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Cyclades
Islands
The six major stars in this constellation of islands in the
central Aegean Sea - Andros, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros,
Santorini (Thira) and Siros - are the most famous and most
visited islands of Greece. The
islands, which have a total land area of 976 square miles
(2,528 square km), are peaks of the submerged mountain
ranges of Greece. In antiquity they were the center
of a Bronze Age culture, the Cycladic, noted for its white
marble idols. The name Cyclades means "encircling
islands," and they are so named because they form a
rough circle around the sacred island of Delos, which was
the legendary birthplace of Artemis and her brother Apollo. In a
magnificent fusion of sunlight, stone, and sparkling aqua
sea, they offer both culture and hedonism: ancient sites,
Byzantine castles and museums, lively nightlife, shopping,
dining, and beaches plain and fancy. The majority of the
islands are arid and rocky and most also share the
"Cycladic" style of brilliant white, cubist
architecture. On many of the islands, the chief town,
officially named Chora (meaning "town"), has come
to be called by the name of the island. Click on the links below in order to see pictures of the Cyclades Islands.
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