The southernmost of Greece s Ionian Islands, Zakynthos Island, also called as Zante is known for currants and flowers. It has also been said that the island is the place rich of Byzantine and medieval history as Homer had first mentioned. It is the home of the endangered loggerhead turtle, which is then protected by the National Marine Park.
Zakynthos is the third largest and the southernmost island that is a member to the Greek Ionian Islands. It has 123 kilometers of coastline and is sometimes referred to as Zante Greece. The island houses a varied terrain which starts with the fertile plains of the southeast and has moutainous west coasts with steep cliffs that adds up to the dramatic feel with carved out natural arches and a number of sea caves. In the north of the island, you can find pine covered mountains that roll out into the lush, gentle, richly planted central regions. Beaches with campgrounds can be found to the north, east and southern part of the island, too!
The island has a mild Mediterranean climate that has plenty of rainfall, the reason why Zakynthos has dense vegetation. It has produce such as citrus fruits, olives, grapes and almonds which are all cultivated. Yet, the island is best known for currants, which are dried form of a seedless grape native to the island.
Zakynthos is also popular for its flowers. The mounds of blossoms never fail to delight visitors when visiting the island as it filled the warm air with perfumes wafting on breezes.
During Neolithic times, Zakynthos has already been inhabited. That being said when Stone Age sites have been discovered during archaeological digs. It has been a crossroads for many cultures and has first been mentioned in the time of Homer. Homer has repeatedly mentioned the island in his works like The Iliad and The Odyssey. It was Homer too that informed us of the inhabitants of the island. It has been said that during the time of Homer s writing, the King of Troy and his followers inhabited the island at around 1600 BC.
It was according to legend that it was in 34 AD that the island was Christianized by either St Beatrice or Mary Magdalene.
The island has a fair share of being built and rebuilt. The pirates raided its shores during the Byzantine Period. Then, the island has been captured and recaptured during the Crusades which made the island suffer from hardships. In 1953, a massive earthquake had made the old structures collapsed. Yet, frescos and icons that survived during the tragedy has been salvaged, collected and are now on display in the island s Byzantine Museum.
However, it is not only the human s history that held importance of the island. Zakinthos has also been the home of loggerhead turtles, which are now known to be endangered.
With its uneven triangular shape, the island bears two mountains which created the huge sheltered Laganas Bay. Another nearby bay is called the Geraka. The beaches found in the two bays are known to be the reproduction sites of the loggerhead turtles. And in June as well as August, it has been reported that up to 1000 female loggerhead turtles come ashore and lay eggs at night. The eggs are then buried in the sand to be incubated in the warmth of approximately 55 days. The eggs will then be hatched and baby turtles return to the sea. Then, after 20 to 30 years, these same baby turtles, particularly the females, will return to the exact beach to lay their eggs also.
It has been said that it was due to the human behavior that loggerhead turtles become endangered. A number of visitors have been reported to be pulling out their deck chairs onto the beaches without even knowing that eggs are being incubated underneath the sand. Pollution has also claimed to be one of the reasons why the population of such species has declined. That is why the Greek government decided to establish the National Marine Park of Zakynthos in the beautiful waters of Laganas Bay, to be able to protect the habitat of these loggerhead turtles as they have been a long time resident of the island. Therefore, when you visit Greece, do not forget to stop by and discover the beautiful island of Zakynthos.
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