Tinos Περιφερειακή ενότητα / Δήμος Τήνου | |
|---|---|
 Panagia Evangelistria, landmark of the island | |
  Tinos Tinos within the South Aegean  | |
| Coordinates:37°37′N25°08′E / 37.617°N 25.133°E /37.617; 25.133 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | South Aegean |
| Seat | Tinos (town) |
| Area | |
• Municipality | 194.5 km2 (75.1 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Municipality | 8,934 |
| • Density | 46/km2 (120/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 842 xx |
| Area code(s) | 22830 |
| Vehicle registration | EM |
| Website | www |
Tinos (Greek:Τήνος[ˈtinos]) is aGreek island situated in theAegean Sea. It forms part of theCycladesarchipelago. The closest islands areAndros,Delos, andMykonos. It has a land area of 194.464 square kilometres (75.083 sq mi)[2] and a 2021 census population of 8,934 inhabitants.[3]
Tinos is famous amongst Greeks for the Church ofPanagia Evangelistria, for the island's 80 or sowindmills,[4] for about 1,000 artistic dovecotes, for 50 active villages and for theVenetian fortifications on the mountainExomvourgo. On Tinos, bothGreek Orthodox andCatholic populations co-exist, and the island is also well known for its sculptors and painters, such asNikolaos Gysis,Yannoulis Chalepas andNikiforos Lytras.
The island is located near the geographical center of the Cyclades islands complex, and because of the Panagia Evangelistria church, with the reputedly miraculous icon of Virgin Mary that it holds, Tinos is also the center of a yearly pilgrimage that takes place on the date of theDormition of the Virgin Mary (15 August,Greek:Dekapentavgoustos).[5] Many pilgrims make their way along the 800 metres (2,600 feet) from the ferry wharf to the church on their hands and knees as sign of devotion.
Anciently, the island was calledTenos (Ancient Greek:Τῆνος), and was also calledHydroussa/Hydroessa (Ὑδροῦσσα, Ὑδρόεσσα) from the number of its springs, andOphioussa (Ὀφιοῦσσα) because it abounded in snakes.[6][7][8] The sons ofBoreas are said to have been slain in this island byHeracles.[9] In the invasion of Greece byXerxes I, the Tenians were compelled to serve in the Persian fleet; but a Teniantrireme deserted to the Greeks immediately before theBattle of Salamis (480 BCE), and accordingly the name of the Tenians was inscribed upon the tripod atDelphi in the list of Grecian states which had overthrown the Persians.[10]Pausanias relates that the name of the Tenians was also inscribed on the statue of Zeus at Olympia among the Greeks who had fought at theBattle of Plataea.[11] The Tenians afterwards formed part of theDelian League, and are mentioned among the subject allies of Athens at the time of the Sicilian expedition.[12] They paid a yearly tribute of 3600 drachmae, from which it may be inferred that they enjoyed a considerable share of prosperity.[13]Alexander of Pherae took possession of Tenos for a time;[14] and the island was afterwards granted byMarcus Antonius to theRhodians.[15]
Following the capture ofConstantinople by theFourth Crusade, Tinos was one of several islands ruled by privateVenetian citizens and belonged toAndrea Ghisi, whose heirs held it until 1390 when the last member of the family branch bequeathed both Tinos andMykonos to Venice.[16][17] It was ruled by Venice until 1715, when Tinos was captured by theOttoman Empire (seeOttoman–Venetian War). It was known as İstendil during Ottoman era.[18] The Ottomans held Tinos until 1821 when the inhabitants joined in theGreek War of Independence.[19] During this war the Greek Orthodox Christians persecuted the Catholic Albanians of Tinos and murdered many of them[20]
The tumult of the period gave rise to an increase in piracy in the region. In 1825HMS Cambrian was the lead vessel of a small squadron in anti-piracy operations in theArchipelago, at Alexandria, and around the coasts of Syria. On 27 July 1826,Cambrian's boats captured a pirate bombard and burnt amistico on Tinos. Five pirates were killed and several wounded.
