Sunset overlooking the Ayvalık Islands in the Aegean Sea, viewed from Şeytan Sofrası hill.View from a fish restaurant in Cunda Island
Ayvalık Islands (Turkish:Ayvalık Adaları,Latin:Hecatonnesi,Ancient Greek:Ἑκατόννησοι,romanized: Hekatonesoi),[1][2] are the group of islands aroundAyvalık district ofTurkey inBalıkesir Province in the NortheasternAegean Sea. There are 22 islands and numerous rocks in the group, withCunda Island, now a peninsula, being the largest. People live only on Cunda and Lale Islands. Cunda and Lale islands are linked to Ayvalık on the mainland, by a causeway enabling transportation by car. Cunda also has a ferry link from the main town, Alibey, to Ayvalık during the summer.
AGreek Orthodox metropolis was established, based in Cunda island, for some months in 1922.[3]
Wild life can be observed on the other islands, especially wild rabbits on Ilyosta Island. Also, those islands are the main points of interest to tourists as having small beaches and bays.
The archipelago forms the Ayvalık Islands National Park. There’s another island off the coast Altınova neighborhood to the south. Although being geographically separate from the archipelago, it is grouped with other islands as all of them are part of Ayvalık district.
Ayvalık Islands are also referred to as Yund Islands or Cunda Islands in some sources. The islands are called inGreekΕκατόνησαHekatonisa which means Hekate's Island, and not "hundred islands", as some have stated; they were also called orΜοσχονησίMoschonisi i.e. "fragrant island", by theGreeks. The Greek name has different spellings of the former, such as 'Εκατόνήσος Hekatonesos, Εκατόνησοι Hekatonnesoi or Εκατός Hekatos, and yet another name exists altogether, i.e., Ἀπολλώνησος Apollonesos, the "Isle of Apollo".
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Turkey
Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Hecatonnesi".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
