The second site of major archaeological importance is Ancient Thira. It has been filled several times by ignimbrite since then, and the process repeated itself, most recently 21,000 years ago. [4] Before then, it was known as Kallístē (Καλλίστη, "the most beautiful one"), Strongýlē (Greek: Στρογγύλη, "the circular one"),[6] or Thēra. Fira, also known as Thira or Hora, is the island’s capital. Many of the houses in Akrotiri are major structures, some of them three stories high. It can accommodate Boeing 757, Boeing 737, Airbus 320 series, Avro RJ, Fokker 70, and ATR 72 aircraft. Santorini’s climate is mild and Mediterranean. At Knossos, in a LMIIIA context (14th century BC), seven Linear B texts while calling upon "all the gods" make sure to grant primacy to an elsewhere-unattested entity called qe-ra-si-ja and, once, qe-ra-si-jo. Santorini's primary industry is tourism. The site was closed for almost seven years while a new canopy was built. In The Parting of the Sea: How Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Plagues Shaped the Exodus Story,[14] geologist Barbara J. Sivertsen seeks to establish a link between the eruption of Santorini (c. 1600 BC) and the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt in the Bible. The ground is not part of the earth’s crust, but instead it was formed by the hardening of a viscous liquid that emerged from the bowels of the earth. [16][17] In a 2013 book on this connection, Thera and the Exodus, a dissident from the consensus Riaan Booysen, tries to support Jacobovici's theory and claims the pharaoh of the Exodus to be Amenhotep III and the biblical Moses as Crown Prince Thutmose, Amenhotep's first-born son and heir to his throne. [citation needed]. The canopy covering the ruins collapsed in an accident in September 2005, killing one tourist and injuring seven more. The earliest eruptions, many of which were submarine, were on the Akrotiri Peninsula, and active between 650,000 and 550,000 years ago. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100. It boasts ruins from Minoans, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, and Venetians. Pichler, H. and Friedrich, W.L. The frescos can be seen today at the island’s Archaeological Museum and the site can be visited everyday except Monday and holidays. The town also had a highly developed drainage system and, judging from the fine artwork, its citizens were clearly sophisticated and relatively wealthy people. When winter comes, everything goes to a standstill; the locals shut themselves up in their houses and catch up on lost sleep. [citation needed] The pipes run in twin systems, indicating that Therans used both hot and cold water supplies; the origin of the hot water probably was geothermic, given the volcano's proximity. License : CC BY-4.0 The contrast between these two faces of Santorini is dramatic and extraordinary. Today, that city is referred to as Ancient Thera. Archaeological evidence, based on the established chronology of Bronze Age Mediterranean cultures, dates the eruption to around 1500 BC. "Therasia" and its ethnikon "Therasios" are both attested in later Greek; and, since -sos was itself a genitive suffix in the Aegean Sprachbund, *Qeras[os] could also shrink to *Qera. Welcome to the United Nations. In the 2018 video game Assassin's Creed Odyssey, a gateway to the mythical lost city of Atlantis is located in a temple beneath the island of Thera. Santorini is not just an island that has developed as its island neighbors have. There have been at least twelve large explosive eruptions, of which at least four were caldera-forming. The entire center of the circular island sank into the sea during the tremendous volcanic explosion 3.500 years ago. The violent eruption was centred on a small island just north of the existing island of Nea Kameni in the centre of the caldera; the caldera itself was formed several hundred thousand years ago by the collapse of the centre of a circular island, caused by the emptying of the magma chamber during an eruption. Santorini remained unoccupied throughout the rest of the Bronze Age, during which time the Greeks took over Crete. The municipality of Thera includes an additional 12 local subdivisions on Santorini island: Akrotiri, Emporio, Episkopis Gonia, Exo Gonia, Imerovigli, Karterados, Megalohori, Mesaria, Pyrgos Kallistis, Thera (the seat of the municipality), Vothon, and Vourvoulos.