Kárpathos

Area of island: 332 sq. km/128 sq. mi

Altitude: 1,220m/4,003ft

Population: 6,000

Chief town: Kárpathos (Pygádia)

Kárpathos (Italian Scarpanto), a long narrow island in the Dodecanese extending for some 48km/30mi from north to south, forms, along with its neighboring island of Kásos, a transition between Rhodes and Crete. A rugged and infertile range of limestone hills, rising to 1,220m/4,003ft in Kalí Límni, extends along the whole length of the island. The coasts mostly fall steeply down to the sea, with small sandy beaches edged by numerous caves at the south end of the island, on the west coast round Arkása and on the east coast at Pygádia. The inhabitants' main sources of income are stock farming, cabinet making, wood carving and the hand-woven cloth and embroidery produced by the women. The island was originally occupied by settlers from Crete, followed by other settlers from Argos; thereafter it became subject to Rhodes. It had four ancient cities - Arkesia (of which there are scant traces) at the south end of the west coast, Poseidon at the south end of the east coast, Thoantion on the west coast and Vrykos at the north end - and gave its name to the sea between Crete and Rhodes, the Karpathion Pelagos.

There is an airfield 16km/10mi south of Kárpathos town. Regular flights Kárpathos-Rhodes, 1-3 daily; Kásos-Kárpathos, daily; Kárpathos-Sitía (Crete).

Regular boat services from and to Athens (Piraeus), weekly (26 hours); also from and to Crete. Local connections in Dodecanese: Rhodes-Khalkí-Kárpathos-Kásos.