Zakynthos Geographical & Historical Outline
Zakynthos is a beautiful island with lush vegetation and tranquil countryside.
It is the third largest of the Ionian islands, with an area of 410 square kilometers and about 125 kilometers of coastline.
The island has a varied terrain: the east part consists of plains that descend to gentle bays on the coast, while the west part, in contrast, is fairly mountainous, with a steep coastline.
Zakynthos Geographical & Historical Outline
Thucydides states that the earliest inhabitants of the island were Achaeans.
It may be deduced from Homer’s Iliad that Zakynthos, along with Kefalonia, Lefkada and Akarnania was part of the kingdom of Odysseus.
During the Peloponnesian War, the Zakynthians fought on the side of the Corcyraeans.
The island was later captured by the Macedonians, followed by the Romans.
During Roman and Byzantine times, it experienced many destructions and pirate raids.
It then came under the control of the Franks, the Turks and the Venetians, after which it was governed by the French Republicans, and after them by the English.
Zakynthos was united with Greece in 1864.