Rhodes

The Island of Rhodes is closer to Asia Minor than to the Greek mainland and only 18 km away from the southern shore of Turkey. It is located northeast of Crete and southeast of Athens.
Rhodes' nickname is The island of the Knights. You can still see many ruins of their castles.

According to the myth, the island was created by Helios, the god of the sun, and the nymph Rhode. The cities were named after their three sons. The rhoda is a pink hibiscus native to the island.
The whole story is described in Pindar's ode.

Currently the city of Rhodes has 50,636 inhabitants. This is commensurate to the total number of the people living on the island 60%.

Historically Rhodes was worldwide famous for one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The "Colossus of Rhodes" was a statue of Helios. Unfortunately it was destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BC.

The medieval Old Town of the City of Rhodes has been declared a World Heritage Site. Ranged after the island of Crete, Rhodes is still one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe nowadays.

The capital city is located at the northern top of the island, regarded to this the site of the ancient and modern commercial harbours, too. The airport is located just 14 km far to Rodes City.
The road network connects the east and west coasts along the capital city.

In the middle parts of the island you can see mountains, covered with forests of pine and cypress. People cultivate a lot of fruits, for example citruses, grapes, vegetables and olives in this locations.

From the port of Rhodes you can make a sea trip to Turkey and the near tourist resort of Marmaris.