See links below for other web sites on this Island.

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Location
Paxi being 10km long and 4km wide is the smallest Ionian island. AntiPaxi is it’s neighboring island and has practically the exact same characteristics as Paxi.

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Population
Estimated population of 2200 inhabiants.
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History
According to mythology, Poseidon created this island by striking Corfu with his trident so that his new wife Amfitrite could have some peace and quiet.

The Phoenecians are traditionally held to have been the first settlers on Paxi, even though it might have been inhabited well before then. Its name even comes from their language; Pax meaning slate.

In the 2nd century BC, the island was ruled by Romans and during the Bysantine time and Middle ages it was constantly being attacked by pirates. After rulers and Crusaders passed Paxi, the island was finally taken by the Venetians in the beginning of the 16th century.

At the end of the 18th century the island belonged to the Napolean army and for a while it belonged to the Ionian Union. During the majority of the 19th century the island was a British protectorate. In 1864 after the war of Independence, paxi was liberated.

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Religion
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
No particular saints worshipped on this island.

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Prayer
That the Lord prepare the hearts of all those that will hear the gospel this summer.

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Miscellaneous
Paxi is a very pretty, green and mountainous little pearl and offers quite a few things to see, it has wonderful beaches and very hospitable people

Most people have not really heard of this island but it is a lovely place for anyone who wants a really quite and relaxing holiday.

It has a captivating landscape of dense, centuries-old live grove, snaking dry stone walls, derelict farmhouses and abandoned olive presses.

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Celebrations
Easter and August 15 are the two main celebrations on this island.

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Resources
www.greektravel.com

www.in2greece.com

http://www.vacation-ionian.com/paxi/paxi-island.htm

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Operation Gideon - Copyright © 2003 by Hellenic Ministries - General Information: info@operationgideon.org
*NASA image courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory,
NASA Johnson Space Center. http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov


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