Lesvos
Lesvos, also known as Mytilene is Greece's third largest island and is located
in the north-eastern Aegean Sea across the coast of Asia Minor. It has an area
of 1630 sq. km and a coastline of 370 km.
The Gulfs of Kalloni and Gera give Lesvos a unique look and they also provide
the nearby villages with products that are difficult to find anywhere else such
as the famous sardine of Kalloni and the tasteful oysters. The majority of
plains are located around the two Gulfs and the most importand ones are at
Kalloni, Gera, Skala Eressou and Perama. The central and eastern part of Lesvos
are covered by olive groves and forests of pine, chestnut and oak while the
western part is mainly barren. There are two main mountains, Mt. Lepetymnos and
Mt Olympos and are located in the northern and southern part accordingly.
The island of Lesvos has a long history that goes back more than 3.000 years
and it has been the birthplace of famous people, such as the poets Sappho and
Alcaeos, Arion the Guitarist, and Pittacus, one of the seven wise men of
ancient Greece.
The climate and the weather of Lesvos belong to the category of the
Mediterranean climate where the winter is mild with rare snowfalls and the
summer is dry and warm. Here one can find more sunshine than any other place in
Greece. The winds are the Etesian, strong and dry from the North, and the
Sirocco, dry and warm from the Southwest.
Lesvos is divided in 13 Municipalities : Ayiassos, Ayia Paraskevi, Geras,
Evergetoulas, Eressos, Kallonis, Loutropoli Thermis, Mandamados, Mythimna,
Mytilene, Petra, Plomari and Polichnitos.