[9]. The 2.1% decrease in the correctional population . Imagine in the center a hill, surrounded by a ring of water; the ring of water surrounded by a circle of land, then another ring of water and one of land, until there were nine rings of water and nine of land. The present municipality of Thera (officially: "Thira", Greek: Δήμος Θήρας),[7][8] which covers all settlements on the islands of Santorini and Therasia, was formed at the 2011 local government reform, by the merger of the former Oia and Thera municipalities.[3]. Santorini retained its privileged position in the 17th century, but suffered in turn from Venetian raids during the frequent Ottoman–Venetian wars of the period, even though there were no Muslims on the island. Some two million people flocked to the Greek island of Santorini last year. The continents population density is 246.11 per square mile. “Our population has shot up because success has meant that everyone wants to work here,” says Nikos Zorzos, Santorini’s mayor. After carrying the dirt next to his heart for several days, Euphemus dreamt that he nursed the dirt with milk from his breast, and that the dirt turned into a beautiful woman with whom he had sex. Chart and table of Italy population from 1950 to 2020. The city was built of black and red stone; the roofs of the houses were of red copper and flashed in the sun; and there were two beautiful temples, one surrounded by a golden wall and the other with silver walls, golden pinnacles, and a roof of ivory. The site was not a palace-complex as found in Crete, but neither was it a conglomeration of merchants' warehousing, as its excellent masonry and fine wall-paintings show. Sheer, impressive cliffs, and parallel layers of black and red rocks compose its western side. [10] The most famous eruption is the Minoan eruption, detailed below. The population of Santorini numbers some 11,400 people yet every year 500,000 tourists visit the island. Following the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence on the Greek mainland in March 1821, in May Santorini followed suit, although the local Catholic population had its reservations. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός", "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. Other indicators visualized on maps: (In English only, for now) Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000 women ages 15-19) [25], Excavations starting in 1967 at the Akrotiri site under the late Professor Spyridon Marinatos have made Thera the best-known Minoan site outside of Crete, homeland of the culture. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot ( various years ), ( 5 ) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and ( 6 ) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme. Before the Minoan eruption, the caldera formed a nearly continuous ring with the only entrance between the tiny island of Aspronisi and Thera; the eruption destroyed the sections of the ring between Aspronisi and Therasia, and between Therasia and Thera, creating two new channels. Update to date information about population of Greece in 2020. The eruption caused tidal waves which virtually wiped out the advanced Minoan civilization of Crete 70 miles to the south. The complex formed during the Miocene and was folded and metamorphosed during the Alpine orogeny around 60 million years ago. It boasts ruins from Minoans, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, and Venetians. Santorini was ranked the world's top island by many magazines and travel sites, including the Travel+Leisure Magazine,[44] the BBC,[45] as well as the US News. The beauty of Santorini must depend on light and line; there is hardly any vegetation apart from vines, and the volcanic earth has no charm of color, unlike the earth and rock of the limestone islands. [23], Santorini has a semi-arid climate (Bsh in the Köppen climate classification) with Mediterranean characteristics. Today, special water container trucks brought over on ferries meet the water supply demands of Santorini. has become the most famous single event in the Aegean before the fall of Troy. Santorini boasts several nice beaches and two major archaeological sites. [2] Santorini is part of the Thira regional unit. Santorini (Greek: Σαντορίνη, pronounced [sandoˈrini]), officially Thira (Greek: Θήρα [ˈθira]) and classic Greek Thera (English pronunciation /ˈθɪərə/), is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from Greece. The yield per hectare is only 10 to 20% of the yields that are common in France or California. Gamepedia. The basement rock is primarily composed of metamorphosed limestone and schist, which date from the Alpine Orogeny. The frescos can be seen today at the island’s Archaeological Museum and the site can be visited everyday except Monday and holidays. 