Chios, island anddímos (municipality), situated 5 miles (8 km) off the western coast ofTurkey in theAegean Sea, North Aegean (Modern Greek: Vóreio Aigaío)periféreia (region), easternGreece. Of volcanic and limestone origins, it is about 30 miles (50 km) long north-south and from 8 to 15 miles (13 to 24 km) wide. It istraversed north-south by mountains culminating in Mount Pelinaíon (4,255 feet [1,297 meters] high). Chios (Khíos), the port on the east coast, has a small, safe harbor.

Homer was reputed to have lived in Chios, which was the home of a school of bards, the Homerids (Homeridae). In the 8th centurybce it became one of the seven cities of the Pan-Ionian League, and in the 6th and 5th centuriesbce it had a renowned school of sculpture. In 546 Chios submitted toCyrus I of Persia; but after the defeat of Persia, Chios joined theDelian League and remained an ally ofAthens until 412, when it revolted. Athens ravaged Chios in reprisal, and in 378 Chios joined the Second Athenian League, only to revolt again in 354bce and have its independence recognized. It was reputed to be one of the best-governed states in Greece, but in the 4th centurybce it was racked by civil strife. The island’s commerce, based on wine, flourished during the Roman andByzantine period. Centuries later, after occupations by the Seljuq Turks (1089–92) and by the Venetians (1124–25, 1172, 1204–25), Chios was given in fief to the Genoese family of Zaccaria in 1261. In 1415 the Genoese became tributary to the Ottoman Turks; and in 1822, during theWar of Greek Independence, many of the Christian inhabitants of Chios were massacred or sold into slavery by the Turks. The island was reunited with Greece after theBalkan Wars (1912–13).

Wine and gum mastic, traditional products of Chios, often contributed to its economic recovery after times of trouble.Mastic is collected from a wild shrub that grows in the south; it provides the flavour formastíkha, a Greek liqueur, and is used forchewing gum and a local white jam. Chios has no permanent watercourse, so the entire island, including the fertile plain of Kambos, requires irrigation. Nonetheless, citrus fruit, olives, and figs are grown; and lemons, oranges, and tangerines are exported. Antimony, calamine, andmarble deposits are worked; and there is a tanning industry and much coastal trade. Area island, 321 square miles (831 square km). Pop. (2011)municipality, 51,390; (2021) municipality, 50,358.

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