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IONIAN ISLANDS
IONIAN ISLANDS: LEFKADA - The emerald island
General Information
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Lefkada is very close to the mainland, the coast of Akarnania in Western Greece. A lot of historians like Thucydides and Stravon report Lefkada in their books as a peninsula. The distance is only 50 metres and the island is connected from the mainland via a navigable bridge.
Around the island of Lefkada are 20 smaller islets. Meganisi (the sailor’s island), Kalamos, Kastos, Madouri (on it is the house of the great poet Arist. Valaoritis), Scorpios (the privately-owned island of Arist. Onasis), Sparta, Kythros, Thileia and all together constitute administratively the prefecture of Lefkada with capital the city of Lefkada.
The name Lefkada derives from the white steep rocks on the southern cape of the island, Leykata which means with stones.
Lefkada is an ideal combination of sea and mountain.
The island is mountainous for the most part with the highest peak reaching 1140 m.. The mountainous volumes fall abruptly in the sea forming beautiful coasts. Between the mountains are fertile plains like the ones of Fleva, Vasiliki and Egklismenos and gorges with rich vegetation.
In the north of the island is the lagoon, a very important biotope for a lot of species of birds.
The climate is Mediterranean. The Mediterranean climate is known for its many sunlight days, the mild winter, the hot summers accompanied by cooling breezes.
Area Map
