Astypalea
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Astypalea Αστυπάλαια |
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Astypalaia (harbour)
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 Astypalea
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Location within the region
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| Coordinates: 36°33′N 26°21′E / 36.550°N 26.350°ECoordinates: 36°33′N 26°21′E / 36.550°N 26.350°E | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | South Aegean |
| Regional unit | Kalymnos |
| Area | |
| • Municipality | 114.1 km2 (44.1 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 506 m (1,660 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Municipality | 1,334 |
| • Municipality density | 12/km2 (30/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
| Postal code | 859 00 |
| Area code(s) | 22430 |
| Vehicle registration | ΚΧ, ΡΟ, ΡΚ |
| Website | astipalea |
Astypalaia (Greek: Αστυπάλαια, pronounced [astiˈpalea]), known in Italian as Stampalia and in Ottoman Turkish as İstanbulya (استانبوليه), is a Greek island with 1,334 residents (2011 census). It belongs to the Dodecanese, an archipelago of twelve major islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea.
The island is 18 kilometres (11 miles) long, 13 kilometres (8 miles) wide at the most, and covers an area of 97 km2. Along with numerous smaller uninhabited offshore islets (the largest of which are Sýrna and Ofidoussa), it forms the Municipality of Astypalaia, which is part of the Kalymnos regional unit. The municipality has an area of 114.077 km2. The capital and the previous main harbour of the island is Astypalaia or Chora, as it is called by the locals.
The coasts of Astypalaia are rocky with many small pebble-strewn beaches. A small band of land of roughly 126 metres wide almost separates the island in two sections at Sterno.
A new harbour has been built in Agios Andreas on the mid island from where now the connections are west and east with Piraeus and the other islands of the Dodecanese. Flight connections with Athens from the airport close to Maltezana.
In Greek mythology, Astypalaia was a woman abducted by Poseidon in the form of a winged fish-tailed leopard. The island was colonized by Megara or possibly Epidaurus, and its governing system and buildings are known from numerous inscriptions. Pliny the Elder records that Rome accorded Astypalaia the status of a free state. It was assigned to the Aegean Roman province of Insulae.
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Wikipedia