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 Location |
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Kea (also called Tzia) is part of the Cyclades Islands, located close to Athens, near the coast of Attica. It has an area of 121 square km and has 86 km of beaches.
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 Population |
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Kea has 1800 inhabitants. The majority of the population are involved in agriculture, stock-breeding and fishing.
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 History |
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According to mythology, it was a beautiful water island named Ydroussa, inhabited by water nymphs. The gods became jealous of its beauty and sent a lion to ravage the land. The water nymphs fled and the land dried out. The inhabitants asked Aristeus, the son of god Apollo and nymph Kyrene, for help. He built a temple to Zeus, who being the most high god, then sent rain. The water nymphs and rain returned giving the land fertile soil for good crops, and Aristeus taught people the ways of cattle raising, agriculture and olive pressing.
By the end of the 12th century BC, the hero Keos, from Nafpaktos, lead the Locrians onto the island, occupied it and gave it his name. He was considered the son of Apollos and nymph Phodoessa.
The Ionians from Attica colonized the island in 1130 BC. They contributed to the development of an important culture and flourishing cities. The mineral Miltos (red ochre), used for medicine and tint for writing and painting, was mined here and exported exclusively to Athens. They became famous for Kean law, which included committing suicide at age 70 by drinking hemlock, which is still grown on the island today. Kea was home to many famous Greeks including Sophia Prodikus, (who tutored Sokrates, Euripides, and Isokrates), poet Simonides, medical doctor Erasistratos and politician Theremenes.
In the following years, various conquerors (including Romans) followed, each imposing their sovereignty and culture upon the inhabitants. During the time of the Venetians, Kea, along with many islands of the Cyclades, became a shelter for pirates.
During the Turkish rule, the island retained self-administration, but was supervised by Turkish authorities. It became free along with the rest of Greece after the War of Independence in 1821, and was liberated in 1930.
Kea is also well known for the sinking of the Britannica in 1916, the sister ship of the Titanic
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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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The patron saint of Kea is Our Lady Kastriani.
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 Prayer |
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* For the Spirit of God to bring revival.
* For more Christian workers.
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 Miscellaneous |
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Places of interest one should visit include:
* The Lion of Kea (Lionda)
* The Pangia Kastriani Monastery
* Interesting churches in Ioulis, along with an ancient Acropolis
* Ancient Temple remains in Korissia
* Pristine beaches of Pisses,Otzias, Koundouros, Korissia, Poles Bay
* Musuem in Hora
* Byzantine Monuments - Agva Anna, Episkopv, Agio Pantelevmon
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 Celebrations |
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 Resources |
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www.greektravel.com
www.in2greece.com
www.harrys-60-greek-islands-guide.com
www.worldtravelgate.org
http://www.dilos.com/region/cyclad/kea.html
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