1280 when it was reconquered by Licario (the claims of earlier historians that the island had been held by Jacopo I Barozzi and his son as a fief have been refuted in the second half of the twentieth century)[38][39][40]; it was again reconquered from the Byzantines ca. The story was told by the ancient Greeks, and had been handed down from father to son for many generations before the Greek philosopher Plato wrote a famous story about it, about 375 BC. The name Thera was revived in the nineteenth century as the offici… A total of 38 countries will have smaller populations in 2050 than in 2018. The island is still home to a Catholic community and the seat of a Catholic bishopric. More than 25,000 people are now permanent residents. area and average elevation)", "Δήμος Θήρας, the official municipal government website", "Municipality of Thira, English language version of the official municipal government website", "Spreadsheet table of all administrative subdivisions in Greece, and their population as of the 18 March 2001 census", "Santorini Eruption (~1630 BC) and the legend of Atlantis", "Ye gods! In 1967, a city buried by a volcanic eruption in 1500 BC., was found on Santorini. Santorini was also struck by a devastating earthquake in 1956. The poem goes on to claim that the island was named Thera after Euphemus' descendant Theras, son of Autesion, the leader of a group of refugee settlers from Lemnos. Santorini is one of the few Cyclades Islands with a major airport, which lies about 6 km (4 mi) southeast of downtown Thera. The oldest signs of human settlement are Late Neolithic (4th millennium BC or earlier), but c. 2000–1650 BC Akrotiri developed into one of the Aegean's major Bronze Age ports, with recovered objects that came not just from Crete, but also from Anatolia, Cyprus, Syria, and Egypt, as well as from the Dodecanese and the Greek mainland. Player: Santorin; Tournament: NA LCS 2018 Summer Playoffs - Showing Values Per Game - Open As Query 3 Total Games Played on 2 Champions (On ⁠ ⁠ FLY ) Champion [10] Nine subaerial eruptions are recorded in the historical record since that time, with the most recent ending in 1950. The island was very rich, and the people content. The second site of major archaeological importance is Ancient Thira. White varieties also include Athiri and Aidani, whereas red varieties include mavrotragano and mandilaria. It takes 45 minutes to drive from one end of Santorini to the other. archaeologists to believe that the fresco of the saffron/crocus gatherers is a coming of age fresco dealing with female pubescence. The film asserts that the Hyksos were the Israelites and that some of them may have originally been from Mycenae. [47], The island's pumice quarries have been closed since 1986, in order to preserve the caldera. Thira is perched on the hill of Mesa Vouno overlooking modern day Kamari and Perissa. [37] From the 15th century on, the suzerainty of the Republic of Venice over the island was recognized in a series of treaties by the Ottoman Empire, but this did not stop Ottoman raids, until it was captured by the Ottoman admiral Piyale Pasha in 1576, as part of a process of annexation of most remaining Latin possessions in the Aegean. The woman then told him that she was a daughter of Triton named Kalliste, and that when he threw the dirt into the sea it would grow into an island for his descendants to live on. The Athenians took the island during the war, but lost it again after the Battle of Aegospotami. According to Herodotus,[32] following a drought of seven years, Thera sent out colonists who founded a number of cities in northern Africa, including Cyrene. 