Tuesday, September 9, 2008

One of the best-known of the Greek isles: Santorini


Oia, Santorini Island, Greece June 2006
Originally uploaded by ehpien

Santorini is a small, circular archipelago of volcanic islands located in the southern Aegean Sea. It is also known as Thera and is part of the Cyclades group of islands. The population is 13,670, says Wikipedia.

Santorini is essentially what remains of an enormous volcanic explosion, destroying the earliest settlements on what was formerly a single island, and leading to the creation of the current geological caldera. Its spectacular physical beauty, along with a dynamic nightlife, have made the island one of Europe's tourist hotspots.

The devastating volcanic eruption of Thera - about 1600 BCE - has become the most famous single event in the Aegean before the fall of Troy. This may have been one of the biggest volcanic eruptions on Earth in the last few thousand years.

This location is on the list of possible locations for the fabled city of Atlantis. As with most myths, connections to real places are usually dubious and many scientists often are skeptical. However some archaeological, seismological, and vulcanological evidence [11] [12] [13] (popularized on The History Channel show Lost Worlds episode "Atlantis" [14]) regarding Crete, Santorini, and the description of Atlantis from Plato has been presented linking the Atlantis myth to Santorini.

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