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Geographically
the island is the most southern of the six Ionian Islands located
off western mainland Greece. It is approximately 40km long and
17km wide giving an area of over 400 sq. km and hosts a population
of approximately 45,000.
The island
has a Mediterranean climate providing long hot summers and warm
wet winters and is pleasantly mild during spring and autumn.
Zakynthos gets a lot of rainfall during the winter months and
this is the reason it is very green and fertile. The countryside
is covered in wildflowers, and the island has rich vegetation
including raisins, olives, vines and citrus fruits.
Zakynthos
is well known as one of the favourite nesting sites during the
summer months of the Loggerhead turtle Caretta Caretta.
The poet
Dionysios Solomos wrote the Greek National Anthem from the hilltop
of Lofus Strani while visiting the island and you will see a
statue in his honour in the main square of Zakynthos, which
has hence been named Solomos Square.
The main
town Zakynthos was destroyed in the earthquake of 1953 and since
then the town has been rebuilt in a similar style of its former
architecture. Today design and construction of buildings in
the whole of Greece have to comply with European standards and
there are stringent regulations regarding earthquake protection.
The island
received much publicity back in the early 90’s when a British
TV network filmed a documentary called the “Island of Dreams”
portraying the lives of four British girls married to local
Greeks. It has since then continued to attract many foreigners
wishing to make it their home.
There is
definitely something special about this idyllic island which,
for such a small area, attracts and holds one of the largest
populations of permanent foreign residents in Greece.
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