Mathraki (, ) is an island and a former community of the

Ionian Islands The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: , ; Ancient Greek, Katharevousa: , ) are a archipelago, group of islands in the Ionian Sea, west of mainland Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese ("Seven Islands"; , ''Heptanēsa'' or , ''Heptanē ...

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 ...

. It is one of the Diapontian Islands. Since the 2019 local government reform, it is part of the municipality of Central Corfu and Diapontian Islands, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 3.532 km². Mathraki is a 45-minute boat ride off the coast of Corfu (4 NM from Cape Arilas). It has three restaurants that double as general stores, villas and "rooms to let". Mathraki is a quiet island that manages to stay clear of tourists except for the occasional hikers that brave the rocky coastline. The municipal unit includes the three nearby islets Diakopo, Diaplo and Tracheia.

History

Mathraki was inhabited since the 16th century by settlers from the nearby islands of

Paxoi Paxos () is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, lying just south of Corfu. As a group with the nearby island of Antipaxos and adjoining islets, it is also called by the plural form Paxi or Paxoi (, pronounced in English and in Greek). The main t ...

and

Othonoi Othonoi (, also rendered as Othoni, ) is a small inhabited list of Greek islands, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, located northwest of Corfu, and is the westernmost point of Greece. Othonoi is the largest and most populated of the Diapontian Isl ...

. The origin of its name is unknown, but according to a popular tradition, derives from ''anthrakia'', because in the past the island had been burnt. It became part of Greece in 1864, when the

Ionian islands The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: , ; Ancient Greek, Katharevousa: , ) are a archipelago, group of islands in the Ionian Sea, west of mainland Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese ("Seven Islands"; , ''Heptanēsa'' or , ''Heptanē ...

were ceded to Greece by the British. Today it is a serene and tranquil place for holidays. In 2021, the only

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

of the island re-opened after 21 years with only one student.

Historical population

References

External links

*Official site from Local Authorit
Official site from Mathraki Local Authority (Languages Greek-English-Italian
*Official site from Prefecture of Corf
Official site from Prefecture of Corfu (multi language)
*Website for Mathraki Island www.mathraki.ne

Populated places in Corfu (regional unit) Ports and harbours of Greece Islands of Greece Islands of the Ionian Islands (region) Landforms of Corfu (regional unit) {{Ionian-geo-stub