Donousa (, also Δενούσα ''Denousa''), and sometimes spelled Donoussa, is an island and a former

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

in the

Cyclades The CYCLADES computer network () was a French research network created in the early 1970s. It was one of the pioneering networks experimenting with the concept of packet switching and, unlike the ARPANET, was explicitly designed to facilitate i ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality

Naxos and Lesser Cyclades Naxos and Lesser Cyclades () is a municipality in the Naxos regional unit, South Aegean region, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Naxos (city). The municipality consists of the Cycladic island of Naxos and the islands of the Lesse ...

, of which it is a municipal unit. Donousa is the easternmost island of the Lesser Cyclades.

Geography

Donoussa is located east of the island of

Naxos Naxos (; , ) is a Greek island belonging to the Cyclades island group. It is the largest island in the group. It was an important centre during the Bronze Age Cycladic Culture and in the Ancient Greek Archaic Period. The island is famous as ...

and about north of

Amorgos Amorgos (, ; ) is the easternmost island of the Cyclades island group and the nearest island to the neighboring Dodecanese island group in Greece. Along with 16 neighbouring islets, the largest of which (by land area) is Nikouria Island, it compr ...

. Its area is and its highest point is . Its population is 213 inhabitants (2021 census), most of which live in the main settlement Donousa (also ''Stavros''). Other villages include Mersini (on the southeastern coast), Kalotaritissa (near its northern coastline) and Charavgi (in the south).

Climate

According to the station of

National Observatory of Athens The National Observatory of Athens (NOA; ) is a research institute in Athens, Greece. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest List of research institutes in Greece, research foundation in Greece. The Observatory was the first scientific research insti ...

, Donoussa has a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: ''BSh'') with mild winters and hot summers. Donousa has an average annual temperature of around 19.2°C and an average annual precipitation of 260.2 mm (2012-2018).

History

Tracing all the way back to ancient

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

in the prehistoric times,

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ...

, the god of winemaking and wine, took

Ariadne In Greek mythology, Ariadne (; ; ) was a Cretan princess, the daughter of King Minos of Crete. There are variations of Ariadne's myth, but she is known for helping Theseus escape from the Minotaur and being abandoned by him on the island of N ...

from Naxos to hide her from

Theseus Theseus (, ; ) was a divine hero in Greek mythology, famous for slaying the Minotaur. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes desc ...

. There is also evidence of inhabitation on Donousa during the Early Cycladic period, around 3,000 BC. The island during the Roman times, was additionally considered to be the place where exiles were deported. Later, it became the favourite hideout spot of Mediterranean pirates. Throughout time, the island was ruled by various civilisations including the Venetians and Turks.

Towns

Agios Stavros is the main port and capital of Donoussa. When visiting the Agios Stavros port and town, one will find a variety of taverns, cafes, bakeries, mini markets, rooms for rental and other touristic facilities. Other towns and villages on the island include Kalotaritissa, Haravgi and Mersini.

References

Islands of Greece Lesser Cyclades Landforms of Naxos (regional unit) Islands of the South Aegean Populated places in Naxos (regional unit)

External links

{{Cite web, title=Historical Archive of Donousa, url=https://istoria-donousa-online.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=el&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=el&_x_tr_pto=wapp, access-date=2024-06-26, website=istoria.donousa.online, language=en