Karpathos is a large island that is part of the Greek Dodecanese archipelago and which is located in the south eastern area of the Aegean Sea. This island is nearby several other attractive destinations and is perfect for all those tourists who wish to be able to relax at a beautiful natural environment as well as for those who wish to meet several places in a short period of time.
The island of Karpathos counts with ten villages of different size and amount of inhabitants. All of these villages count with beautiful landscapes and offer a very traditional environment that is common to the entire island. The main village, the capital of the island that is located at its the south eastern area, is called Pigadia and counts with the largest port as well as the largest amount of inhabitants.
Several of Karpathos’ villages are located very close to its capital Pigadia. These villages which tourists could easily visit from Pigadia are: Aperi, Othos, Menetes, Volada, Arkasa, and Piles. Besides these nearby villages, visitors who are willing to go a little further can also meet Spoa, Mesochori, and Olympos, three interesting villages full of amazing natural landscapes and unique constructions.
Karpathos has a permanent population of around 6500 inhabitants. This amount increases to more than 20.000 people during high season and summer time due to the great quantity of tourists it receives. This way, and despite of the fact that summer months must be the most propitious for a visit to the island, spring or autumn might be a great choice as well in order to avoid crowds and meet the island’s every day life in its regular peace.
Around the year 430 BC, the first important fact known about Karpathos took place when Sparta and the Karpathians fought for the island with the Romans receiving the control of the island as a result. After that, this island went through several fights and wars as well as it was controlled by a variety of different rulers, aspect which surely has left its marks in the traditions and appearance of Karpathos.