Fournoi Korseon ( el, Φούρνοι Κορσέων), more commonly simply Fournoi ( el, Φούρνοι), anciently known as Corsiae or Korsiai ( grc, Κορσίαι), Corseae or Korseai (Κορσεαί), Corsia or Korsia (Κορσία), and Corassiae (Κορασσίαι), form a complex or

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arch ...

of small

Greek islands Greece has many islands, with estimates ranging from somewhere around 1,200 to 6,000, depending on the minimum size to take into account. The number of inhabited islands is variously cited as between 166 and 227. The largest Greek island by a ...

that lie between

Ikaria Icaria, also spelled Ikaria ( el, Ικαρία), is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, 10 nautical miles (19 km) southwest of Samos. According to tradition, it derives its name from Icarus, the son of Daedalus in Greek mythology, who was be ...

Samos Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a sepa ...

and

Patmos Patmos ( el, Πάτμος, ) is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. It is famous as the location where John of Patmos received the visions found in the Book of Revelation of the New Testament, and where the book was written. One of the norther ...

in Ikaria regional unit,

North Aegean The North Aegean Region ( el, Περιφέρεια Βορείου Αιγαίου, translit=Periféria Voríou Eyéou, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, and the smallest of the thirteen by population. It comprises the isl ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

. The two largest islands of the complex, the main isle of Fournoi and the isle of Thymaina , are inhabited, as is Agios Minas Island to the east. The municipality has an area of 45.247 km². On the main isle Fournoi (town) is the largest settlement and then Chrysomilia in the north the second largest (and third largest overall, after Thymaina). Fournoi (town) proper is the main ferry harbour, with ferries also landing on Thymaina. Many of the inhabitants are fishermen, although during the summer season the population is also occupied in tourist activities, mostly room rentals and catering. On the main island are a number of beaches such as Vlychada, Vitsilia, Petrokopio, Elidaki, and Bali. The archipelago is famous for being a hub of the

Ancient World Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cov ...

, which resulted in 53 shipwrecks found in the area until 2017. Another five shipwrecks were found in 2018, raising the total number to 58. Those wrecks date back from 4th century BC to 19th century AD.

Climate

The climate is arid and hot during summers. Winters are rather mild with average rainfall but constant strong archipelagic winds prevail.

Transportation

Transportation is often interrupted during the winter period (mostly from November to April) due to bad weather, mainly strong winds. The rest of the year regular links with the islands of Ikaria and Samos (by boat only) is available. Since 2008 a ferry coming from Samos reaches

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

stopping also in

Icaria Icaria, also spelled Ikaria ( el, Ικαρία), is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, 10 nautical miles (19 km) southwest of Samos. According to tradition, it derives its name from Icarus, the son of Daedalus in Greek mythology, who was be ...

and

Paros Paros (; el, Πάρος; Venetian: ''Paro'') is a Greek island in the central Aegean Sea. One of the Cyclades island group, it lies to the west of Naxos, from which it is separated by a channel about wide. It lies approximately south-east of ...

Archaeology

Archaeologist discovered a ship graveyard off the coast of the Fourni Islands, with 53 ships. It contains wrecks dating from the 4th century BC through the 19th century AD. In 2018, archaeologists discovered five additional vessels, bringing the total number of ships found there to 58. The newly discovered ships rest in shallow waters and show signs of damage from fishing nets and plunderers, the archaeological team also found cargoes of amphoras that carried wine, oil, and other foods, and a load of terracotta lamps dating to the 2nd century AD. The lamps were made in

Corinth Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part ...

ian workshops, and bear the names of the artisans who crafted them, Octavius and Lucius.Five Shipwrecks Found Near Greece’s Fourni Islands
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Settlements and islands

The main island of Fournoi has a population of 1,320 (), or over 90 percent of the municipality's population. The only other inhabited islands are Agios Minas, and Thymaina.

References

External links

Official website

Fournoi island at gtp.gr
*http://www.fourni.com/ {{Authority control Populated places in Ikaria (regional unit) Municipalities of the North Aegean Archipelagoes of Greece Landforms of Ikaria (regional unit) Islands of the North Aegean