Mykonos

For other uses, see Mykonos (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Mykines.
Mykonos
Μύκονος
Regional unit

Mykonos town

Mykonos within the South Aegean
Coordinates: GR 37°27′N 25°21′E / 37.450°N 25.350°E / 37.450; 25.350Coordinates: GR 37°27′N 25°21′E / 37.450°N 25.350°E / 37.450; 25.350
Country  Greece
Region South Aegean
Capital Mykonos (town)
Area
  Total 105.2 km2 (40.6 sq mi)
Population (2011)
  Total 10,134
  Density 96/km2 (250/sq mi)
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
  Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal codes 846 00
Area codes 22890
Car plates EM
Website www.mykonos.gr

Mykonos (/ˈmɪkəˌnɒs/, /ˈmɪkəˌns/;[1] Greek: Μύκονος [ˈmikonos]) is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island spans an area of 85.5 square kilometres (33.0 sq mi) and rises to an elevation of 341 metres (1,119 feet) at its highest point. There are 10,134 inhabitants (2011 census), most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, which lies on the west coast. The town is also known as Chora (i.e. the Town in Greek, following the common practice in Greece when the name of the island itself is the same as the name of the principal town).

Mykonos' nickname is The island of the winds.[2][3] Tourism is a major industry and Mykonos is well known for its vibrant nightlife and for being a gay-friendly destination with many establishments catering for the LGBT community. [4][5][6][7]

History

Archaeological findings suggest the presence of the Neolithic tribe Kares on the island in 3000 BC, but the first real settlers seem to be the Ionians from Athens in the early 11th century BC. There were many people living on the neighbouring island of Delos, just 2 km (1.2 miles) away, which meant that Mykonos became an important place for supplies and transit. It was, however, during ancient times a rather poor island with limited agricultural resources and only two towns. Its inhabitants were polytheists and worshipped many gods.[8]

Mykonos town (Chora)

Mykonos came under the control of the Romans during the reign of the Roman Empire and then became part of the Byzantine Empire until the 12th century. In 1204, with the fall of Constantinople in the Fourth Crusade, Mykonos was occupied by Andrea Ghisi, a relative of the Doge of Venice. The island was ravaged by the Catalans at the end of the 13th century and finally given over to direct Venetian rule in 1390.

In 1537, while the Venetians still reigned, Mykonos was attacked by Hayreddin Barbarossa, the infamous admiral of Suleiman the Magnificent, and an Ottoman fleet established itself on the island. The Ottomans, under the leadership of Kapudan Pasha, imposed a system of self-governance comprising a governor and an appointed council of syndics. When the castle of Tinos fell to the Ottomans in 1718, the last of the Venetians withdrew from the region.

Up until the end of the 18th century, Mykonos prospered as a trading centre, attracting many immigrants from nearby islands, in addition to regular pirate raids. In June 1794 the Battle of Mykonos was fought between British and French ships in the island's main harbour.

The Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Empire broke out in 1821 and Mykonos played an important role, led by the national heroine, Manto Mavrogenous. Mavrogenous, a well-educated aristocrat guided by the ideas of the Enlightenment, sacrificed her family's fortune for the Greek cause. Greece became an independent state in 1830. A statue of her sits in the middle of Mando Mavrogenous square in the main town.

As a result of sailing and merchant activity, the island's economy quickly picked up but declined again during the late 19th century and especially after the opening of the Corinth Canal in 1904 and the First World War at the beginning of the 20th century. Many Mykonians left the island to find work in mainland Greece and many foreign countries, especially the United States.[9]

Tourism soon came to dominate the local economy, owing a lot to the important excavations carried out by the French School of Archaeology, which began work in Delos in 1873.

In the 1930s many famous artists, politicians and wealthy Europeans began spending their vacations on the island and Mykonos quickly became an international hot spot. Temporarily suspended during the Second World War, tourists once again rushed to Mykonos' luxurious shores in the 1950s and have not stopped since.

Mythology

In Greek mythology, the Mykonos was named after its first ruler, Mykons, the son or grandson of the god Apollo and a local hero. The island is also said to have been the location of a great battle between Zeus and Titans and where Hercules killed the invincible giants having lured them from the protection of Mount Olympus. It is even said that the large rocks all over the island are the petrified testicles (or, in bowdlerized versions of the myth, the entire corpses) of the giants; this portion of the myth is the source of the slang term "stones" attested in most major European languages.[10]

Panoramic view of Chora port

Geography

Village of Ano Mera
Houses of Chora
An example of tourism driven Cycladic architecture

The island spans an area of 85.5 square kilometres (33.0 sq mi) and rises to an elevation of 341 metres (1,119 feet) at its highest point. It is situated 150 kilometres (93 miles) east of Athens in the Aegean Sea. The island features no rivers, but numerous seasonal streams two of which have been converted into reservoirs.

The island is composed mostly of granite and the terrain is very rocky with many areas eroded by the strong winds. High quality clay and baryte, which is a mineral used as a lubricant in oil drilling, were mined on the eastern side of Mykonos until the late 1900s.

It produces 4,500 cubic metres (160,000 cu ft) of water daily, by reverse osmosis of sea water in order to help meet the needs of its population and visitors.[11]

The island has a population of nearly 12,500, most of whom live in the main town of Chora.[12]

Climate

The sun shines for up to 300 days a year. It rains between February and March. This arid climate produces sparse vegetation. Vegetation grows around the beginning of winter and ends in mid-summer.[13]

Although temperatures can rise as high as 40 °C (104 °F) in the summer months, average temperatures are around 28 °C (82 °F). In the winter, average temperatures are 15 °C (59 °F).

