Tourist information -
Santorini
Santorini is the last of the Cyclades islands to
the South. The closests islands are Ios, Folegandros, Sikinos to
the North, Anafi and Amorgos to the East and Crete to the South.
We refer to Santorini as one, but actually is complex
of five islands. Santorini (Thira) is the main island and around
it Thirasia and Aspronisi (parts of the ancient Stroggili) and the
two volcanic islands Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni.
It was one island named Stroggili (circle in Greek)
until about 1645 BC, when the volcano in the middle of the island
erupted and Caldera was created. The two volcanic islands appeared
much later from various eruptions starting 157 BC and the last one
to be in the 20th century (1950).
Many reasons made Santorini famous worldwide and
more or less we all have seen a picture of Santorini (it was that
picture the travel agency used for Greece). There is a talk about
the connection between Thira and ancient Atlantis. Also Jules Verne
made Santorini famous with its books "Twenty Thousand Leagues
Under the Sea" and "The mysterious island" where
captain Nemo and his crew watch the volcano eruption. He was one
of the visitors and scientists that came to Thira during the eruptions
of 1866 - 1870 and wrote the well known book just after it. It is
realy the mysterious island, the volcano rules, the caldera view
is the most breathtaking one on the planet!
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