2019 Monthly National Population Estimates by Age, Sex, Race, Hispanic Origin, and Population Universe for the United States: April 1, 2010 to December 1, 2020 (NC-EST2019-ALLDATA) File Layout [< 1.0 MB] (1976). Asia is the most populated continent in the world with a population of approximately 4.5 billion. Layer upon layer of red volcanic rock interspersed with white buildings and specks of greenery form a visual demonstration found nowhere else. The volcanic arc is approximately 500 km (310 mi) long and 20 to 40 km (12 to 25 mi) wide. ρα, Thira), is een ringvormige eilandengroep in de Egeïsche Zee, die bij de Cycladen horen. To see combined stats, Click Here. Its streets, squares, and walls were preserved in the layers of ejecta, sometimes as tall as eight metres, indicating this was a major town. The traditional architecture of Santorini is similar to that of the other Cyclades, with low-lying cubical houses, made of local stone and whitewashed or limewashed with various volcanic ashes used as colours. Speculation suggesting that Thera/Santorini was the inspiration for Plato's Atlantis began with the excavation of Akrotiri in the 1960s, and gained increased currency as reconstructions of the island's pre-eruption shape and landscape frescos located under the ash both strongly resembled Plato's description. In the towns of Kamari and Perissa the entire range of water sports are readily available including rentals, lessons, and equipment. The rich volcanic soil also produces popular small sweet tomatoes. [4] The eruption left a large caldera surrounded by volcanic ash deposits hundreds of metres deep. Five locals were later shot in reprisal, including the mayor. Beach sand colour depends on which geological layer is exposed; there are beaches with sand or pebbles made of solidified lava of various colours: such as the Red Beach, the Black Beach and the White Beach. "Mechanism of the Minoan eruption of Santorini". Santorini has no rivers, and water is scarce. Two million tons of volcanic soil is exported every year for use in the cement industry. Het ligt ten noorden van Kreta, ten zuiden van Naxos en Paros.Het grootste eiland heeft dezelfde naam, Santorini of Thira. [37] After the Fourth Crusade, it was occupied by the Duchy of Naxos which held it up to ca. The island also exports pumice stone, china clay and pistacchio nuts. “Over 25,000 people are now permanent residents. The island's wines are standardised and protected by the "Vinsanto" and "Santorini" OPAP designations of origin. ( 2 ) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, ( 3 ) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, ( 4 ) United Nations Statistical Division. Once this happens, a large explosive eruption destroys the cone. For other uses, see, A volcanic island in the southern Aegean Sea, CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (. Yet it has a strange and uncanny fascination of its own. White wines from the island are extremely dry with a strong, citrus scent and mineral and iodide salt aromas contributed by the ashy volcanic soil, whereas barrel aging gives to some of the white wines a slight frankincense aroma, much like Vinsanto. [33] According to George Cedrenus, the volcano erupted again in the summer of 727, the tenth year of the reign of Leo III the Isaurian. The name "Santorini" first appears c. 1153-1154 in the work of the Muslim geographer al-Idrisi, as "Santurin", from the island's patron saint, Saint Irene. The ground of the island is volcanic and on the side of the volcano caldera, the island is rocky and steep. The islands had been created by Neptune, god of the sea, for Cleito, his beloved. It may have led indirectly to the collapse of the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete, 110 km (68 mi) to the south, through a gigantic tsunami. As a result, the world’s forcibly displaced population remained yet again at a record … In 1707 an undersea volcano breached the sea surface, forming the current centre of activity at Nea Kameni in the centre of the lagoon, and eruptions centred on it continue—the twentieth century saw three such, the last in 1950. Bond, A. and Sparks, R. S. J. Santorini, one of Greece’s most popular destinations, is expected to wrap up 2018 with over two million visitors (cruise passengers not included), up from some 1.7 million in 2017. “It is a reality now, Santorini is an all year round tourism destination,” Thira Mayor Nikos Zorzos says. Copyright © 2020 Santorini Greece — Mins WordPress theme by. [3], The island was the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history: the Minoan eruption (sometimes called the Thera eruption), which occurred about 3,600 years ago at the height of the Minoan civilization. [11] The inner coast around the caldera is a sheer precipice of more than 300 metres (980 ft) drop at its highest, and exhibits the various layers of solidified lava on top of each other, and the main towns perched on the crest. Herodotus reports that they called the island Callista and lived on it for eight generations. It is the largest island of a … In the summer season, strong winds can also be observed. The cycles