Greek tourism, summer holidays in Kythera, Eptaneses.

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GENERAL INFO

Kythera and Antikythera are located between Peloponnissos and Crete, in the bosom of three seas, Ionian, Cretan and Aegean. They belong governmentally in Attica and historically and geographically in the Ionian Islands. Kythera and Antikythera stretch 300sq.kms(279,5sq.kms for Kythera and 20,5sq.kms for Antikythera).

The population of kythera is 3407 people (1778 men and 1629 women) and for Antikythera it's 45 people (census 2001). Today Kythera compose a pole of attraction for many visitors and also of many archaeologists and students, in fact the last 5 years many important facts are been revealed for the history of both islands, which seems to be full of surprises.

Kythera consist the only place on the planet that the resident population of the island (aprox. 3.500 people) composes the 1/20 of the Kytherians that are outside the island and maybe there are more since every Kytherian house has 5-6 other families that related and are located outside Kythera. While in the island,the symbol of the kytherean Immigrant has been made.

In comparison with the size of the island and the number of the Kytherians, the Kytherian Professors of the University around the world surpass the 50, while many Kethereans possess highly positions in foreign countries.

The name Kythera (Cerigo) has its roots deep inside history. Homer reports it in his epic work Iliad, while Goddess Aphrodite, the Goddess of love is being identified with the island and takes the name Kythereia (Akytheros was named the man that had lack of charm).

Other important writers of ancient times also refer in the island named Kythera. Amongst them Herodotus, Dionysios, even Aristotle (who admits that the island was named Porphyris- because of the processing of Rhodopsin murex- but during his time it had the name Kyhtera) and Xenophon (in his "Hellenica" used the term Kythereia land).

Isidore (geographer from A' century A.C.) supported a " subversive" opinion, that the island was named after Kythereia Aphrodite and not the other way around. In fact he spoke for the first time for the meaning of the verb Keftho and it's relevance with the Goddess and the island (in that place, that's Kythera) discover the hidden passion of love.

The naming of the island is mentioned in plural maybe because of the nearby Antikythera. But what is the relationship between the two names of the island Kythera and Cerigo? After research and studying it seems that those two names have a relationship of mutual influence which means that either the first is coincide with the other or one creates the other.

It's very interesting to report that in Cyprus there is a place with the name Kytheraia or Kythra where statues of Goddess Aphrodite where found, while the common name of the place is Jerka (the connection and the correlation with the terms Kythera-Cerigo is fatal)!

Ending up that the two names of the island, Kythera and Cerigo, have close relationship and walk hand by hand in the alley of history.

If you yell on the street the name Kythera, don't expect only the island to turn Here are it's co-named: So learn that Kythera is the name of an Asteroid that goes around the sun, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, while a flying specie that belongs to a certain category of lepidopteron is also named Kythera.

It seems that the name of the island except the sky is also taken from the sea and given to some species of ostracize or shell-fish.
With the same name there is a plant and more specifically a kind of orchid that brags about its many colorings like white, red, green or brown. We should also mention that the name Kythera is also given to the island Tahiti (New Kythera), while already from the 18th century it became known from the famous paintings of Watteau "Embarkation to Kythera" and "The Island of Kythera". However, the name of the island become a movie too by the title "Travelling to Kythera" and a beautiful song "We never reach Kythera".

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