Santorini, Greece

Santorini Island is one of the most popular destinations in Greece, Santorini is located in the south of the Cycladic islands at  Aegean sea, has one of the most spectacular landscapes in Greece and in the world. The traditional villages of Santorini, built on tall cliffs, offer a breathtaking view over the submerged volcano. They represent the beautiful Greek cliché you have always dreamed about! 

The island covers an area of 96 km2, has a coastline of 69 kilometres and its length reaches 18 km. Santorini has a population of about 10.000 inhabitants during winter, a number that rises up to 20.000 during the summer.

During the ancient times, the shape of Santorini was circular and that was the reason it was also called Strongili, which means circular in Greek. The volcano’s eruption destroyed the centre of the island, causing it to sink and to create today’s caldera.
The first eruption of the Volcano took place around 1500 BC, and is said to be responsible for the destruction of the great Minoan civilisation of Crete. The last eruption took place in 1956 but the volcano remains active until today. Some believe that the destruction of Santorini could be related to that of the mythical Atlantis.

Santorini attracts thousands of visitors each year. Santorini is a volcanic island made of black stone and therefore offers a spectacular landscape and a unique atmosphere, Perfect for weddings. It's traditionally shaped villages lie on top of impressive cliffs 300 meters high and offer a panoramic view of the submerged volcano. One of the most famous villages is Oia, mostly know around the world for its spectacular sunset.

But Santorini has much more to offer to the visitor: endless and unique black sandy beaches, archaeological sites, museums, incredible local products, great food, and much more.

The legend of Atlantis:

Plato refers to an ancient civilisation that vanished due to a sudden natural disaster. The legend has puzzled many generations of historians who variously locate Atlantis in the Antilles, America, some island west of Gibraltar, Malta, or just in Plato's imagination. During recent years Greece has been considered as the most likely location of Atlantis and according to several experts Santorini is the mythical island.

We know that Thira had been inhabited before 2000 BC and that the advanced Minoan civilization existed in Crete & Thira before the disastrous eruption. That civilization suddenly disappeared about 1600 BC, a fact that was interpreted as the result of an invasion by tribes from the Greek mainland. But the Thira eruption -that took place during the same era- led Marinatos among others to believe that the great explosion not only destroyed Thira but also created a huge tsunami, which vanished the Minoan society of Crete.

In fact, Santorini is the largest active caldera (sea crater) in the world, 5 times larger than Krakatoa between Sumatra & Java in Indonesia. The Thira eruption is estimated to have been 5 times more powerful than the one of Krakatoa that is described by J.V.Luce in "The End of Atlantis":

"Between just two days, 26-27 of August 1883, 23 square kilometers of Krakatoa disappeared after a series of explosions. The largest of all, at 10 am of the second day, was heard from Alice Springs in central Australia to Martinique in the Caribbean and from Ceylon to north Malaysia. The pressure waves created in the atmosphere travelled 3.5 times around the Earth, and heavy damages were caused to buildings up to 160 km away. The explosions created tsunamis, the biggest being 17 m high at a distance of 88 km from Krakatoa. The waves destroyed about 300 towns and villages on the neighbouring coasts of Java & Sumatra, causing the death by drowning of a large part of the coastal population, around 36,000 souls in all."

Based on the Krakatoa disaster, it is quite reasonable to believe that the Thira eruption devastated the north coast of Crete -located just 90 km away- through waves perhaps 60-100 m high travelling with a speed of 160 km/h. The volcanic ash might had covered the entire island in layers 10-75 cm thick, enough to minimise the fertility of the soil for 2-15 years.

The volcano has been active on several occasions since the great disaster. The eruption of 236 BC separated Thirassia from the NW edge of Thira, whilst Old Kammeni (Old Burned) appeared in 196 BC. The southern coast of Santorini was submerged in 1570 AD; three years later Small Kammeni was created and between 1711-12 New Kammeni emerged from the sea. In 1866 a series of eruptions lasting two years caused the islet of Aphotessa to appear and then disappear. The eruption of 1925-26 that connected Small & New Kammeni caused little damage, but the powerful earthquake of 1956 destroyed many buildings and created tidal waves up to 17 meters high.

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