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Kalymnos

Kalymnos or Calymnos is a mountainous Greek island of the Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea. It is located 12 km north of the island of Kos, 2 km south of Leros and near Turkey at the Bodrum Peninsula. This island has long been under Ottoman rule and Italian in the first half of the twentieth century, is known for its fishing and natural sponges recent years seen its reputation is increasing in the field of sports climbing.

The people of Kalymnos are called Kalymniotes.

In 2001, the population of the island is estimated at 16,576 inhabitants. The main town of Kalymnos Pothia, which is also the port of the island. There is a multitude of small cafes and restaurants typically kalymniotes. There are not many beaches in Kalymnos, the prettiest lying Myrties and Massouri. The main towns are Pothia Kalymnos (10,149 inhab.) Horio (3311 inhab.) Panormos (1,412 inhabitants), Emporio, Skalia, Arginonta, Massouri, Myrties (203 inhab.) Melitsacha, Vathi (577 inhab.) and Stymenia. Telendos, facing Kalymnos, There is a nice beach and several small Greek restaurants.

Tourism, although this remains limited compared to other islands in the Aegean Sea and is essentially limited to the summer months. Ferries connect Athens to Kalymnos, Patmos, Rhodes and Kos. The island has become more popular because of popular writers who wrote about it (Michel Deon, Céline Schmink, Katherine Ginsburg, etc..) And reside there year round. Many English and Americans spend their holidays in Kalymnos and Greek holidaymakers living abroad and returning to their island of origin for the holidays and see their families. Kalymnos is a dynamic island, which is lively on summer evenings (variety of musical performances on the place of the church in the center Christou Pothia, the famous disco club in Masouri Loca ...). Evening, while the port is bathed in night lights and the animation is very lively.

Kalymnos is also popular in recent years for climbing cliffs, especially near the village of Massouri where are the majority of the tracks. In 2006 was created the International Kalymnos Climbing Festival held annually with the support of the Greek tourist office, a competition involving 300 participants internationaux6. There are now 2,000 tracks spread over 64 sectors on the islands.