Makronisos ( Greek : Μακρόνησος , lit. Long Island ), or Makronisi , is an island in the Aegean Sea , in Greece , notorious as the site of a political prison from the 1920s to the 1970s. It is located close to the coast of Attica , facing the port of Lavrio . The island has an elongated shape, 13 km (8 mi) north to south and 2.5 km (1.6 mi) east to west at its widest point, and its terrain is arid and rocky. It is the largest uninhabited Greek island.
10-482: It is part of the Kea-Kythnos regional unit and in the municipality of Kea . In ancient times the island was called Helen ( Ancient Greek : Ἑλένη ). It protected the ancient harbours of Thorikos and Sounion . It was also called Macris (Μάκρις), from its length. Strabo describes it as 60 stadia (9.4 km) in length; but its real length is seven geographical miles (12 km). It was uninhabited in antiquity, as it
20-520: Is at the present day; and it was probably only used then for the pasture of cattle. Both Strabo and Pausanias derive its name from Helen of Troy , the wife of Menelaus : the latter writer supposes that it was so called because Helen landed here after the capture of Troy ; but Strabo identifies it with the Homeric Cranae , to which Paris fled with Helen, and supposes that its name was hence changed into Helena. There cannot, however, be any doubt that
30-588: Is considered a monument of the civil war era; therefore the island and the original structures on it are protected from alteration. Among the prisoners of Makronisos were Apostolos Santas , Nikos Koundouros , Mikis Theodorakis , Leonidas Kyrkos and Thanasis Vengos . [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Smith, William , ed. (1854–1857). "Helena". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography . London: John Murray. Kea-Kythnos Kea-Kythnos ( Greek : Περιφερειακή ενότητα Κέας-Κύθνου )
40-529: Is divided into 13 regional units , formed around major islands: The region was one in only two in Greece to grow in population between 2011 and 2021 along with Crete, adding a total of 15,527 people (increase of 5%). It overtook Epirus and is presently the 9th largest region by population in Greece. The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 6.4 billion € in 2018, accounting for 3.5% of Greek economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power
50-471: Is one of the regional units of Greece . It is part of the region of South Aegean . The regional unit covers the islands of Kea , Kythnos , Makronisos and several smaller islands in the Aegean Sea . As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform , the regional unit Kea-Kythnos was created out of part of the former Cyclades Prefecture . It is subdivided into 2 municipalities. These are (number as in
60-599: Is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece . It consists of the Cyclades and Dodecanese island groups in the central and southeastern Aegean Sea . The South Aegean region was established in the 1987 administrative reform. With the 2010 Kallikratis plan , its powers and authority were redefined and extended. Along with the North Aegean region, it is supervised by the Decentralized Administration of
70-635: The Aegean based at Piraeus . The capital of the region is situated in Ermoupoli on the island of Syros . The administrative region includes 50 inhabited islands, including the popular tourism destinations of Mykonos, Santorini and Rhodes. Until the Kallikratis reform, the region consisted of the two prefectures of the Cyclades (capital: Ermoupoli ) and the Dodecanese (capital: Rhodes ). Since 1 January 2011 it
80-691: The Homeric Cranaë was opposite Gythium in Laconia . The Kea Channel between Makronisos and neighbouring Kea was the site of the sinking, in 1916, of HMHS Britannic , sister ship of the RMS Titanic . After the Burning of Smyrna in 1922 and the population exchange between Greece and Turkey, Greek refugees from the Ottoman Empire were transferred to Makronisos, where a quarantine station (to minimize
90-557: The map in the infobox): The province of Kea ( Greek : Επαρχία Κέας ) was one of the provinces of the Cyclades Prefecture. It had the same territory as the present regional unit Kea-Kythnos. It was abolished in 2006. This South Aegean location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . South Aegean The South Aegean ( Greek : Περιφέρεια Νοτίου Αιγαίου , romanized : Periféria Notíou Eyéou , [periˈferia noˈtiu eˈʝeu] )
100-614: The spread of smallpox and typhus infection) was established. Between 1922 and 1923, 12,295 refugees, mostly women, children, and the elderly, passed through Makronisos. Makronisos was used as a military prison island and concentration camp from the time of the Greek Civil War until the restoration of democracy , following the collapse of the Regime of the Colonels in 1974. Torture methods were used among others. Because of its history, it
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