Kálymnos

Area of island: 109 sq. km/42 sq. mi

Altitude: 678m/2,225ft

Population: 13,000

Chief town: Kálymnos (Póthia)

Kálymnos, a bare limestone island slashed by numerous gorges, lies 12km/7.5mi northwest of Kos and is separated from Léros to the northwest by the narrow Diapori Channel. The coasts are mostly steep and rocky with numerous coves and inlets.

The inhabitants live partly by farming in the few fertile valleys and depressions, but mainly - as they have done for centuries - by diving for sponges in the southeastern Mediterranean and processing them for export to America. The departure (April-May) and return (September- October) of the sponge-fishing fleet are celebrated with lively festivities. Finds in various caves round the coasts, particularly at Daskalió, near Vathy, and Ayía Varvára, show that Kálymnos has been continuously inhabited since the Neolithic period. The island never played a prominent part in history.

Regular boat services from and to Athens (Piraeus) run several times weekly (14-19 hours; cars carried). Local services in the Dodecanese: Rhodes- Symi - Tílos - Nísyros - Kos - Kálymnos - Léros - Lipsí - Pátmos - Arkí - Agathonísi - Sámos; Rhodes - Kos - Kálymnos - Astypálaia.