end when the magma evolves to a rhyolitic composition, causing the most explosive eruptions. Tourism is the main occupation in Santorini today. Jacobovici's assertions in The Exodus Decoded have been extensively criticized by religious and other scholars. Santorini has 13 villages. In recent years a desalination plant has provided running, yet non-potable, water to most houses. In his Argonautica, written in Hellenistic Egypt in the 3rd century BC, Apollonius Rhodius includes an origin and sovereignty myth of Thera being given by Triton in Libya to the Greek Argonaut Euphemus, son of Poseidon, in the form of a clod of dirt. Archaeologists say this might be Atlantis. During the Second World War, Santorini was occupied in 1941 by Italian forces, and in 1943 by those of the Germans. The total land area is 91 square kilometers (35 square miles). The South Aegean (Greek: Περιφέρεια Νοτίου Αιγαίου, romanized: Periféria Notíou Eyéou, [periˈferia noˈtiu eˈʝeu]) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece.It consists of the Cyclades and Dodecanese island groups in the central and southeastern Aegean Sea [49], A brewery, the Santorini Brewing Company, began operating out of Santorini in 2011, based in the island's wine region.[50]. The devastating volcanic eruption of Thera around 1600 B.C. On 1 January 2020 the population of the EU-27 was estimated at 447.7 million inhabitants, which was 0.9 million more than a year before. As with other Greek territories, Thera then was ruled by the Romans. In between the caldera-forming eruptions are a series of sub-cycles. Santorini is unlike any other island. Since rain is rare on the island from mid-spring to mid-autumn, many plants depend on the scant moisture provided by the common, early morning fog condensing on the ground as dew. This Bronze Age civilization thrived between 3000 and 2000 BC, reaching its peak in the period between 2000 and 1630 BC.[27]. "The Minoan eruption of Santorini, Greece". World Population by Year (past) World Population Projections (future) Population by Region; Population in the top economic regions (E.U., U.S., China, and Japan) Thera is built upon a small, non-volcanic basement that represents the former non-volcanic island, which was approximately 9 by 6 km (5.6 by 3.7 mi). Noted archaeological remains found in Akrotiri are wall paintings or frescoes, which have kept their original colour well, as they were preserved under many metres of volcanic ash. There is a story of thousands years old about a “lost island” in the Atlantic Ocean. During the Hellenistic period, the island was a major naval base for Ptolemaic Egypt. This group later claimed that they had named the city and the island after their leader, Theras. On Santorini, a deposit of white tephra thrown from the eruption is found lying up to 60 m (200 ft) thick, overlying the soil marking the ground level before the eruption, and forming a layer divided into three fairly distinct bands indicating different phases of the eruption. [42][43], Santorini's primary industry is tourism, particularly in the summer months. Register. Several very important wall frescos were uncovered that depict everyday life over 4,000 years ago. If qe-ra-si-ja was an ethnikon first, then in following him/her/it the Cretans also feared whence it came.[30]. The island is the result of repeated sequences of shield volcano construction followed by caldera collapse. Santorini is most of the most popular vacation destinations in Greece, and Santorini Car Hire can be found at the Santorini Airport for convenient transportation. There are also four much smaller islands called Thirassia, Nea Kameni, Palia Kameni and Aspronisi. It may have been one of the largest volcanic eruptions on Earth in the last few thousand years, with an estimated VEI (volcanic explosivity index) of 6 according to the last studies published in 2006, confirming the prior values. Santorini has a population of 15,500 and a land area of 76 square kilometers (an area a little bigger than Manhattan). Post-Minoan eruptive activity is concentrated on the Kameni islands, in the centre of the lagoon. Features scientists Dr. J. Alexander MacGillivray (archeologist), Dr. Colin F. MacDonald (archaeologist), Professor Floyd McCoy (vulcanologist), Professor Clairy Palyvou (architect), Nahid Humbetli (geologist) and Dr. Gerassimos Papadopoulos (. Getting out from the deep blue sea its volcanic sheer cliffs topped with gleaming white village homes and churches, resemble snowcapped mountains. The