Kastos ( el, Καστός) is a

Greek island 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 ...

and a former

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, t ...

east of the island of

Lefkada Lefkada ( el, Λευκάδα, ''Lefkáda'', ), also known as Lefkas or Leukas ( Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Λευκάς, ''Leukás'', modern pronunciation ''Lefkás'') and Leucadia, is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of G ...

, Ionian Islands,

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 wi ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality

, of which it is a municipal unit. Until 1974, when it became part of the Lefkada Prefecture, the island was administered under the Cephalonia Prefecture (

Ithaca Ithaca most commonly refers to: *Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey'' *Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca *Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College Ithaca, Ithaka ...

province).EETAA local government changes
/ref> The nearest island is

Kalamos Kalamos ( grc, Κάλαμος, lit= reed, reed pen; la, Calamus) is a Greek mythological figure. He is son of Maiandros, the god of the Maeander river. Mythology A story in Nonnus's ''Dionysiaca'' tells about the love of two youths, Kalamos ...

, with a deep channel between them; the mainland is approximately to the northeast in

Aetolia-Acarnania Aetolia-Acarnania ( el, Αιτωλοακαρνανία, ''Aitoloakarnanía'', ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the geographic region of Central Greece and the administrative region of West Greece. A combination of the histor ...

Geography

The island has only one village, the homonymous Kastos, located on its east coast. It has a population of about 80, involved mainly in tourism services, as well as fishing. During the summer Kastioti of the diaspora return for holidays and together with the fluctuating visitors arriving on

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

s, form its seasonal character. The island is long from north to south, and 800 m wide. The area is and its highest point is over the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...

level. Kastos has two churches, Agios Ioannis Prodromos, which is located in the centre of the village, and Agios Emilianos, located about northeastern of the village. Agios Ioannis church is decorated with wall paintings from the notable Eptanesian painter Spyridon Gazis. Also, the island has two windmills and three olive presses, none of them functioning anymore.

Population

Facilities

The island has a range of facilities such as a mini-market, three bars, four restaurants and a small gift shop. All facilities are open during the summer, however most close during the winter months of the island. The island has two harbours for boat mooring, one located on the front of the island, the other located at the back, in a bay called Sarakiniko.

References

External links

Kastos (island) informationKastos (village) information
{{Lefkada div Islands of Greece Islands of the Ionian Islands (region) Populated places in Lefkada (regional unit) Landforms of Lefkada (regional unit)

Geography

Population

Facilities

See also

References

External links