There are two seasonal winds in Mykonos. The one in winter arrives from the south and is sometimes accompanied by electrical storms. The Sirocco, a famous southern wind, carries sands from the deserts that border the Mediterranean. In the summer a cooling wind comes from the north, the Meltemi, during July and August.

Villages

There are ten villages:

Cuisine

Greek salad

Local specialities:

Government

The town hall

The municipality of Mykonos (officially: Greek: Δήμος Μυκόνου) is a separate regional unit of the South Aegean region, and the sole municipality in the regional unit.[14] As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Mykonos was created out of part of the former Cyclades Prefecture. The municipality, unchanged at the Kallikratis reform, also includes the islands Delos, Rineia and several uninhabited islets. The total area of the municipality is 105.2 km2 (41 sq mi)

In the 2012 elections, the centre right New Democracy obtained the highest vote on Mykonos followed by the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA).[15]

Demographics

There are 10,134 inhabitants (2011) most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, also known as Chora (i.e. the Town in Greek, a common denomination in Greece when the name of the island itself is the same as the name of the principal town).

Year Municipality population
1971 3,863
1981 5,530
1991 6,179
2001 9,320
2011 10,134

Economy

Being an Greek island, the economy of Mykonos, has close relation with the sea. However, with the rise of tourism, it plays a minor role during summer.[16]

Landmarks

Chora windmills
Mikri Venetia (Little Venice)
Elia Beach

The original Neoclassical building underwent refurbishments and expansions in the 1930s and 1960s and the large eastern room was added in 1972. The museum contains artefacts from the neighbouring island Rhenia, including 9th- to 8th-century BC ceramic pottery from the Cyclades and 7th- to 6th-century BC works from other areas in the Aegean. Its most famous item is the large vase produced in Tinos, showing scenes from the fall of Troy.[24]

Aegean Maritime Museum exhibit

Churches

Transportation

Blue Star Ferry

Mykonos Airport is located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) southeast of the town of Mykonos and it is served by international flights during summer. The flight from Athens to Mykonos is 25 minutes.[31]

Mykonos is also accessible by boat and ferries. High speed vessels travel there daily from the surrounding islands and from Athens.[32]

Taxis, buses or boats are available for transportation. There are three main bus depots in Mykonos. The northern one is situated behind Remezzo Club above the old Port and provides regular service to Ano Mera, Elia and Kalafatis. A few hundred meters below, at the Old Port, lays another Depot focusing on the northern destinations of Tourlos (New Port) and Agios Stefanos. The southern Bus Depot is at the town "entrance", called Fabrika and it provides regular service to Ornos, Agios Yannis, Plati Gialos, Psarou, Paraga, and Paradise Beach. Small boats travel to and from the many beaches.[33] Tour boats go regularly to the nearby island of Delos.[34]

Culture

In 2013 the Mykonos Biennale was inaugurated. It offers theatrical, cultural, cinematic, artistic, and musical productions.[35]

Notable people

In popular culture

Gallery

See also

References

  1. Dictionary Reference: Mykonos
  2. "Mykonos – The Island of the Winds". Travel Wide World. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  3. "The island of the winds and blue seas". World News. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  4. Tom Masters, Europe on a shoestring, 2008
  5. Duncan Garwood, Mediterranean Europe, 2009
  6. Lloyd E. Hudman, Richard H. Jackson, Geography of travel and tourism, 2003
  7. Harry Coccossis, Alexandra Mexa, The challenge of tourism carrying capacity assessment: theory and practice, 2004
  8. Christopher Street. That New Magazine, Incorporated. 1995. p. 19. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  9. Tsakos, Konstantinos (1998). Delos-Mykonos: A Guide to the History and Archaeology. Delos Island: Hesperos.
  10. John Freely (4 June 2006). The Cyclades: Discovering the Greek Islands of the Aegean. I.B.Tauris. p. 111. ISBN 978-1-84511-160-1. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  11. "An Error Occurred Setting Your User Cookie". Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  12. "Mykonos Island Geography". Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  13. "Mykonos Weather". Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  14. Kallikratis reform law text PDF
  15. Simon Rogers (2012-05-06). "Greece election results mapped. Infographic | News". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
  16. "Mykonos, often called as the Ibiza of Greece - Greeka.com". Greeka. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  17. "Mykonos Municipal Library". Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  18. "Petros the Pelican". Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  19. "Windmills of Mykonos". Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  20. Viator http://www.viator.com/Mykonos-attractions/The-Windmills-Kato-Mili/d958-a5086
  21. "Little Venice".
  22. "Armenistis Lighthouse". Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  23. "The Three Wells".
  24. "Archaeological Museum". Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  25. "The Aegean Maritime Museum". Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  26. "Folklore Museum of Mykonos".
  27. "Lena's House". Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  28. "Agricultural Museum". Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  29. "Panagia Paraportiani". Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  30. "Catholic Church". Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  31. Mykonos Airport Info Center, Mykonos Airport - Welcome
  32. "Travel To Mykonos".
  33. "Getting Around Mykonos". Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  34. "mykonos tours, excursions, day trips, cruises, Delos". Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  35. "metamatic:taf".
  36. "Poetry Daily: Kenneth Koch, "Sleeping with Women"". Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  37. "Mykonos Web - About Mykonos - Gr". Retrieved 20 February 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mykonos.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Mykonos.
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