Chios () is the main

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

and a former municipality on the island of

Chios Chios (; , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greece, Greek list of islands of Greece, island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, tenth largest island in the Medi ...

North Aegean The North Aegean Region (, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, and the smallest of the thirteen by population. It comprises the islands of the north-eastern Aegean Sea, called the North Aegean islands, except for Thasos an ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the municipality Chios, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 22.823 km². It is located on the eastern

coast A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

of the island facing the Turkish coastal town of

Çeşme Çeşme, officially the Çeşme Municipality, is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 285 km2, and its population is 48,924 (2022). It sits at Turkey's westernmost end, on a promontory on t ...

. The town has a population of 27,015 (2021) and is the administrative

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

and main port of both the island and of the

regional unit The 74 regional units of Greece (, ; singular , ) are the country's third-level administrative units (counting decentralized administrations as first-level). They are subdivisions of the country's 13 regions, and are further divided into municip ...

of Chios. Chios town is one of eight municipal units on the island. The city is often locally referred to as Chora (; ) or Kastro (; 'castle') to distinguish it from the entirety of the island with which it shares the name. North of Chios lies the suburb of

Vrontados Vrontados () is a small coastal town located at the eastern part of the island of Chios in Greece. With a population of about 5,300 the town hosts the seat of the municipal unit of Omiroupoli. Information The town has a strong tradition in merc ...

, while the Chios Island National Airport and town of Karfas lie a few kilometres south of the centre.

History

Originally the site of an ancient settlement, the town was first built at the north side of a natural harbour. By the 16th century, the Byzantine walled town had been further fortified by the Genoese rulers into a massive medieval castle, the "Kastro". The current town has expanded out from the ''Kastro'', and the port in the last 200 years. After the devastating earthquake of 1881, the town was substantially rebuilt in neoclassical style, although much of the quayside and outskirts are more modern. The promenade and buildings on it, architechnically were influenced by the nearby

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

on Asia minor coast. In 1885 the population was circa 13.000. Although the population is relatively stable, the town continues to expand with suburbs being built to the north and south. Nevertheless, the centre of the town is still concentrated between the port and castle where the administration, several museums, the main shopping street "Aplotaria", and the municipal gardens lie.

Districts

* Aplotariá (Aplotaria Street) * Agia Marina * Bella Vista (promenade) * Bournias * Kastro * Neapoli (Tabakika) * Fragoparikia * Vounaki (Vounakiou Square) * Varvasi

Landmarks

* Archaeological Museum of Chios *

Bayrakli Mosque, Chios The Bayrakli Mosque (, from , meaning "mosque of the flag-bearer") also known as the Hamidiye Mosque () is a historical mosque from the Ottoman period in the island of Chios, in Greece. It is one of the three surviving mosques on the island, the ...

* Byzantine Museum of Chios (former Mecidiye Mosque) * Castle of Chios * Korais Library * Palace of Giustiniani * Maritime Museum of Chios * Metropolitan Church of Chios (Agion Viktoron) * Osmaniye Mosque * Saint Nicholas Catholic Church

Gallery

File:Citta di Scio - Camocio Giovanni Francesco - 1574.jpg, Map of Chios town, 1574 File:Gios-stêd, wynmûnen.jpg, Windmills at the port File:Koraes Public Library in Chios.jpg, ''

Adamantios Korais Adamantios Korais or Koraïs ( ; ; ; 27 April 17486 April 1833) was a Greek scholar credited with laying the foundations of modern Greek literature and a major figure in the Greek Enlightenment. His activities paved the way for the Greek War ...

'' public library File:Chiostownpark.jpg, Municipal park, with a statue of Konstantinos Kanaris File:Chios, Cathedral or the Church of Agion Victoron.jpg, Metropolitan Cathedral of the town File:Chios Byzantine Museum, Mecidiye Mosque, Chios, Greece.jpg, Mecidiye mosque File:Abdul Hamid Fountain, Chios, Abdülhamid Cesmesi, Sakiz.jpg, Abdul Hamid Ottoman fountain File:Chiosport.jpg, View of the promenade

References

External links

* Populated places in Chios Greek prefectural capitals Port cities of the Aegean Sea Greek city-states Populated places in the ancient Aegean islands {{NorthAegean-geo-stub