Lesbos
Sign in to saveLesbos or Lesvos ( ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of , with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece and the eighth largest in the Mediterranean. It is separated from Asia Minor by the narrow Mytilini Strait. On the southeastern coast is the island's capital and largest city, Mytilene (), whose name is also used for the island as a whole. Lesbos is a separate regional unit with the seat in Mytilene, which is also the capital of the larger North Aegean region. The region includes the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Ikaria, Le
AI overview
Lesbos is a Greek island in the northeastern Aegean Sea that ranks as the third largest in Greece and eighth largest in the Mediterranean, separated from Asia Minor by a narrow strait. It serves as an important regional center, with its capital city Mytilene functioning as both the island's main hub and the seat of the broader North Aegean region.
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Key facts
- Greece place.name
- Lesbos
- Greece place.name_local
- Περιφερειακή ενότηταΛέσβος
- Greece place.type
- regional unit
- Greece place.image_skyline
- Mytilene 2010-04-03.jpg
- Greece place.caption_skyline
- Mytilene
- Greece place.image_map
- 2011 Dimos Lesvou.png
- Greece place.map_caption
- Lesbos within the North Aegean
- Greece place.periph
- North Aegean
- Greece place.seat
- Mytilene
- Greece place.area
- 1633
- Greece place.population
- 83755
- Greece place.population_as_of
- 2021
Article
31 sectionsContents
- Names
- History
- Prehistory
- Ancient and Classical era
- Middle Ages and Byzantine era
- Ottoman era
- Modern era
- Tourism
- Geography
- Climate
- Geology
- Landmarks
- Endangered sites
- Administration
- Parliamentary constituency
- Economy
- Migrants
- Culture
- Cuisine
- In popular culture
- Sports
- Media
- Radio
- TV
- Newspapers
- Notable residents
- Gallery
- See also
- References
- Works cited
- External links
Lesbos or Lesvos ( ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of , with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece and the eighth largest in the Mediterranean. It is separated from Asia Minor by the narrow Mytilini Strait. On the southeastern coast is the island's capital and largest city, Mytilene (), whose name is also used for the island as a whole. Lesbos is a separate regional unit with the seat in Mytilene, which is also the capital of the larger North Aegean region. The region includes the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Ikaria, Lemnos, and Samos. The total population of the island was 83,755 in 2021. A third of the island's inhabitants live in the capital, while the remainder are concentrated in small towns and villages. The largest are Plomari, Agia Paraskevi, Polichnitos, Agiassos, Eresos, Gera, and Molyvos (the ancient Mythimna).
According to later Greek writers, Mytilene was founded in the 11th century BC by the family Penthilidae, who arrived from Thessaly and ruled the city-state until a popular revolt (590–580 BC) led by Pittacus of Mytilene ended their rule. In fact, the archaeological and linguistic records may indicate a late Iron Age arrival of Greek settlers, although references in Late Bronze Age Hittite archives indicate a likely Greek presence then. According to Homer's Iliad, Lesbos was part of the kingdom of Priam, which ruled from Troy. In the Middle Ages, it was under Byzantine and then Genoese rule. Lesbos was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1462. The Ottomans then ruled the island until the First Balkan War in 1912, when it became part of the Kingdom of Greece.