Mykonos (, ; ) is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island has an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. At the 2021 census, there were 10,704 inhabitants, most of whom lived in the largest town, Mykonos, which is on the west coast. The town is also known as Chora (i.e. 'Town' in Greek, following the common practice in Greece when the name of the island itself is the same as the name of the principal town).
Mykonos's nickname is "The Island of the Winds", due to the very strong winds that usually blow on the island. Tourism is a major industry and Mykonos is known for its vibrant nightlife.Duncan Garwood, Mediterranean Europe, 2009Lloyd E. Hudman, Richard H. Jackson, Geography of travel and tourism, 2003Harry Coccossis, Alexandra Mexa, The challenge of tourism carrying capacity assessment: theory and practice, 2004
Name There are two prevailing theories as to the origin of the name "Mykonos". The first, from Hesychius of Alexandria, surmises that the name comes from the ancient Greek "Mykon", which roughly translates to "pile of stones" or "rocky place".Konstantinos Tsakos, Delos-Mykonos: A Guide to the History and Archeology, 1998, pg 103 The second, from Stephanus of Byzantium, ties it to the mythological hero Mykonos, son of Anius.
History Herodotus mentions Carians as the original inhabitants of the island. Ionians from Athens seem to have followed next in the early 11th century BC. There were many people living on the neighboring island of Delos, the meeting ground for the Delian League, only away, which meant that Mykonos became an important place for supplies and transit. It was, however, during ancient times a rather poor island with limited agricultural resources. Its inhabitants were polytheists and worshiped many gods.
After the death of Alexander the Great, Mykonos was member of the League of the Islanders during the Hellenistic period. It came under the control of the Romans and then was part of the Byzantine Empire until the 12th century. In 1204, with the fall of Constantinople in the Fourth Crusade, Mykonos was occupied by Andrea Ghisi. The island was ravaged by the Catalans at the end of the 13th century and finally given over to direct Venetian rule in 1390.
In 1537, while the Venetians still reigned, Mykonos was attacked by Hayreddin Barbarossa, the admiral of Suleiman the Magnificent and an Ottoman fleet established itself on the island. Mykonos thus became part of the Ottoman Empire for almost three centuries, from 1537 to 1830. During this period, it was also known by the Turkish name "Mukene". The Ottomans, under the leadership of the Kapudan Pasha, imposed a system of self-governance comprising a governor and an appointed council of syndics. When the castle of neighbouring Tinos fell to the Ottomans in 1718, the last of the Venetians withdrew from the region.
Up until the end of the 18th century, Mykonos prospered as a trading center, attracting many immigrants from nearby islands, in addition to regular pirate raids. In June 1794 the Battle of Mykonos was fought between British and French ships in the island's main harbor.
The Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Empire broke out in 1821 and Mykonos played an important role, led by the national heroine, Manto Mavrogenous. Mavrogenous, a well-educated aristocrat guided by the ideas of the Enlightenment, sacrificed her family's fortune for the Greek cause. Greece became an independent state in 1830. A statue of her sits in the middle of Manto Mavrogenous square in the main town.
At the end of February 1884, the British travellers Theodore and Mabel Bent visited the island, ostensibly to witness the traditional funeral lamentations (‘mœrologia’).“Everywhere in the Cyclades we were told that when we came to Mykonos we should hear the best lamentations over the dead that exist in Greece: that barren Mykonos had this one' unenviable speciality; nowhere else could the wailing women… sing over the dead such stirring, heart-rending dirges as there.” (Theodore Bent, The Cyclades, or Life Among the Insular Greeks, London, 1885, p.209).
As a result of sailing and merchant activity, the island's economy quickly picked up but declined again during the late 19th century and especially after the opening of the Corinth Canal in 1904 and the First World War at the beginning of the 20th century. Many Mykonians left the island to find work in mainland Greece and many foreign countries, especially the United States.
In September 1944, during the Axis occupation of Greece, the Greek Sacred Squadron carried out a commando raid against the German garrison of Mykonos. From 25 to 28 September, the operation inflicted casualties on the garrison and destroyed ammunition and food stores. The remaining German troops subsequently surrendered, and Mykonos was liberated on 30 September 1944.
Tourism soon came to dominate the local economy, owing a lot to the important excavations carried out by the French School of Archaeology, which began work in Delos in 1873. Mykonos became popular with international "jet set" tourists in the 1960s. In the 1970s, it was popular spot for Americans to treat as a nude beach, which Americans imagined to be a feature of those natural "far out" Greeks, and then flourished further to become a popular gay tourist destination in the 1980s. By the 2000s, Mykonos had become one of Greece's most expensive islands. Mykonos is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Greece, widely known for its beaches, nightlife, and traditional Cycladic architecture.
Mythology In Greek mythology, Mykonos was named after its first ruler, Mykonos (Μύκονος),Stephanus of Byzantium, s. vv. Andros, Mykonos the son of the hero Anius and grandson of the god Apollo. The island is also said to have been the location of the Gigantomachy, the great battle between Zeus and Giants and where Heracles killed the invincible giants having lured them from the protection of Mount Olympus. According to myth, the large rocks all over the island are said to be the petrified corpses of the giants.
