Koufonisia
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Koufonisia Κουφονήσια |
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 Koufonisia
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Location within the regional unit
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| Coordinates: 36°56′N 25°36′E / 36.933°N 25.600°ECoordinates: 36°56′N 25°36′E / 36.933°N 25.600°E | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | South Aegean |
| Regional unit | Naxos |
| Municipality | Naxos and Lesser Cyclades |
| • Municipal unit | 26.025 km2 (10.048 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 114 m (374 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Municipal unit | 399 |
| • Municipal unit density | 15/km2 (40/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
| Postal code | 843 00 |
| Area code(s) | 22850 |
| Vehicle registration | EM |
| Website | www.koufonisia.gr |
Koufonisia (Greek: Κουφονήσια) is a former community in the Cyclades, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Naxos and Lesser Cyclades, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 26.025 km2.
Koufonisia include three main islands:
Geographically, they are located on the southeast side of Naxos and on the west side of Amorgos and belong to the complex of the Lesser East Cyclades. Uninhabited Keros is a protected archaeological site from which a large number of ancient Cycladic art pieces have been excavated in the 20th century.
There are two proposed explanations for the origin of the name of the island. According to the first, Koufonisia was the ancient name of the gulf between Koufonisia and Glaronisi. The full name was "Koufos Limin", which means lee port, where ships can anchor. According to the second version, which is supported by Manesis, this name was chosen because of the large number of caves and sediments that are found on the island. Anthony Miliarakis, in contrast with these two theories, wrote in his book in 1920 that Pano Koufonisi was known as "Fakousa" and Kato Koufonisi as "Pino".
According to archaeological findings, Koufonisia has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Excavations in Epano Mili brought to light evidence that dates back to the first years of Cycladic civilization. One of the most important findings from this period is a fryer-shaped vessel with a nine-ray star on it, exhibited in Naxos' museum. Excavations on the east shore brought to light remains dating to Hellenistic and Roman times.
In the course of history, Koufonisia followed the fate of the rest of Cyclades islands. They were dominated by the Venetians and the Turks, who, mostly in the 17th century, fought about the governance of the Aegean Sea. Residents of Koufonisia, either because they needed to or because they wanted to, often joined their forces with the residents of Mani or with other pirates, who were using the channel between Pano and Kato Koufonisi as a safe shelter. Koufonisia were set free along with the rest of Cyclades islands and incorporated into the Greek state in 1830.
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Wikipedia