History and Adventure of the Greek Islands
Greece has over 1,400 islands scattered across the Aegean Sea. located in proximity of Greece to the west and to the north, Turkey to the east, and Crete, Greece’s largest island, to the south. Crete is known as the “stepping stone of Greece” because ancient Greek civilization started on Crete and is today, along with many of the other Greek islands, a popular tourist desination. Today, many of the islands economies are centred around tourism and have seen the construction of hotels, holiday homes and resorts, but these Greek islands are ancient. They have a well documented history, often dating back 3,000 BC. Over the millenia these islands have changed hands from rulers such as the Greeks themselves, Ottomans, Persians, Byzantines, Romans and European Crusaders. (more…)