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KOS
*** Shopping-Tip: KOS
{{otheruses}}
Image:kos harbour.jpg frame|right|Port of Kos
Image:kos archeological site.jpg frame|right|Archaeological site
Image:kos plataan hippokrates.jpg frame|right|Tree of Hippocrates
Image:kos roman amphitheater.jpg frame|right|Roman amphitheater
image:Kostown.jpg thumb|250px|right|Kos|Kos town view
'''Kos''' or '''Cos''' ({{coor dm|36|51|N|27|14|E|}},
Greek language Greek Κως,
Turkish Language Turkish ''İstanköy'',
Italian language Italian Coo; formerly Stanchio in English) is a
Greece Greek island in the
Dodecanese islands Dodecanese group of islands, in the
Aegean Sea, which it separates from the
Gulf of Gökova Gulf of Cos. It measures 40 km by 8 km, and is only 4 km from the coast of
Turkey Turkish Asia Minor. The island has both fertile plains and infertile highlands. Population: 30,500.
The island boasts long sandy
beaches with large hotels and secluded villages, leading to its main industry being
tourism.
Farming is the principal occupation of many of the island's inhabitants, with their main crops being
grapes,
almonds,
figs,
olives, and
tomatoes, along with
wheat and
cereal corn.
Cos lettuce may be grown here, but the name is unrelated.
The main
Seaport port and population centre on the island, also called Kos, is also the tourist and cultural centre, with whitewashed buildings including many hotels, restaurants and a small number of nightclubs. The town has a
14th century fortress at the entrance to its harbour, erected in
1315 by The
Knights of Saint John of
Rhodes. The ancient physician
Hippocrates is thought to have been born on Kos, and in the center of the town is the
Plane Tree of Hippocrates, a
Dream temple where the physician is traditionally supposed to have taught. The limbs of the now elderly tree are supported by scaffolding. The small city is also home to the
International Hippocratic Institute and the
Hippocratic Museum dedicated to him.
The main
villages of Kos island are Kardamena, Kefalos, Tigaki, Antimachia, Mastihari, Marmari and Pyli. Smaller ones are Zia, Zipari, Platani, Lagoudi and Asfendiou.
The island was originally colonised by the
Carians. The
Dorians invaded in the
11th century BC and joined the
Athenian Federation, expelling the
Persians twice. In
366 BC the town of Kos was built, then soon after the island became a part of the
Roman Empire, then the
Byzantine Empire. The island was conquered by the
Venetians, who then sold it to The
Knights of Saint John of
Rhodes. Two hundred years later the Knights faced the threat of a
Turkey Turkish invasion, and so abandoned the island. The
Ottoman Empire ruled Kos (
Turkish language Turkish 'İstanköy'; in English usage, 'Stanchio') for 400 years until it was transferred to
Italy, who used the name 'Coo', in
1912. In
World War II, the island was taken over by
Germany, until
1945, when it became a protectorate of
United Kingdom Britain, who ceded it to Greece in
1947.
External references
-
Kos: Kos official site (Not updated since September 2005)
-
Kos island Greece: Kos Island information
-
Kos travel guide: Kos travel site
Category:Archaeological sites in Greece
Category:Islands of Greece
Category:Islands of Greece
Category:Subduction volcanoes
Category:Volcanoes of Greece
Category:Volcanoes of the Aegean
Category:Dorian Hexapolis
de:Kos
et:Kos
el:Κως
fr:Cos (Dodécanèse)
it:Coo
nl:Kos
ja:コス島
no:Kos
pl:Kos (wyspa)
pt:Cós (Grécia)
ro:Kos
fi:Kos
sv:Kos
tr:İstanköy
{{country|flagcountry|Kosovo}}
see
Kontra-Obaveštajna Služba
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