Dionysads

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Dionysads
The Dionysads.
The Dionysads.
Waters Aegean Sea
Geographical location 35 ° 21 ′  N , 26 ° 11 ′  E Coordinates: 35 ° 21 ′  N , 26 ° 11 ′  E
Dionysades (Crete)
Dionysads
Number of islands 4th
Total land area 5.252 km²
Residents uninhabited

The Dionysades archipelago ( Greek Διονυσάδες Dionysades ( f. Pl. ), Γιανυσάδες Gianysades is also common among the population ) is located northeast of the Greek island of Crete . The uninhabited islands are administered by the municipality of Sitia in the regional district of Lasithi .

location

The archipelago is located about 17 km north of the bay of Sitia (Όρμος Σητείας) and 12 km west of Cape Sideros (Ακρωτήριο Σίδερος). It consists of the two larger islands Giannisada and Dragonara, the smaller rock island Paximada and the rock Paximadaki.

The individual islands

Surname Greek name location surface height
Dragonara Δραγονάρα ( f. Sg. ) 35 ° 20 ′ 41 "  N , 26 ° 10 ′ 40"  E 2.892 km² 128 m
Giannisada Γιαννισάδα ( f. Sg. ) 35 ° 19 ′ 39 "  N , 26 ° 10 ′ 23"  E 2.098 km² 147 m
Paximada Παξιμάδα ( f. Sg. ) 35 ° 22 ′ 41 ″  N , 26 ° 10 ′ 27 ″  E 0.311 km² 133 m
Paximadaki
(Prasonisi) 		Παξιμαδάκι ( n. Sg. )
(Πρασονήσι) 		35 ° 21 ′ 28 "  N , 26 ° 10 ′ 41"  E 0.032 km² 44 m

history

According to mythology, the islands got their name from the god Dionysus , who created the islands. The islands used to belong to the city of Itanos in the northeast of Crete. Traces of settlement exist only on Dragonara and Giannisada, they are also said to have been a place of residence of pirates. Remains of early Christian tombstones can be found on Dragonara, where the only building on the islands still stands today, the small church of Agios Andonios (Άγιος Αντώνιος).

nature

Due to the exposed location, wind and rain have eroded the earth over the years. With the exception of Dragonara, the islands are almost completely devoid of vegetation. The typical representatives of the Phrygana and a few bushes formed by the wind of the Phoenician juniper ( Juniperus phoenicea ) grow on Dragonara . Attempts to temporarily use the islands for grazing sheep or goats have failed.

natural reserve

The steep coasts of the Dionysades offer ideal breeding grounds for various bird species. The breeding colonies of the yellow-billed shearwater and the Eleanor's falcon are important . They are also an important resting place for migratory birds, as the nearest islands in the Aegean Sea are around 100 km away. The Dionysades are part of the Natura 2000 type region GR 4320006 Voreioanatoliko Akro Kritis: Dionysades, Eleasah kai Chersonisos Sidero (Akra Mavrovouni - Vai - Akra Plakos) kai thal assia zoni (Βορειοανατολικό άκρο Κρήτης: Διονυσάδες, Ελάσα και Χερσόνησος Σίδερο - Άκρα Μαυροβούνι - Βάι - Άκρα Πλάκα και Θαλάσσια Ζώνη) and at the same time classified as part of the Important Bird Area GR 192 Dionisiades Islands (Νήσοι Διονυσιάδες).

literature

  • Dietrich Ristow, Michael Wink: Recommendation for Bird Protection on the Dionisades Archipelago . Heidelberg 1995 (English, uni-heidelberg.de [PDF; 1,2 MB ]).

Web links

Commons : Dionysades  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Charles Arnold (ed.): The islands of the Mediterranean. A unique and complete overview . 2nd Edition. marebuch, Hamburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-86648-096-4 .
  2. ↑ Crete / Κρήτη, Eastern Part 2, Touring Map, 1: 100,000 (map) . Harms ic, Klingenmünster 1997, ISBN 3-927468-17-7 .
  3. ↑ Dietrich Ristow, Michael Wink: Recommendation for Bird Protection on the Dionisades Archipelago . Heidelberg 1995 (English, uni-heidelberg.de [PDF; 1,2 MB ] area data).
  4. ^ Julius Friedrich Wurm (translator): Diodor 's of Sicilien historical library . 1st division, no. 5, 75 . Stuttgart 1831, p. 594 ( preview in Google Book search).
  5. ↑ Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt : Sailing Directions For The Island Of Candia Or Crete . London 1866, p.  18 (English, Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).