Samos
From Freepedia
- For other bearers of the name see Samos (disambiguation)
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Periphery: | North Aegean |
| Capital: | Samos |
| Area: | 778 km² Ranked 48th |
| Elevation: | Lowest: Aegean Sea Highest: Kerketeos (1,433 m) |
| Inhabitants: | 44,114 Ranked 46th |
| Population density: | 56/km² |
| ISO 3166-2: | GR-84 |
| FIPS code: | GR48 |
| Car designation: | MO (Samos) |
| Code for the municipalities: | 46xx |
| Number of municipalities: | 8 |
| Postal code | 83x xx |
| 2-letter abbrev: | SM |
| Map | |
| Image:GreeceSamos.png | |
Samos (Greek Σάμος; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is an island in southeastern Greece in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of Turkey. It is located between the island of Chios to the North and the Dodecanese Islands to the South. Products include tobacco, wine, honey, olive oil, and citrus fruit. The Muscat grape is a main crop used for wine production. With the neighbouring islands of Ikaria and Fourni, the island of Samos is administered as part of Samos prefecture (nómos). Its capital and main port is the city of Vathí, also called Samos; other ports are Karlóvassi and Pythagóreion, formerly called Tigáni. The nearest airport is Samos Airport.
The area of the island is 468 square kilometres, and it is forty-three kilometres long thirteen kilometres wide. The population is about 42,000, about 80% of the prefectural population. The highest point is the Kerketeus (1,433 metres).
Contents |
History
In classical times the island was a centre of Ionian culture and luxury, known for its wines and its red pottery (called Samian ware by the Romans). Its most famous building, for a brief time, was the archaic Ionic Temple of Hera (the Heraion), built by the architects Rhoikos and Theodoros c. 540 BC, which stood opposite the cult altar of Hera in her sanctuary. It was a dipteral temple, that is with a portico of columns two deep, which surrounded it entirely (peripterally). It had a deep square-roofed pronaos in front of a closed cella. Cella and pronaos were divided into three equal aisles by two rows of columns that marched down the pronaos and through the temple. The result was that Hera was worshipped in a temple fitted within a stylized grove of columns, eight across and twenty-one deep. The columns stood on unusual bases that were horizontally fluted.
The Heraion of Samos was the first of the gigantic Ionic temples. Unfortunately it stood for only about a decade before it was destroyed, probably by an earthquake. One of the giant statues from the Heraion survives in the Samos Archaeological Museum.
In the 6th century BC Samos was ruled by the famous tyrant Polycrates.
During his reign, two working groups under the lead of the engineer Eupalinos dug a tunnel through Mount Kastro to build an aqueduct for supplying Tigáni (the capital of Samos) with water, which was of utmost stragetic importance. It is not documented, which method Eupalinos employed to make the two groups meet in the middle of the mountain. With a length of 1,036 metres, the tunnel today is known as one of the masterpieces of ancient engineering.
Even so, the island followed the fate of the Ionian cities, being subjugated to the Persian Empire. During the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), Samos took the side of Athens against Sparta, providing their port to the Athenian fleet.
Perhaps the most famous persons ever connected with classical Samos were Pythagoras and a slave who belonged to Iadmon, whose name was Aesop (famous for Aesop's Fables). In 1955 the town of Tigáni was renamed Pythagório to honour the famous mathematician. Other notable personalities include the philosopher Epicurus, who was born on the island. The astronomer Aristarchus, whom history credits with the first recorded heliocentric model of the solar system, lived on Samos. As did the great sculptor and inventor Theodorus. Herodotus (known for his book The Histories of Herodotus) lived in Samos for a time.
Samos was part of the Roman Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, then Ottoman Empire until 1832 when it became a semi-independent principality under a Christian head of state, but still paying tribute to the Ottomans.
In 1913 it was included in Greece as a result of the Balkan Wars.
On August 3 1989, a Shorts 330 of the Olympic Airways (now Olympic Airlines) crashed near Samos Airport; thirty-one passengers died.
Climate
Image:Pythagoreion harbour.jpg Its climate is mainly Mediterranean.
Municipalities
| Municipality | YPES code | Seat | Postal code | Area code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agios Kirykos | 4601 | Agios Kirykos | 833 00 | 22750-2 |
| Evdilos | 4603 | Evdilos | 833 02 | 22750-3 |
| Fourni Korseon | 4608 | Fourni Korseon | 833 01 | 22750-5 |
| Karlovassi | 4604 | Karlovassi | 832 00 | 22730-3 |
| Marathokampos | 4605 | Marathokampos | 831 02 | 22730-3 |
| Pythagoreio | 4606 | Pythagoreio | 831 03 | 22730-6 thru 9 |
| Raches | 4607 | Christon Rachon | 833 01 | 22750-4 |
| Vathy | 4602 | Vathy/Samos | 831-00 | 22730-2 |
Image:Samos 26.80174E 37.72709N.jpg
See also: List of settlements in the Samos prefecture
External links
- Tunnel of Eupalinos
- Travel to Samos — Samos guide
- samosin.gr
- samosnet.gr
- Pictures of Samos — regularly up-dated
- Samos info Samos by Holiday.gr
| Divisions of the Samos prefecture |
| Municipalities of the Samos prefecture |
|
Agios Kyrikos | Evdilos | Fourni Korseon | Karlovassi | Marathokampos] | Pythagorio | Raches | Samos, also Vathy |
| Provinces of the Samos prefecture |
| Icaria | Samos
|
Categories: Cities and towns in Greece | Greek prefectural capitals | Islands of Greece | North Aegean | Prefectures of Greece | Ionian colonies
