Santorini

Santorini, island, south-eastern Greece. It is the southernmost of the Cyclades group in the south Aegean Sea and is on the northern edge of the sea of Crete. The island is about 75 sq km (29 sq mi) in area. Santorini and its surrounding islets are formed from the rim of an ancient drowned volcano that exploded in about 1500 bc, and this disaster may have been the basis for the writings of Plato about the lost continent of Atlantis. The earliest volcanic eruptions in its recorded history were in 236 bc: the latest were from 1925 to 1926. The main town is Thíra, which has a sheltered, deep ancient harbour, and is set on top of sheer cliffs that lead to a precipitous summit that is 584 m (1,916 ft) above sea level. The town was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1956 and has largely been rebuilt since then.

The island has been settled by many civilizations from the early 2nd millennium bc onward, beginning with the Minoans and including the Dorians and Phoenicians. It was a naval base for the ancient Egyptians and was later ruled by the Romans; for much of the Middle Ages it belonged to Venice before its capture by the Turks in 1537. There is an archaeological museum in the town of Thíra. A notable feature of the town are the blue-domed churches. There are many prehistoric and archaeological sites on the island and the town of Akrotiri is the site of a Minoan settlement that is largely unexcavated. Tourism is important to the local economy, and one of the island’s attractions is the long black beaches on the north and south coasts consisting of volcanic sand. Grapes grow well in the volcanic soil, producing sherry-like wine. Population (1994 estimate) 10,000.