Wondering where is Santorini island on ther map?

Santorini is the an island of a complex of islands called Cyclades. It is a small, circular group of volcanic islands located in the Aegean Sea, about 200 km south-east from the mainland of Greece (latitude: 36.40°N - longitude: 25.40°E). It is also known by the name of the largest island in the archipelago, Thira or Thera.

It is the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of approximately 73 km2 (28 sq mi), and in 2001 had an estimated population of 13,600. The inhabitants are citizens of Greece and speak Greek. It is the most active volcanic centre in the Aegean Arc, though what remains today is largely a caldera.

The name Santorini was given to it by the Venetians in the 13th century and is a reference to Saint Irene. Before then it was called Kallisti, Strongili or Santorini-Thira.

The island was the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the last several thousand years when it erupted cataclysmically about 3,500 years ago. The eruption left a large caldera surrounded by ash deposits hundreds of feet deep, and its effects may have indirectly led to the collapse of the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete, 70 km to the south.

Santorini - Association with Atlantis

Starting with Spyridon Marinatos' 1939 landmark paper, this cataclysm at Santorini and its possibility to have caused the fall of the Minoan Civilization is sometimes regarded as a likely source for Plato's story of Atlantis. The cataclysm of Santorini was certainly the kind of event that could change human ideas of what the gods are capable of, if provoked.

In 1704 an undersea volcano breached the sea surface forming the current centre of activity at Nea Kameni, and eruptions centred on it continue—three times in the twentieth century, the last being in 1950. Santorini was also struck by a devastating earthquake in 1956. At some time in the future, it will undoubtedly erupt violently again.

Modern Santorini

Santorini was annexed to Greece in 1912. Major settlements in Santorini include Fira (Phira), Oia, Emporio, Kamari, Imerovigli, Pyrgos and Therasia. Akrotiri is a major archaeological site with ruins from the Minoan era. The island has no rivers and water is scarce. Until the early nineties locals used to fill water tanks from the rain that fell on their roofs and courts, from small springs as well as by importing it from other areas of Greece. Nowadays, there is a desalination plant that provides running, yet nonpotable, water to most houses. The primary industry of Santorini is tourism. The pumice quarries have been closed since 1986 in order to preserve the caldera of Santorini.
Santorini is home to a small but flourishing wine industry, based on the indigenous grape variety, Assyrtiko. Assyrtiko vines are extremely old, as they are resistant to phylloxera and have consequently not needed to be replaced during the great phylloxera epidemic of the early 20th century. They are adopted to their native habitat by being planted far apart and their principal source of moisture is dew. They are trained in the shape of baskets, with the grapes hanging inside to protect them from the winds.

Santorini By Ferry

Santorini is 5 to 9 hours from Athens by Ferry, depending the type of the ship you will choose to travel and the price range for the tickets per person is between 35 to 80 euros.
Santorini is one of the most famous island of Greece, and for that reason, the ship connections during the summer season are very common. During summer time, many ships make daily trips from the ports of Piraeus and Rafina (both located near Athens)to Santorini. The classical ferry route from the port of Piraeus is Piraeus – Paros – Naxos – Ios - Santorini. Santorini also has many connections with the other islands of the Cyclades and the Aegean (Mykonos, Anafi, Amorgos, Naxos, Paros, Ios, Rhodes, Crete, etc). A classical ferry needs around nine hours to reach the port of Santorini, seven hours with the modern Blue Star Ferries and around four to five hours with the high-speed boats or hydrofoil.

If you take a trip by cruise boat, the experience will surely leave you with lasting memories. The main port of Santorini is Athinios, where buses and taxis meet each entrance to transport passengers to Oia, Fira, and elsewhere. All vehicles climb up a very steep, winding road (it makes seven 180 degree turns) to get anywhere from Athinios.

Santorini By Plane

The cost by Plane to Santorini is 60 - 120 Euros depending the airline and how far in advance you will book it.

The airport of Santorini is located near the Kamari village and next to the beach of Monolithos, eight kilometres Southeast of Fira, with regular flights from Athens by Olympic Airways and Aegean Airlines. Almost all of the international flights which land at the airport of Athens permit the connecting flight to Santorini. The time of flight from Athens to Santorini is about 30 minutes.

During the tourist summer season, many agreement flights land directly at the airport of Santorini from many European cities. In this period, the island of Santorini has a great number of flights scheduled to and from Mykonos, Rhodes, Crete and Thessaloniki.