film also suggests that these original Mycenaean Israelites fled Egypt (which they had in fact ruled for some time) after the eruption, and went back to Mycenae. The Pharaoh of the Exodus is identified with Ahmose I. Its the largest island of a small, circular archipelago, which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera. The area of Santorini incorporates a group of islands created by volcanoes, spanning across Thera, Thirasia, Aspronisi, Palea, and Nea Kameni. Ancient Akrotiri is an ancient Minoan town that was covered in volcanic ash which has allowed it to be amazingly preserved, even to this day. The island remains the home of a small, but flourishing, wine industry, based on the indigenous grape variety, Assyrtiko, with auxiliary cultivations of two other Aegean varietals, Athiri and Aidani. Although the volcano is dormant at the present time, at the current active crater (there are several former craters on Nea Kameni), steam and carbon dioxide are given off. 1301 by Iacopo II Barozzi, a member of the Cretan branch of the Venetian Barozzi family, whose descendant held it until it was annexed in c. 1335 by Niccolo Sanudo after various legal and military conflicts. The population of Santorini numbers some 11,400 people yet every year 500,000 tourists visit the island. Some people prefer smaller, less crowded cities with open spaces, while others would rather have the hustle and bustle of big city life. This page shows all of Santorin's statistics from 2019 separated by tournament. Together with Anafi, Santorini is the southernmost island of the Cyclades. The official name of the island is Thira, but foreigners refer to it by the name given in honor of the island’s patron saint, St. Irene of Thessaloniki, who died here while in exile in 304 A.D. Santorini, which covers 73 square kilometers and is located 127 nautical miles from the port of Piraeus, has an important wine trade. It is the most active volcanic centre in the South Aegean Volcanic Arc, though what remains today is chiefly a water-filled caldera. England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom with population close to 54 million, which accounts for 84% of the UK population. Gavrilos rises in the south, whilst in the north we find the peaks of Megalo Vouno and Mikros Prophitis Ilias. The cable car lifts 800 persons per hour. The population change (positive, with 0.9 million more inhabitants) is therefore due to net migration. In the spring, before the tourists start to arrive again, the island is a hive of activity as preparations are made as nearly the entire island is repainted and freshened up. Several very important wall frescos were uncovered that depict everyday life over 4,000 years ago. Santorini is one of the best known Greek landmarks. George Cedrenus, Σύνοψις ἱστορίων, Vol I, p. 795. Ancient Akrotiri is an ancient Minoan town that was covered in volcanic ash which has allowed it to be amazingly preserved, even to this day. God, Family & Shoes Uncategorized April 29, 2018 April 29, 2018. The name Thera was revived in the nineteenth century as the official name of the island and its main city, but the colloquial name Santorini is still in popular use. In 1944, the German and Italian garrison on Santorini was raided by a group of British Special Boat Service Commandos, killing most of its men. Santorini is one huge mound of volcanic lava. By the end of the year, almost 70.8 million individuals were forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations. It has an area of 96 square kilometers (37 square miles), a coastal length of 69 kilometers (43 miles), and its width varies from 2 to 6 kilometers (1 to 4 miles). Santorini Film Festival held annually at the open air cinema, Cinema Kamari in Santorini.[52]. This should only be attempted by the untiring while the traditional way up the zigzag path is by renting pack mules or donkeys. Not only is the population in Santorini rapidly rising, as more and more people are searching for work on the island, but the birth rate here (about 150 per year) is the highest in Greece, according to Santorini’s mayor Nikos Zorzos, The Guardian reports. from 2017 to 2018 was due to a 2.4% decline in the Ancient volcano could have blasted Atlantis myth", "Santorini Bulges as Magma Balloons Underneath", "Santorini information, traditional products, beaches, volcano and villages, Attractions, Events – Santorini holidays 2014", "Chronology for the Aegean Late Bronze Age 1700–1400 B.C. vs. Golden Guardians.