From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Elafonissos  (Ελαφόνησος)
Location
Coordinates	36°29′N 22°57′E / 36.483, 22.95Coordinates: 36°29′N 22°57′E / 36.483, 22.95
Time zone:	EET/EEST (UTC+2/3)
Elevation (min-max):	0 - 276 m (0 - 906 ft)
Government
Country:	Greece
Periphery:	Peloponnese
Prefecture:	Laconia
Population statistics (as of 2001[1])
City Proper
- Population:	745
- Area:[2]	19.992 km² (8 sq mi)
- Density:	37 /km² (97 /sq mi)
Codes
Postal codes:	230 53
Area codes:	27340
License plate codes:	ΑΚ
Website
http://www.elafonissos.gr

Elafonissos (Greek: Ελαφόνησος) is a small Greek island between the Peloponnese (Greek: Πελοπόνησος) and Kythira (Greek: Κύθηρα). It lies off the coast of Cape Malea (Greek: Ακρ. Μαλέας) and Vatika (Greek: Βάτικα). The area of the island is 19 km².

The population which is between 300 and 350 during the winter, however, increases in the summer months. This is because the island is a popular tourist destination during the summer. The tourist season is in the months of July and August reaching 3,000 with 1,600 cars every day. Many people visit the island for its light coloured, sandy beaches of the island. The mains beaches of the island, Sarakiniko, Fragos (Simos) and Panagias Nissia, are filled with golden-green waters. Just across the island on similar patterns and only 570ft away from the mainland the Punta beach lies.

On the nearby mainland, approximately 6.5 km (3.7 nmi) east is Neapoli (Greek: Νεάπολη) of the municipality of Vatika. About 8.5 km (4.5 nmi) south is Cape Frangos (Greek: Φράγκο) in the island of Kythira.

3 km² of the community's land includes the a piece from the mainland which is consisted mainly by Punta beach. Nowadays it is by far the largest inhabited island of the Peloponnese, and the only one that is a separate community. There are also some archaeological discoveries on the island and in the surrounding waters.

Agios Spyridon (Greek: Άγιος Σπυρίδων), is the main church of the community and is built on a tiny piece of land which is connected by a bridge over shallow waters to the rest of the island.

Pausanias, Description of Greece book 3, chapter 23, section 10 "kata de tên hodon tên ek Boiôn es Epidauron tên Limêran agousan Artemidos hieron estin en têi Epidauriôn Limnatidos." (2.47)*[1]

In the antiquity the current area where Elafonissos lies did not constitute an island but a peninsula with the name "Onou Gnathos" (Greek: Όνου Γνάθος) (Donkey Jawbone) as the then form referred in the aspect according to Pausanias, Description of Greece book 3, chapter 22, section 10 "kalousi de Onou gnathon tên akran". (2.94), (1.97) and Strabo Geography (2.22), (2.71), (4.22), (4.28)[2]. Pausanias throughout his journey describes the city of Voia in the sunken region of island Petri (Pavlopetri, Greek: Παυλοπέτρι) where even today the ruins of homes.

• Elafonissos(English)
• Elafonissos(Italian)
• Elafonissos(Greek)
• Elafonissos high resolution photos
• Elafonisos
• [3]