Geography
The island has an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. It is situated east of Athens in the Aegean Sea. The island features no rivers but has numerous seasonal streams, two of which have been converted into reservoirs.
The island is composed mostly of granite and the terrain is very rocky with many areas eroded by the strong winds. High quality clay and baryte, which is a mineral used as a lubricant in oil drilling, were mined on the eastern side of Mykonos until the late 1900s.
It produces of water daily, by reverse osmosis of sea water in order to help meet the needs of its population and visitors.
The island has a population of nearly 12,500, most of whom live in the main town of Chora.
Climate According to the National Observatory of Athens, Mykonos has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSh) because of the low overall precipitation, although it has lots of Mediterranean climate (Csa) characteristics and is highly influenced by the Aegean Sea. The rainy season lasts from October until March. Vegetation follows the typical pattern for the region and grows around mid-autumn and ends in the beginning of the summer. The average daily high temperature in the winter is around , while it is around in the summer. The average nighttime temperature is in the winter and over in the summer.
Because of the seasonal cool "meltemi" wind (similar to the other Cyclades islands) and the moderating sea, summer days are relatively cool, dry, sunny and pleasant. The reason for the low overall rainfall is the rain shadow of the Pindus mountain range, which dry out the westerly winds. Winters in general are mild and wet, with many sunny days even in mid-winter. Coastal Mykonos falls in 10b/11a hardiness zone.
Villages There are ten villages:
Cuisine
Local specialities:
Government
The municipality of Mykonos (officially: ) is a separate regional unit of the South Aegean region, and the sole municipality in the regional unit. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Mykonos was created out of part of the former Cyclades Prefecture. The municipality, unchanged at the Kallikratis reform, also includes the islands of Delos, Rineia and several uninhabited islets. The total area of the municipality is .
The mayors of Mykonos have been: Fragiskos Nazos (Φραγκίσκος Νάζος; 1975–1978) Matthaios Apostolou (Ματθαίος Αποστόλου; 1979–1990) Christos Veronis (Χρήστος Βερώνης; 1991–2010) Athnanasios Kousathanas-Megas (Αθανάσιος Κουσαθάνας-Μέγας; 2011–2014) Konstantinos Koukas (Κωνσταντίνος Κουκάς; 2014–2023) Christos Veronis (Χρήστος Βερώνης; 2024–present)
Demographics
Year Municipality population 1971 3,863 1981 5,530 1991 6,179 2001 9,320 2011 10,134 2021 10,704
Economy Mykonos is the second top summer destination in Greece, and is known as an upscale nightlife and party destination during summer. It is estimated to have at least 1.5 million visitors per annum, with capacity to hold approximately 50,000 visitors per night.
Due to its upscale nightlife, more luxury hotels and resorts are opening on the island.
Landmarks
Municipal Library – an 18th-century mansion housing over 8,000 volumes and a vast collection of 18th- and 19th-century photographs, documents and Cycladic coins and old seals as well as sketches and books from the personal library of American artist John Ratekin. The Municipal Library is located on Ayia Kyriaki Square in the main town of Chora. Petros the Pelican – an old celebrity of the town's waterfront, "Petros" has been the official mascot of Mykonos for over 60 years. He took up permanent residence on the island after a storm in 1954 and after his death the islanders elected a successor to carry on his legacy until today. Mykonos windmills – The windmills are a defining feature of the Mykonian landscape. There are many dotted around the island, but most are concentrated in the main town of Chora. The famous "Kato Mili" in Chora (Greek for lower mills), stand in a row on a hill overlooking the sea to harness the strong northern winds. Capped with wood and straw, the windmills were built by the Venetians in the 16th century to mill flour and remained in use until the early 20th century. Many have been refurbished and restored to serve as homes to locals and vaults to numerous Mykonian heritage documents.
Camel Rock – a rock formation off the coast and near the windmills at "Kato Mili". It derives its name from its appearance which resembles a camel sitting in the shallow blue and green water.
Little Venice – rows of fishing houses line the waterfront with their balconies hanging over the sea. The first of these was constructed in the mid-18th century. They originally belonged to rich merchants or captains and the little basement doors that provided direct access to the sea and underground storage areas led people to believe that the owners were secretly pirates. Some of the houses have now been converted into bars and cafes and little shops and galleries. Little Venice is considered one of the most romantic spots on the island and many people gather there to watch the sunset. The area attracts many artists who come to paint the picturesque coastline.
Armenistis Lighthouse – is a testimony to Mykonos' maritime history, as well as a fully functioning lighthouse. It is located in Fanari, which means lantern in Greek, from Chora. Tria Pigadia – are three identical wells standing in a row in the middle of the main town, Chora. They were built in 1722 to provide the town with water. Unlike most modern wells which are over deep, the Tria Pigadia are only deep as they were dug into sand where water was more easily accessible.