The Islands of Greece

The peninsula country of Greece has over 6,000 islands in the seas that surround it. The Greeks began claiming these islands as early as 1200 BC. Crete is the largest and also has the largest number of inhabitants. Euboea, Lesbos and Rhodes are the next in size. The remaining islands are very small. Most of these are not large enough for people to live on them. The small islands that are inhabited usually only have populations of a few hundred people.

The Greek islands surround the entire country and are separated into different groups according to their location. The Cyclades are located in the central part of the Aegean Sea, while the North Aegean Islands to the north of them. The Dodecanese Islands are in the southeast Aegean, between Crete and Turkey. The Saronic Islands include Hydra and Dokos, both of which are near where Athens lies on the mainland. The Sporades are a small group of Greek islands off the coast of Euboea, which sits tightly to the east of the Greek peninsula. The Ionian Islands are situated in the Ionian Sea, between Greece and Italy.

The island of Hydra is a popular tourist destination, as it is close to Athens and you can get there by boat in just a few minutes. Skorpios, located in the Ionian grouping, is probably the most famous as it was the private island owned by Aristotle Onassis. Corfu, also in the Ionians, is a very popular spot, with local tourists as well as travelers from all over the world.