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See links below for other web sites on this Island.
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Aegina (Egina or Engia), one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, 20 miles from the Piraeus. Tradition derives the name from Aegina, the mother of Aegeus, who was born in and ruled the island. In shape Aegina is triangular, eight miles long from northwest to southeast, and six miles broad, with an area of about 41 square miles. The western side consists of stony but fertile plains, which are well cultivated and produce luxuriant crops of grain, with some cotton, vines, almonds and figs, but the most characteristic crop of today (1990s) Aegina is the pistachio (Pistacia vera). The rest of the island is rugged and mountainous. The southern end rises in the conical Mount Oros, and the Panhellenian ridge stretches northward with narrow fertile valleys on either side. From the absence of marshes the climate is the most healthy in Greece. The island forms part of the modern Uomos of Attica and Boeotia, of which it forms an eparchy. The sponge fisheries are of considerable importance. The chief town is Aegina, situated at the north-west end of the island, the summer residence of many Athenian merchants. Capo d'Istria, to whom there is a statue in the principal square, erected there a large building, intended for a barracks, which was subsequently used as a museum, a library and a school. The museum was the first institution of its kind in Greece, but the collection was transferred to Athens in 1834.
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 Population |
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Approximately 11.000.
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 History |
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It would appear that the first settlers came from the Peloponnese around 3500-3000 BC and built a suburb in the area of Colona as well as in the Temple of Aphaea.
In the Early Bronze Age (2500-2000BC), the Aegean’s, a tribe similar to the Cretans came and settled on Aegina. They developed trading links with Attica, the Peloponnese, the Cycladic islands and Crete. This did not carry on for long however as the Greek tribes arrived who were called the Acheans. This new civilisation was completely wiped out, possibly by an unexpected invasion.
The first actual recorded information about Aegina is the conquest of the island by the Doreans of Epidavros in 950 BC. They chose Aegina as their base in order to concentrate on the sea and trading, and soon became very rich and powerful. These traders imported silver from North Africa and this was introduced as a means of exchange. From this silver, the first coins were created which were imprinted with the image of a turtle.
Aegina gradually slipped into decline. The traders turned to money lending and Aegina became a centre for borrowing and the seeds of destruction grew.
After the battle of Salamis, Athens emerged as the foremost Greek City-State, competing at all levels with the powerful Spartans and the Corinthians and the nearby Aegina, so close and hostile represented a potential threat, which had to be eliminated. After news reached Athens of an alliance between Aegina and the Corinthians, Athens attacked and captured both Aegina's and the Corinthians fleet. After this, Athens decided to empty Aegina of its inhabitants and once again, Aegina fell silent.
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 Religion |
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This topic is not island-specific. It applies to the nation of Greece.
Orthodox Christianity is the recognized dominant religion of Greece and it is legally protected by the state. This has caused legal discrimination against non-Orthodox Churches, and although the constitution of 1975 removed the power of most of the old laws against Protestants, problems still exist today. There is a lot of fear towards anything outside of the Orthodox Church, especially on the islands. However, repeated rulings of the European Court of Justice in favour of religious minorities in cases of discrimination have led to a relative increase of the freedoms that these religious minorities now enjoy.
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 Saints |
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Most of the Orthodox saints are honoured but there is an important monastery of Saint Catherine, which is found just east of Aegina town.
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 Prayer |
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-That the outreach will enable the gospel of salvation to be shared
-That the people on the island will realize their need for God and their eyes will be opened to the truth and love of God.
-That God will work in the lives of all the God-fearing religious people already living on this island, and bring healing & refreshment to their lives.
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 Miscellaneous |
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Aegina was named after the daughter of the river God, Asopus.
According to Greek mythology, Aegina was kidnapped by Zeus and taken to this island. Zeus had a child with her and his name was Aeacus, he was the grandfather of Archilles of the Trojan war fame!
In 1829 Aegina was known as the Capital of the Greek state (before losing it’s place to Athens)
The writer Nikos Kazantzakis was fond of this island and he wrote ‘Zorba the Greek’ whilst living in Livadi, just north of Aegina town.
Aegina is known to be Greece’s premier producer of pistachio nuts.
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 Celebrations |
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The celebrations on the islands usually revolve around the Saints, so there are celebrations on Saint Catherine’s day, and big celebrations at Easter.
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 Resources |
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www.greektravel.com
www.in2greece.com
http://members.tripod.com/apollophotos/photos/greece/aegina/
http://www.dilos.com/region/attica/aegina.html
www.harrys-60-greek-islands-guide.com
www.worldtravelgate.org
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