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 Location |
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Zakynthos is the most southern of the Ionian Islands and is almost triangular in shape. It is characterized by its natural beauty and its unique beaches. Because of its development in the area of Arts, the island was also called "the flower of the Orient". The island is connected by boat to Killini and the islands around.
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 Population |
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According to the last census, the population of the county of Zakynthos is about 38.680 inhabitants. The county includes the small islands that surround and belong to Zakynthos. It is remarkable though, that there was an increase of the island's population in the last decade.
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 History |
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Mythology: According to mythology, the island was named "Zakynthos" by Zakynthus, son of the king of Phrygia, Dardanus, who dwelled in the island around 1500B.C. Homer called Zakynthos "Yliessa", which means "woody". It is also said that goddess Artemis and god Appollon were walking around the island charmed by its beauty.
Zakynthos participated in the Trojan War with Odysseus after which it became free from Ithaca's sovereignty and finally got a free democratic government.
History: During the Persian Wars, in 5th century B.C. Zakynthos maintained a neutral position. Later on though, during the Peloponnesian War, the Zakynthians actively supported the Athenian Alliance. After that, Zakynthos was conquered by Macedonians and in the 2nd century B.C. it fell into the hands of Romans. During the Byzantine Times, various pirates and Vandals pillaged Zakynthos. It also suffered a lot by the crusader troops.
According to tradition, Christianity was introduced to Zakynthos in 34 A.D., while Maria Magdalene, going from Jerusalem to Rome, stopped at the island and preached the teachings of Jesus.
In 1185, Zakynthos fell into the hands of Orsini, while in the coming years it was conquered by Turks, Venetians, French, Russians, and finally by English. On May 21, 1864 Zakynthos was finally united with Greece.
-Modern Times:
1. During the World War II, Zakynthos was conquered by the Italians in 1941. Later on, in 1943 it fell under the influence of Germany until its liberation in 1944, when the German army withdrew from Greece.
2. In 1953, a terrible earthquake took place and devastated all the Ionian Islands. As a result, Zakynthos was almost flattened. Especially the capital of Zakynthos was totally ruined. Only 3 buildings remained still. Later, the city was rebuilt, retaining the beautiful and special character of the old city
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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.
Ancient Gods
In ancient years, god of Music, Apollo, was being worshiped in Zakynthos. People attribute the island's progress in music to that god. It was also found a marble cluster of divine characters, such as Apollo's, Artemis' and Aphrodites'.
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 Saints |
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Saint Dionysus is the patron of the island, whose coffin with his body are being kept in the monastery of his.
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 Prayer |
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Spiritual support and encouragement of the local believers
Workers to go and spread the message of God's love to the locals
Church planting on the island
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 Miscellaneous |
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Tourism: Tourism has been significantly increased the last decades in Zakynthos as well as in the rest Ionian Islands. Zakynthos attracts thousands of tourists each year, from May through September, who are choosing to spend their summer in its beautiful beaches.
Economy: The economy of the island is mainly based in its increasing tourism. The locals though, are occupied in agricultural work as well as in cultivating olive trees, citrus fruits and raisins.
Sightseeing: The "Museum of Post-Byzantine Art", the "Museum of Solomos, Kalvos, and other eminent Zakinthians", into which the tombs of the two great poets (Dionisios Solomos and Andreas Kalvos) are placed, as well as the museum of Grigorios Xenopoulos are some of the basic sightseeing of the island.
One could also visit the beautiful, and full of pine trees, hill of Stranis. In that hill, sitting under the shade of a tree and listening the firing of the canons from Mesologgi, Dionysus Solomos (Greece's ethnic poet) wrote the Hymn of Liberation.
One should also visit the castle as well as the Blue Caves, which they took their name by the bright blue color that seems to have and reflect everything that is under the water.
The monastery of Panagia Anafonitria and that of Saint Dionysus attract a number of tourists as well.
At last, something that makes the island really special, are the endangered sea turtles Caretta-Caretta, that come each year and lay their eggs at Laganas, Vassilikos and Gerakas.
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 Celebrations |
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24 August and 17 December: The memory of Saint Dionysus is celebrated with litany, manifestations of art and fireworks.
15 August: The festival of Panagia (Virgin Mary) is taking place each year.
Panagia the Anaphonitria (Virgin Mary who Exclaims): A week after Saint's Dionysus' celebration (24 August), the festival of Panagia the Anaphonitria takes place. In her monastery, the saint's Dionysus clothes are being kept. The icon of Panagia is considered miraculous. It is said that it was bringing rain in dry seasons
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 Resources |
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www.greektravel.com
www.in2greece.com
http://www.zante.com/
http://www.zakynthos.net.gr/English/indexe.html
http://www.united-hellas.com/tourism/zakynthos/index.php
www.zakynthos.gr
www.greek-tourism.gr
www.zakynthos-net.gr
www.agn.gr
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