Native name: Γυάρος or Γιούρα | |
|---|---|
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| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 37°37′38″N 24°43′12″E / 37.62722°N 24.72000°E |
| Archipelago | Cyclades |
| Area | 23 km2 (8.9 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 489 m (1604 ft) |
| Highest point | Mt. Gyaros |
| Administration | |
Greece | |
| Region | Southern Aegean |
| Regional unit | Syros |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 (2001) |
| Additional information | |
| Postal code | 840 00 |
| Area code(s) | 228x0 |
| Vehicle registration | EM |
Gyaros (Greek: Γυάρος pronounced [ˈʝaros]), also locally known as Gioura (Greek: Γιούρα), is an arid, unpopulated, and uninhabited Greek island in the northern Cyclades near the islands of Andros and Tinos, with an area of 23 square kilometres (9 sq mi). It is a part of the municipality of Ano Syros, which lies primarily on the island of Syros. This and other small islands of the Aegean Sea served as places of exile for important persons in the early Roman empire. The extremity of its desolation was proverbial among Roman authors, such as Tacitus and Juvenal. The island operated as a prison island and concentration camp for left-wing political dissidents in Greece from 1948 until 1974. During that time, at least 22,000 people were exiled or imprisoned on the island.[1] It is an island of great ecological importance as it hosts the largest population of monk seals in the Mediterranean.[2]
- ^ Red Rocks of the Aegean: Greece's Prison Islands Archived 2014-02-02 at the Wayback Machine, New Histories March 15, 2012
- ^ Karamanlidis, A.A.; et al. (April 2016). "The Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus: status, biology, threats, and conservation priorities". Mammal Review. 46 (2): 92–105. doi:10.1111/mam.12053.