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Facts about the island of Ithaca, Ithaki, in Greece. Ioanian Island of Greece. Eptanisa |
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The Facts The Facts The Facts |
About Ithaca |
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The island of Ithaca is located west of the mainland of Greece in the Ionian Sea and is the second smallest inhabited island of the "Heptanese". Ithaca consists of two peninsulas with almost equal extent. They are joined by the isthmus of Aetos which is 620 m wide. The island has a maximum length of 29 km and width of 6.5 km. The total area covering 92.5 sq km. The channel between Ithaca and Kephalonia is 14 miles long, with a maximum width of 3 miles and a minimum of 1.5 miles. Its coastline of 45 miles is indented all around with many natural ports. The three highest mountains are Mt. Petaleiko in the south, the Homeric Mt. Neritos and the Mt. of Exoghi in the north.
Ithacas capital is Vathy in the south, and the largest village in the North island is Stavros. There are ports in Vathy, Piso Aetos, Polis Bay, Frikes and Kioni. Administratively, Ithaca belongs to the Kephalonian County which also includes several other neighboring small islands. Occupations of locals are: cultivation, stock-breeding, technical and engineering professions, government, fishing, and for the most part, tourism. A large percentage of the working population are also traditional sailors.
 
The first numerical information on the Ithacan population is from the Venetian period.
- 1568 - 60 Families
- 1590 - 1,500 People
- 1620 - 2,500 People
- 1655 - 4,500 People
During the English period an official census took place which showed an increase in the population. This Attributed to the rise of trade and marine businesses on Ithaca.
- 1818 - 8077 People
- 1836 - 7,952 People
- 1858 - 11,348 People
- 1862 - 14,451 People
After the union of the Ionian Islands with Greece the population decreased since some moved to the mainland or emigrated to Romania.
- 1865 - 10,642 People
- 1870 - 9,873 People
- 1889 - 8,821 People
The decrease continued during the 20th century with a number of people emigrating to other continents or becoming sailors.
- 1907 - 9,716 People
- 1920 - 9,185 People
- 1928 - 8,836 People
- 1940 - 8,412 People
Ithacas population abruptly declined after World War II, emigration steadily continued and people moved to the larger cities of Greece. An unfortunate reason for this was the earthquake of 1953 which devastated the entire island.
- 1951 - 7,527 People
- 1961 - 6,521 People
- 1971 - 4,156 People
Around 1980 to 1985 the population of Ithaca had stabilized at approximately 3,000. During the 1990's it decreased again to around 2,500. Now in the 21st century there are a number of new inhabitants, those with Ithacan heritage returning for a better, more natural form of life and those from abroad. The population now stands at around 3100, but the head count varies day to day due to the older generation dying and increasing births.
According to statistics gathered by Mr. G. Vallianos, there are over 13,000 Ithacans or people of Ithacan descent in the world. The most are residents of Athens, Ithaca, Australia, U.S.A., South Africa, Patras, Other Greek cities, Canada and New Zealand.
ITHACA-3084 | ATHENS-2994 | AUSTRALIA-1827 | USA-1443 | STH AFRICA-1026 | PATRAS-411 | CANADA-75 | NEW ZEALAND-69 | EUROPE-33. These statistics were gathered in 2001.
Ithaca is a green island with large areas of olive groves and some vineyards, also many orange and lemon, pear and fig trees. The flora includes all the typical species seen throughout the Ionian Islands. On the mountain slopes there are oak trees, cypress trees and beautiful wildflowers such as daisies, poppies, anemones and cyclamens. Sage grows wild along the roads and throughout the mountains, also rosemary, thyme and many other herbs used by the locals. Horta , Greece' favourite Greens are also picked from the mountains by those who can still distinguish the weeds from good wholesome.
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Ithacas rock formations are made up of mother of pearl and limestone. The island suffers, as do the other Ionian islands, from frequent earthquakes and tremors. There has been no serious earthquake however, since 1953. Ithaca produces it's own wine and olive oil, cheese, yogurt, free range eggs and goats meat. There is currently no industry for any of the produce grown on the island other than being sold locally to inhabitants restaurants, and of course, for personal use. Perahori, in the southern mountains of Ithaki, is currently the only area where Olives Groves are completely organic. Individuals throughout the island have also undertaken the quest for Organic produce, although it is still common practice to spray insecticide for many local farmers. As demand for organic produce increases, so will environmentally friendly farming increase.
Tidbits - Fact or Fiction: Hamilton House in Kioni was built in 1892 by Elizabeth Hamilton, niece of Lord Nelsons mistress, shortly after Ithaca was part of the British Empire. Locals today still call it 'Lizzys' . Many famous people have come to the island over the years, Sophia Loren, The British Royal Family, Madonna, Nicholas Cage, Tom Hanks, Sade, Jamie Lee Curtis, Mr. Bean (He has a house somewhere on the island, but it's a secret) and many more.
Over the past 15 years Ithaca has catered more and more for tourism, but it is still comparatively unspoiled. Strict building regulations prohibit constructions that are not in harmony with existing buildings on the island, so luckily thus far, Ithaca has no large hotel complexes or unsightly architecture.
The loss of the Drachma and the appearance of the Euro in 2000 has changed the dynamics of Ithacan life. Prices have risen and wages remain mostly unchanged. During Summers it is now not uncommon to see laborers and farmers working as waiters or kitchen hands at their favourite restaurant or Kafeneion, servicing Ithakis Tourism, the place they had once whiled away their hours with friends and neighbours over an Ouzo or coffee. Another major impact on Ithakis dynamics is the aging population. Even with the islands' baby boom of 2003 / 2004, there are more aged dying than can statistically be replaced. The church bells toll slowly at least once a month with the announcement of another local death.
Ithaca has over the years, become the discerning Travelers' island of choice, a place where an insight into island life, rarely experienced in other Greek holiday destinations, can easily be achieved with the eagerness of a welcoming local community which shares itself with the travelers who choose Ithaca, or Ithaki as it's locally known. . The island is further assured of its' traditional feel with the villages of Kioni and Lefki being listed as Heritage Villages in 2005.
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