Zourafa or Ladoxera () is a uninhabited Greek

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanen ...

rock in the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...

, east of

Samothrace Samothrace (also known as Samothraki, el, Σαμοθράκη, ) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. It is a municipality within the Evros regional unit of Thrace. The island is long and is in size and has a population of 2,859 (2011 ...

, and north of

Imbros Imbros or İmroz Adası, officially Gökçeada (lit. ''Heavenly Island'') since 29 July 1970,Alexis Alexandris, "The Identity Issue of The Minorities in Greece And Turkey", in Hirschon, Renée (ed.), ''Crossing the Aegean: An Appraisal of the 1 ...

. It lies at the northeastern tip of the Thracian Sporades, and is administratively part of the regional unit of Evros. Its total area is only 9 sq.m. and the total length of the coastline 12 meters (in previous measurements 165 meters). It belongs to the protected areas of the pan-European program NATURA since 2011.

Name

There appear to be various hypotheses about the origin of the first name. The earliest reference is to an Ottoman map of

1521 1521 ( MDXXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1521st year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 521st year of the 2nd millennium, the 21st year ...

by the Ottoman Turkish explorer

Piri Reis Ahmet Muhiddin Piri ( 1465 – 1553), better known as Piri Reis ( tr, Pîrî Reis or ''Hacı Ahmet Muhittin Pîrî Bey''), was a navigator, geographer and cartographer. He is primarily known today for his maps and charts collected in his ''Kita ...

, which describes it as ''Zurafa Kaya'' (modern Turkish: ''Zürafa Kayalıkları'', Giraffe Rocks) without being depicted, so its current name is alleged by some to be derived from this. On the contrary, the folklorist George Lekakis argues that it is a combination of the word "zoura" with the meaning of level and the word "fa" which has the meaning of light / manifest. Variations of the same name are ''Sgorafa'' or ''Tzourafa.'' The name Ladoxera seems to derive from the presence of oily waters and the smell of oil. Its alternate name, ''Ladoxera'' "oil reef", was given to it by sailors who would often spot oil slicks around Zourafa. In a Flemish map of 1585 it is called Halonesus, while in Venetian in the 1690s it appears to be referred to as Holonisus.Turkey and Gallipoli by Coronelli c.1694
και σ�
υψηλή ανάλυση
- antiqueprints.com.au(έγχρωμο
Paralello Geo Grafico Dell'antico Col Moderno Arcipelago
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- antiquemapsandglobes.com

Geography

Zourafa is located east of Skepasto, the northeastern tip of the island of

, and from

Alexandroupoli Alexandroupolis ( el, Αλεξανδρούπολη, ), Alexandroupoli, or Alexandrople is a city in Greece and the capital of the Evros regional unit. It is the largest city in Western Thrace and the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. It h ...

. It has an estimated area of and measures in circumference (undated). Zourafa has been gradually reduced in size by erosion. It peaks out of a long underwater ledge, remnant of a

volcanic island Geologically, a high island or volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, which are formed from sedimentation or the uplifting of coral reefs (which have often formed ...

. Sailors are cautioned about navigating in the vicinity of Zourafa. Zourafa is part of Greece, and there is a lighthouse on the island. In 2011, it was reported in Greek press that Turkey had started questioning the issue of treaties over the islet, however it is unclear if this is official Turkish policy ''(see

Aegean dispute Aegean may refer to: *Aegean Sea * Aegean Islands *Aegean Region (geographical), Turkey *Aegean Region (statistical), Turkey *Aegean civilizations * Aegean languages, a group of ancient languages and proposed language family * Aegean Sea (theme), ...

)''.

Lighthouse

The lighthouse on Zourafa was destroyed by severe weather in the winter of 2012 and was rebuilt by September. The new lighthouse is powered by solar energy. An icon of Saint Nicholas was placed "in prominent view". Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, and his icon is found on many ships and in many ports in Greece.

Preservation

Zourafa comprises a Natura 2000-designated area, along with the

Fengari Fengari ( el, Φεγγάρι), also known as Saos ( el, Σάος), is the tallest mountain in the Aegean island of Samothrace, Greece, with an elevation of . Etymology The previous name of the mountain, ''Sáos'', which means ''safe'' is still ...

mountain and eastern coastal region of Samothrace and the bordering sea. The site was designated a

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...

in 2011.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Uninhabited islands of Greece Samothrace Landforms of Evros (regional unit) Islands of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Islands of Greece