becoming hometowns of clubbing hotels, nightclubs, bars and restaurants
- Alykanas is now the busiest destination on the island for British holidaymakers
- Surpassing Tsivili and Kalamaki
- Which are more popular with families
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