Lefkada

From Includipedia, the inclusionist encyclopedia

Lefkada, or Leucas (Greek: Modern: Λευκάδα, Ancient/Katharevousa: -as; Italian: Santa Maura) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Greece, connected to the mainland by a long causeway and floating bridge, as well as the island's capital city. The city of Lefkada, is at the north of the island, approximately 20 minutes by automobile away from Aktion National Airport. The Prefecture of Lefkada is comprised of Lefkada island plus the smaller nearby islands of Meganisi, Kalamos, Kastos, Madouri, Skorpios, and Sparti. It is the smallest prefecture of Greece in both land area and population (2001 census).

Lefkada Town (population: 6,903), has a pedestrianised main street, a marina, and bus access to Athens.

The east coast section of the island has small resorts of Lefkada, Nikiana and Perigiali, all north of the largest resort on the island—Nidri. It is set in a sheltered location with views across to Skorpios—owned by Aristotle Onassis, Meganissi and other small islands, as well as the Greek mainland. The main coastal road from Lefkada to Vasiliki runs through the town, although a bypass is being built. There are regular car ferries to Kefalonia, Ithaca and Meganissi.

20km south of Nidri is the resort of Vasiliki—a windsurfing center. There are ferries here to Kefalonia and Ithaca.

South of Vasiliki is Cape Lefkada, where renowned Greek female poet Sappho allegedly leapt to her death from the 100 foot (30m) high cliffs. There are spectacular views across to Ithaca and Kefalonia, however the 16km (10 mile) unpaved road is enough to put off all but the most determined.

Indeed, the myth about Sappho's suicide at Cape Lefkada is related to other myths linking the island to the ancient Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, and to Odysseus, the hero of Homer's Odyssey. The German archaeologist Wilhelm Dörpfeld, having performed excavations at various locations of Lefkada, proposed that Lefkada was Homer's Ithaca, and the palace of Odysseus was located west of Nidri off the south coast of Lefkada. There exist several passages in the Odyssey suggesting that Lefkada is the real model for Homeric Ithaca. The most notable of these passages describes Ithaca as an island reachable on foot, which is the case for Lefkada, that is connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway (although analysis by geographers and hydrographers has concluded that the causeway is a more recent product of silting in the natural channel between the island and mainland and that in Homer's day Lefkada was indeed an island). A captivating account and reconstruction of Homeric Ithaca's geography on Lefkada is found at: [1]. (See also: Emile Mireaux: Daily Life in the Time of Homer. New York: MacMillan, 1959.)

The West coast, facing the great expanse of the Mediterranean, has the hyped beach of Porto Katsiki. To the North, there are numerous beaches, with pale golden sand and powerful waves—a sharp contrast to the more popular East Coast.

Folklore has it that once upon a time, thousands of years ago, Lefkada was attached to mainland Greece (see above about Homer's Ithaca bein Lefkada). Some say the Leleges, its first inhabitants, transformed into an island, others that the Corinthians dug a trench in its isthmus.

On August 14 2003, the island was rocked by a powerful earthquake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter Scale, 30km (20m) off the west coast. There were some reports of minor injuries and damage. Roads were cut off by mudslides, especially the road linking the southern part of Lefkada. About a thousand vehicles left the island. The quake was felt in nearby Corfu, Kefalonia, and as far away as Athens.

Climate

The island has a typical Mediterranean climate: hot summers and cool winters, especially in the mountains.

Transport

• Greek National Road 42
• Two other roads

Municipalities and communities

Note: Meganisi, Kalamos, and Kastos are all on separate islands, whereas the rest of the above are actually on Lefkada Island itself.

See also: List of settlements in the Lefkada prefecture

Notable persons

(in chronological order)

• Aristotelis Valaoritis (1824-1879), poet
• Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904), British-Japanese orientalist and writer, named after the island
• Dimitrios Golemis (1874-1941), athlete
• Aggelos Sikelianos (1884-1951), poet and playwright
• Panos Rontoyannis (1911-1996), philologist and historian
• Theodoros Stamos (1922-1997), Greek-American painter
• Apostolos Kaklamanis (1936), politician
• Agnes Baltsa (1944), opera singer
• Elli Stai (1954), journalist and talk show presenter
• Maria Vamvakinou (1959), Greek-Australian politician
• Spyros Vrettos (1960), poet
• Spyros Alexandros Karavias, (b. 1982), a.k.a DJ Baby G - South Beach, Miami, & Beyond
• Evagelia Aravani (1985), fashion model

Other

The fictional island Malden from the Video Game Operation Flashpoint is based on Lefkada. DJ Baby G (Spyrodinas Alexandros Karavias) considers Lefkada his home.

External links

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• Lefkada Prefecture
• Lefkada's island portal
• Information on the Lefkada Prefecture

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