Agistri, also Angistri or Agkistri (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: Αγκίστρι , English: "

fishing hook A fish hook or fishhook, formerly also called angle (from Old English ''angol'' and Proto-Germanic ''*angulaz''), is a hook used to catch fish either by piercing and embedding onto the inside of the fish mouth (angling) or, more rarely, by impal ...

"), is a small populated island and municipality in the

Saronic Gulf The Saronic Gulf (Greek: Σαρωνικός κόλπος, ''Saronikós kólpos'') or Gulf of Aegina in Greece is formed between the peninsulas of Attica and Argolis and forms part of the Aegean Sea. It defines the eastern side of the isthmus of Co ...

in the Islands regional unit,

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

Settlements

There are only three settlements on Agistri - Milos (Megalochori), Skala and Limenaria. Milos (pop. 566) is the main village where the majority of the Greek population of the island lives. Skala (pop. 448) is a twenty-minute walk from Milos along the coastal road. Skala is where most of the tourist facilities and hotels are. Limenaria (pop. 128) is a very small village on the other side of the island with very little tourism. The island's population is 1,142 inhabitants according to the 2011 Greek census. Its land area is .

History

The island was settled by

Arvanites Arvanites (; Arvanitika: , or , ; Greek: , ) are a bilingual population group in Greece of Albanian origin. They traditionally speak Arvanitika, an Albanian language variety, along with Greek. Their ancestors were first recorded as settl ...

likely starting in the late 17th century.Jochalas, Titos P. (1971): Über die Einwanderung der Albaner in Griechenland: Eine zusammenfassene Betrachtung On the immigration of Albanians to Greece: A summary" München: Trofenik. pg. 89-106 ''On Salamis, the Albanians are mentioned for the first time in 1674 and it would seem that they continued on to the neighbouring island of Anggistri somewhat later.'' The community still inhabits the island. The Arvinite name for the island is "Ngjistër/Ngjistri"

Geography

Agistri is a pine-covered island in the

Saronic Islands The Saronic Islands or Argo-Saronic Islands is an archipelago in Greece, named after the Saronic Gulf in which they are located, just off the Greek mainland. The main inhabited islands of this group are Salamis, Aegina, Agistri, and Poros. The ...

group. Agistri is very close to the larger Saronic island of

Aegina Aegina (; el, Αίγινα, ''Aígina'' ; grc, Αἴγῑνα) is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, from Athens. Tradition derives the name from Aegina, the mother of the hero Aeacus, who was born on the island and ...

. The island can be reached from Aegina by a number of boats in just ten minutes. These boats include the Agistri Express and a number of small "water taxis". The island is also an hour's boat ride from the large Athenian port of

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saron ...

Flora and fauna

Agistri is home to a wide variety of plants such as wild cyclamen,

thyme Thyme () is the herb (dried aerial parts) of some members of the genus '' Thymus'' of aromatic perennial evergreen herbs in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are relatives of the oregano genus ''Origanum'', with both plants being mostly indigen ...

, caper bushes, and

thistles Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles can also occur all over the planton the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves. ...

. The center of the island is covered in Pine forest. It hosts a population of chukar partridges. The rocky eastern coast is used as a breeding place by swifts. Noteworthy is a population of peafowls, which have been introduced to the island and since become feral.

Local economies

Agistri's primary industry is tourism. Both in Skala and Megalochori there are numerous hotels and restaurants. Local transport includes a bus and taxis. Popular beaches are Aponissos and Dragonera on the western coast, the beaches of Megalochori and Skala in the north, Mariza in the south, and Skliri and Halikiada in the east. Halikiada is popular for naturism. The island also has a long history of free camping, though it is no longer allowed to erect tents in the forest due to fire hazard. Agriculture also forms part of the island's economy. On 18 September 2015, Wall Street investor Brian Kelly announced he would be investing in the Nxt-based platform Drachmae, which has as its aim the revitalisation of the local economy of the Greek Island Agistri.

Gallery

File:Path at Mareza.JPG, Pine forest with hiking trail File:Mareza beach,Angistri.JPG, Near Mariza beach at the south eastern coast File:Bay on the eastern coast of Agistri island.jpg, Bay at the western coast File:Panoramic_skala_port.JPG, Panoramic image of the beach and harbor of Skala File:20090517_Limenaria_Angistri_island_Greece.jpg, Village Limenaria File:Fishing boat and nets at Megalochori, Agkistri Island, Greece.jpg, Fishing boat and nets at Megalochori File:BlogJordan Agii-Anargyri Skala-Agistri Greece.jpg, The Church of Agioi Anargyroi, Skala File:Greek island Agistri, seen from Aegina.jpg, View from

File:20090517 map sign Angistri island Greece.jpg, Map of Agistri on a forest fire warning sign File:Angistri_Rebhuhn.jpg,

Chukar partridge The chukar partridge (''Alectoris chukar''), or simply chukar, is a Palearctic upland gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It has been considered to form a superspecies complex along with the rock partridge, Philby's partridge and Pr ...

File:Peacock on Agistri island.jpg, Peacock File:Kinotita Angistriou.png, Agkistri island map File:Flag of Agistri Island.png, Agkistri flag

References

External links

Official websiteTourist websiteAgistriGreece.com Tourist Guide
{{Use dmy dates, date=August 2020 Saronic Islands Municipalities of Attica Populated places in Islands (regional unit) Islands of Attica Islands of Greece Landforms of Islands (regional unit) Arvanite settlements