Cyclades Guide - Escale Yachting

16 6
The gods were here first
The Cyclades were nymphs, daughters of Oceanus and Tethys, who
Poseidon transformed into isles when they invoked his rage. In Delos
Apollo, son of the sun, was born; Dionysus, the god of wine, festivity
and fertility was born in Naxos. The Cyclades were a point of reference
in the Argonautic Expedition, in Homer's epics, in the myth of Theseus
and Ariadne, in the myth of Perseus and his mother, Danae.
A name renowned and fitting
The name Cyclades dates back to the 5th century BC in the works of
Herodotus and comes from the word 'cycle', either because the strong
winds made the ships sail in circles, or because of the circular
arrangement of the islands around Delos, a
sacred island in ancient years.
Some geography…
The Cyclades group of islands includes about
220 islands, large and small, 24 of which are
inhabited, scattered over a sea area of
approximately 8,000 km² .
The largest island in the Cyclades is Naxos,
2
covering an area of 448 km , with 20,000 residents. The smallest island
is Pano Koufonissi, covering an area of 3.5 km² , with about 300
permanent residents. In terms of administration, the Cyclades form an