Zakynthos trivia: 68 amazing facts about this Greek island!

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!

1. Zakynthos is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea
2. It is also spelled Zakinthos
3. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands
4. Zakynthos is a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region
5. And its only municipality
6. It covers an area of 405.55 km2 (156.6 sq mi)
7. Its coastline is roughly 123 km (76 mi) in length
8. The name, like all similar names ending in -nthos, is pre-Mycenaean or Pelasgian in origin
9. In Greek mythology the island was said to be named after Zakynthos, the son of the legendary Arcadian chief Dardanus
10. Zakynthos is a tourist destination
11. With an international airport served by charter flights from northern Europe
12. The island’s nickname is “the Flower of the Levant”
13. Bestowed upon it by the Venetians who were in possession of Zakynthos from 1484- 1797
14. Zakynthos was hit by a 7.3-magnitude earthquake in 1953
15. Which destroyed most of the buildings on the island
16. Subsequently, all buildings have been fortified to protect against further tremors
17. 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
18. Famous landmarks include the Navagio beach
19. A cove on the northwest shore isolated by high cliffs
20. It is accessible only by boat
21. Numerous natural “blue caves” are cut into cliffs around Cape Skinari
22. And accessible only by small boats
23. Keri, on the south of the island, is a mountain village with a lighthouse
24. The whole western shore from Keri to Skinari contains rock formations including arches
25. Northern and eastern shores feature numerous wide sandy beaches
26. Some of which attract tourists in summer months
27. The largest resort is Laganas
28. Marathonissi islet near Limni Keriou has tropical vegetation, turquoise waters, beaches, and sea caves
29. It is also known as “Turtle Island”
30. Bochali hill above the Zakynthos town contains a small Venetian castle
31. Zakynthos is a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region
32. And the only municipality of the regional unit
33. The seat of administration is Zakynthos, the main town of the island
34. 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
35. An early literary work from the island is the Rimada, a 16th-century romance in verse about Alexander the Great
36. 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)
37. 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
38. It also contributed to the development of modern Greek theatre
39. An important poet of this school was Zakynthian Dionysios Solomos
40. Another was Nikolaos Koutouzis, who also figures prominently in the Heptanese School of Painting
41. Others include Georgios Tertsetis (1800–1873, politician, poet, and historian)
42. 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
43. The road between Volimes and Lithakia is the spine of the western half of the island
44. The island has one airport, Zakynthos International Airport (on former GR-35) which connects flights with other Greek airports and numerous tourist charters
45. It is located 4.3 km (2.7 mi) from Zakynthos and opened in 1972
46. Zakynthos also features two ports
47. The main port, located in the capital
48. And another in the village of Agios Nikolaos
49. 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
50. From the port of Agios Nikolaos there is a connection to the island of Kefalonia
51. Two academic departments belonging to the Technological Educational Institute of the Ionian Islands have been located on Zakynthos since 2003
52. The department of Environmental Technology and Ecology has developed laboratory and field station infrastructures along Zakynthos and the Strofades islets
53. The other department is the Protection and Conservation of Cultural Heritage
54. Freshwater resources on Zakynthos are limited
55. And as a result a Greek-Norwegian educational collaboration is being established on the island
56. 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
57. Among the most famous Zakynthians is the 19th-century poet Dionysios Solomos
58. Whose statue adorns the main town square
59. The Italian poet Ugo Foscolo was born in Zakynthos
60. The famous Renaissance surgeon and anatomist Andreas Vesalius died on Zakynthos
61. After being shipwrecked while making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land
62. His body is thought to have been buried on the island but the site has been lost
63. Early 19th-century poet and playwright Elizabeth Moutzan-Martinegou was also born there
64. 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)
65. Becoming hometowns of clubbing hotels, nightclubs, bars and restaurants
66. Alykanas is now the busiest destination on the island for British holidaymakers
67. Surpassing Tsivili and Kalamaki
68. Which are more popular with families