The date of 15 August also commemorates the 1940 sinking in Tinos's harbour of the Greek cruiserElli, during peacetime, while she rode at anchor, by the Italian submarineDelfino. TheElli was participating in the celebrations of the Feast of the Dormition. One of the three torpedoes fired hit theElli under the one operating boiler and she caught fire and sank. Nine petty officers and sailors were killed and 24 were wounded. The same submarine attempted to torpedo the passenger ships M/VElsi and M/VHesperos anchored in the port. This attempt failed and the torpedoes only damaged a section of the port's wharf.
Tinos has a varied landscape. From the shores of Panormos and Kolimbithra on the North Shore to Kionia, Agios Yannis O Portos, and Agios Sostis on the Southern Shore, Tinos has many beaches. Tsiknias is the highest mountain on the island at 750 metres (2,460 feet) and hides the village of Livada. The mountain ofExobourgo is quite distinct, and unlike its more rounded Cycladic neighbors, has a jagged appearance that would be more at home in the Alps. Between Tsiknias and Exobourgo lies the fruitful plain of Falatados. This area is unique on the island as its relatively flat terrain (albeit with an elevation of about 300 metres (980 feet)) is rare on the island. This made it a strong candidate for a proposed airport on the island. TheMeltemi winds and concerns of local villagers of the towns of Falatados, and Steni have all but halted the project.
The landscape aroundVolax is surreal and unusual with giant boulders some the size of multi-storey buildings.[citation needed] The village of Volax lies at the center of this landscape. To the west, the mountains surrounding Pyrgos contain greenmarble.[citation needed]
All around the island of Tinos, the islanders have made the most unusual things out of stone. The hills are all terraced with stone walls and every village is connected to its nearest neighbors by stone walkways set between a parallel set of stone walls.
The island's mineral resources include marble, Verde antico,asbestos and agranite mine near Volax (also known as Volakas).
Tinos is a separateregional unit of theSouth Aegean region, and the onlymunicipality of the regional unit. As a part of the2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Tinos was created out of part of the formerCyclades Prefecture. At the same reform, the current municipality Tinos was created out of the 3 former municipalities:[21]
The province of Tinos (Greek:Επαρχία Τήνου) was one of theprovinces of the Cyclades Prefecture. It had the same territory as the present regional unit.[22] It was abolished in 2006.
Tinos experiences aMediterranean climate and has warm and dry summers and mild and wet winters. In the island you come across theetesians (also known as meltemi winds) — the strong, dry north winds of the Aegean Sea, which blow from about mid-May to mid-September. They are at their strongest in the afternoon and often die down at night, but sometimes meltemi winds last for days without a break. Meltemi winds are dangerous to sailors because they come up in clear weather without warning and can blow at 7-8 Beaufort.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| High | 14 °C | 15 °C | 16 °C | 19 °C | 22 °C | 26 °C | 28 °C | 28 °C | 26 °C | 23 °C | 19 °C | 15 °C |
| Low | 10 °C | 10 °C | 11 °C | 13 °C | 17 °C | 21 °C | 23 °C | 24 °C | 21 °C | 19 °C | 15 °C | 12 °C |
| Precipitation | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 11 |
| Winds in km/h | 29 | 30 | 26 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 23 | 28 |
Tinos has three ports, one for passenger speed boats, and two for ferries and highspeed boats which carry passengers and cars to other ports, includingMykonos (35 min),Piraeus,Rafina,Andros andSyros.
There is aheliport close to Aghios Fokas beach, some 2 kilometres (1 mile) from the town of Tinos.
There are regular buses linking the town of Tinos with other villages on the island.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Tenos".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
| Regional unit ofAndros |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Regional unit ofKalymnos | ||
| Regional unit ofKarpathos-Kasos | ||
| Regional unit ofKea-Kythnos | ||
| Regional unit ofKos | ||
| Regional unit ofMilos | ||
| Regional unit ofMykonos | ||
| Regional unit ofNaxos | ||
| Regional unit ofParos | ||
| Regional unit ofRhodes | ||
| Regional unit ofSyros | ||
| Regional unit ofThira | ||
| Regional unit ofTinos | ||
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