Kos

Kos or Cos, island, south-eastern Greece, in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of Turkey, second-largest of the Dodecanese Islands. It is about 40 km (25 mi) long and 8 km (5 mi) wide, with an area of 287 sq km (111 sq mi), and consists mostly of fertile and well-tilled plains and partially of hilly country. Farming and stock raising are the principal occupations of the island, and grapes, figs, olives, lettuce, tomatoes, almonds, wheat, barley, and corn are the most important crops. The population (1981) is 20,350. Kos contains many important architectural remains of ancient Greek civilization. It is thought to be the birthplace of the physician Hippocrates.

The principal town and port of the island, also named Kos, was an important centre for learning during the reign of the Egyptian king Ptolemy II. A 14th-century fortress erected by the Knights of Rhodes is here.