Geographical & Historical Outline of Ikaria
Ikaria lies between Samos, to the east and Mykonos, to the west.
It has an elongated shape, an area of 255 square kilometers and 102 kilometers of coastline.
The highest peak on the island is Atheras (1037 meters) which divides it into two parts: the north part is relatively flat, with fertile plains, while the south descends sharply to the sea.
On the west coast of the island are the thermal springs famous since antiquity.
Geographical & Historical Outline of Ikaria
In older times Ikaria was called Makris and Doliche.
Its present name is connected with the legend of Ikaros, son of Daedalos who felt into the sea near the island when the sun melted his wings, after which the area was called the Ikarian Sea.
The island was colonized by Militos and was conquered by the Persians during the Persian Wars.
It later became a member of the Athenian Confederacy.
The ancient cities on the island were Oinoe, Thermae and Drakanos.
In 133 BC it became subject to the Romans and during Byzantine times it was used as a place of exile.
In 1204 it became a province of the Latin empire of Constantinople.
It later reverted to the Byzantines and was then ceded to the Knights of St. John in 1484.
In 1521 it became subject to the Turks. Many local patriots took part in the Greek War of Independence of 1821. However, the London Protocol of 1830 determined that the East Aegean islands should remain part of the Ottoman Empire, and it was not finally liberated until 4 November 1912.
