The Saronic Islands or Argo-Saronic Islands is an
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arch ...
in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
, named after the
Saronic Gulf
The Saronic Gulf ( Greek: Σαρωνικός κόλπος, ''Saronikós kólpos'') or Gulf of Aegina in Greece is formed between the peninsulas of Attica and Argolis and forms part of the Aegean Sea. It defines the eastern side of the isthmus of ...
in which they are located, just off the
Greek mainland.
The main inhabited islands of this group are
Salamis,
Aegina
Aegina (; el, Αίγινα, ''Aígina'' ; grc, Αἴγῑνα) is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, from Athens. Tradition derives the name from Aegina, the mother of the hero Aeacus, who was born on the island an ...
,
Agistri
Agistri, also Angistri or Agkistri (Greek: Αγκίστρι , English: "fishing hook"), is a small populated island and municipality in the Saronic Gulf in the Islands regional unit, Greece. Settlements
There are only three settlements on Agist ...
, and
Poros. The islands of
Hydra and
Dokos
Dokos ( el, Δοκός) is a small Greek island of the Argo-Saronic Gulf, adjacent to Hydra, and separated from the Peloponnese by a narrow strait called, on some maps, "the Hydra Gulf." It is part of the municipality of Ýdra (Hydra) in Is ...
, which lie off the northeast tip of the
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridge which ...
(technically between the Saronic Gulf and the
Argolic Gulf), are sometimes included as part of the Saronic Islands.
Many mainland Greeks have vacation homes in the Saronic Islands, which are regularly served by ferries from the Athen's port of
Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saro ...
and the Peloponnese.
Salamis, the largest island of the group, is where the ancient Greek navy defeated the Persians in the
Battle of Salamis
The Battle of Salamis ( ) was a naval battle fought between an alliance of Greek city-states under Themistocles and the Persian Empire under King Xerxes in 480 BC. It resulted in a decisive victory for the outnumbered Greeks. The battle was ...
.
Main islands
See also
*
List of islands of Greece
References
Saronic Gulf
Landforms of Islands (regional unit)
Archipelagoes of Greece
Aegean islands
{{Attica-geo-stub