Zakynthos

Area: 407.58 km².

Population: 40,759 people (2011).

Locations: The capital of the island is Zakynthos or Zante.

Structure and relief: The territory of the island consists of two mountain ranges, separated by a valley.

Natural resources / ecology: There is a large population of Caretta-Caretta turtles on the island, which lay eggs on the island’s sands.

Industry: almost absent, there is a plant for the production of olive oil and a winery.

Agriculture: Typical crops are grown: olives, grapes, incl. for the manufacture of cinnamon and citrus. The soil of the island perfectly absorbs moisture, so there is no shortage of artesian sources in Zakynthos.

Tourism: The great beaches that make up most of the coastline attract a large number of tourists. Zakynthos is also interesting for its historical monuments. An impressive Venetian tower and ancient churches adorned with frescoes of the 11th — 14th centuries have been preserved in the town of Volime, and in the capital of the island is a powerful fortress also built by Venetians.

Fishing: coastal.

Transportation: The island can be reached by plane from Athens . The sea connection is a ferry from Kilini to the capital of the island, where there is a yacht marina. Also opened international charter flights from around the world, including from Russia. The island has a developed modern road network.

The name of the island comes from the name of Zakynthos, the son of king Phrygia Dardan . Then, according to mythology, the island was conquered by Arkishios, Odyssey's grandfather. According to Homer , the inhabitants of Zakynthos participated in the march on Troy under the leadership of Odysseus, along with the inhabitants of Ithaca ^[4] .

During the Greco-Persian Wars, Zakynthos remained neutral, and likewise in the Roman period he was granted autonomy.

During the Byzantine period, the island was twice raided by pirates and vandals.

In 1185 the island was captured by the Normans from Sicily and remained under their control until 1479, then passing into the hands of the Venetians . The Venetians liked the island very much, and they called it “the flower of the Levant ”.

In the long wars of the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice (XV-XVIII centuries) for the possession of the Ionian archipelago took an active part of the island’s natives.

The domination of Venice was interrupted by Republican France under the Campo-Formira peace treaty of 1797, and then in 1798 the French were knocked out during the march of Admiral Ushakov .

With the support of Ushakov, the Greek state of the Seven Islands was created, which existed from 1800 to 1809. According to the Peace of Tilsit, the French returned to the islands.

At the end of the Napoleonic wars in 1813, the islands called “ Ionian Republic ” became a British protectorate .

In 1864, the British, under pressure from the islanders, were forced to hand over the islands, including Zakynthos, to the Greek state revived by that time during the war of liberation of 1821-1829.

In 1953, the island was badly damaged by the earthquake .

• Aksakov, Konstantin Sergeevich (1817-1860) - Russian writer. He lived and died in Zakynthos.
• Varvatsi, Ivan Andreevich (1745–1825), a Russian nobleman and philanthropist of Greek origin, a member of the secret liberation society Filiki Eteria, died on the island while in prison.
• Vesalius, Andreas (1514–1564) - physician and anatomist, the founder of scientific anatomy. Once on the island after a shipwreck, he died of starvation and disease.
• (1909–1985) - Mayor of Zakynthos from 1937 to April 1945. He was recognized by the Israeli Yad Vashem Righteous Among the Nations of the World to save the Jewish community of Zakynthos ^[5] .
• Kostaki, Georgy Dionisovich (1913-1995) Russian collector of Greek origin (parents from Zakynthos).
• Xenopoulos, Grigorios (1867-1951) - writer. He grew up on Zakynthos.
• Chrysostom (Dimitriu) (1890-1958) - Bishop of the Hellenic Orthodox Church , Metropolitan of Trifili and Olympic. For the salvation of the Jewish community, Zakynthos is recognized by the Israeli Yad Vashem as the Righteous Among the Nations of the World ^[6] .
• Ziller, Ernst (1837–1923) - German architect, author of the city theater in Zakynthos.

• Zakynthos is the capital of the island. There are several interesting churches in the city. The Byzantine Museum presents a collection of icons of the XVII century .
• Volime is a village whose inhabitants weave carpets with traditional ornaments. In the village there are two churches - XII and XIII centuries .
• The bay "Lagana" - its beaches are the place of egg-bearing of the sea turtle " Caretta-Caretta ". Since 1999, declared a national park.

• Ionian Islands
• List of islands of Greece

• Zante // The Brockhaus and Efron Jewish Encyclopedia . - SPb. 1908-1913. - T. 7. - Stb. 676-677.
• V. Vodovozov . Ionian Islands // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : 86 t. (82 t. And 4 extra.). - SPb. , 1894. - T. XIIIa. - p. 747-748.