island of naxos

448 km², 103 sea miles from Piraeus, 18,000 inhabitants

No other island features such a variety of landscape: copios lowlands, cliffy mountains, silvery green olive groves, milelong golden sandy beaches, dunes like at the north sea. In the middle of the island ranges the high water content plateau Tragea, eastern towers an impressive mountain range, in the North and in the East of the island you find the lonesome, sparsely populated seaside. Almost the common South of the island is entirely unexploited. To go there with a jeep resemble still an adventure trip.

All of the Cyclades belong to the moderate, subtropical Mediterranean climate. At Naxos rotate hot and dry summers with windy and rainfully but gentle winters. The Meltemi appears between June and September. Normally it starts in the late forenoon, increases during the day until 5 and 6 Beaufort and abate slowly until eve, if compensated by a northly land breeze, betimes it reaches the marks of 7 and 8 Beaufort.

In contrast to most of the cyclades is Naxos really green and variegated. Rambling olive groves, densely Macchia and knee-high Phruganga plants define the view. In gorges and dales also cypresses are growing, near the sea Tamarisks and reed.

The typical residents of an Aegean island you can meet also on Naxos, namely lizards, snakes and innumerable insects. Besides you find of course farm-animals all over the island: goats, sheeps, donkeys, poultry and even dairy cows. In the copios underwater world you will see a variegated sealife, mainly barbs, breams, calamari, squids and lobsters. They are fished all around the island.

The oldest fossile resords are datet in the 4th century B.C. Many of these pieces has been found in the area of Grotta, in the north of the city of Naxos. Earlier also Thrakians from the mainland immigrated and brought the grape-vine to Naxos. After that the Karer settled on Naxos and the leader gave Naxos its name. Later the Phoenicians inhabited the island followed by the Minoans.

 

Hotel Naxosbeach1 • St. Georges Beach • GR 84300 Naxos Cyclades Greece • Tel. +30.22850-22935 • hotelinfo@naxosbeach1.com