The Basics

Quick Facts: Chios

Pronunciation	hee-oHs
Alternate Spellings	Hios, Xios
Transportation	Air, ferry, hydrofoil
Main Attractions	Chios Town, Nea Moni, mastic villages
Food	Many excellent choices
Accommodations	Many excellent choices

Chios Page 1

Chios Characteristics

Chios, population 50,000, lies 27 nautical miles south of Lesvos and 146 nautical miles from Piraeus. It is less than 5 miles from Turkey and played an important part in the Greek War For Independence (1822), when the Turks slaughtered 25,000 rebellious islanders.

Chios has a land mass of 842 sq. km and a coast line of 213km. It has the smaller nearby islands of Oinouses, Psara, AntiPsara and Pasas within its civic control. Chios is thought to be the birth place of Homer and Christopher Columbus. It is most densely populated in its SE sections and has an airport immediately south of Chios Town.

Island Features

Celebrated for its shipowners, gum mastic and friendliness, Chios is a semi-mountainous island, with its highest peak of Pelinaious, at 1300 meters. It has several verdant valleys and pine forests. It is rocky and precipitous in the north and flatter in the south and east with sandy unspoiled beaches. As a larger island, it has many villages mostly concentrated in the south.

Its capital and main port is Chios Town and its other major villages are Thimania, Nentia, Marmaro, and Pirgi. There are many smaller hamlets including Kardamila and Kambos, to the south, is particularly green and beautiful. The western and northern regions have steep rocky cliffs facing the sea. There is a large Greek Army contingent on Chios.

Its architecture is unique and varied, and includes the 11th Century Byzatine Nea Moni with its wonderful mosaics.

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