Skíathos

Area of island: 48 sq. km/18.5 sq. mi

Altitude: 438m/1,437ft

Chief place: Skíathos

Skíathos, a gently rolling wooded island in the Northern Sporades, lies 4 km/2.5 mi east of the Magnesia peninsula. With its equable climate and beautiful sandy bays, it is a popular holiday island, particularly favored by Greeks. Its main source of income apart from the tourist trade is its 600,000 olive trees.

Skíathos was never a place of any importance in ancient times. Herodotus mentions the island in connection with the naval battle off Cape Artemision in 480 B.C., reporting that the men of Skíathos conveyed information about Persian naval movements by means of fire signals.

Airport 4 km/2.5 mi northeast