Kalymnos

This is the fourth largest island of Dodecanese complex, extends over a surface of 111 km2, its coastline is 96 km and counts 17,000  inhabitants. It is the capital of a broader municipality, under which come Leros, Leipsoi, Patmos, Astypalaia, Arkoi and Agathonisi islands.It is known as the «sponge-divers island» due to the great growth of sponge-fishing, during 19^th century. After the WWII, Kalymnos remained the only Greek sponge-fishing force, exporting to Greece and abroad, thus gaining its famous nomination as the ‘island of sponge-divers’. During antiquity, the islands, along with Leros, were known as Kalydnai Islands. The Kares tribe from Minor Asia is reported as the first inhabitants of the island. In 1306 it was occupied by the Knights of Rhodes until 1522, when it passed under Turkish domination and later (1912) under Italian until 1948, the year of the unification with Greece. Kalymnos can be reached by ferry via Piraeus and Rhodes’ ports, or by airplane from Athens airport. There are also hydroplanes flying from Athens to the island.

Kalymnos, (Greek: Κάλυμνος) is a Greek island and municipality in the southeastern Aegean Sea. It belongs to the Dodecanese and is located to the west of the peninsula of Bodrum (the ancient Halicarnassos), between the islands of Kos (south, at a distance of 12 km) and Leros (north, at a distance of less than 2 km): the latter is linked to it through a series of islets. Kalymnos lies between two to five hours away by sea from Rhodes. The island was previously been called Càlino in Italian and Kilimli in Turkish.

In 2001 the island had a population of 16,235, making it the third most populated island of the Dodecanese, after Kos and Rhodes. It is known in Greece for the affluence of much of its population, and also stands both the wealthiest member of the Dodecanese and one of the wealthiest Greek islands overall. The Municipality of Kalymnos, which includes the populated offshore islands of Pserimos (pop. 130), Telendos (54), Kalólimnos (20), and Pláti (2), as well as several uninhabited islets, has a combined land area of 134.544 km² and a total population of 16,441 inhabitants.

The district capital of Kalymnos, situated in a natural amphitheatre, is Pothia, which is the main port of the island. The town features Italianate architecture, a silver-domed cathedral dedicated to Jesus (Christos), the churches of Aghios Nikolaos and Aghios Stefanos and the Monastery of St. Savas, perched on a hilltop overlooking the town.
Being a mostly barren island with little agriculture, on the island there are few established villages (Vathi being an exception).
The main population lives in town during the winter, and during the summer months migrates to the various holiday resorts around the island.
Massouri is the most touristic location of the island with plenty of hotels and night life. For those who are looking for a quieter place, Panormos, Emborios and Plati Gialos are the answers. The small island of Pserimos is very near to Pothia and has beautiful sandy beaches.
The main town has easy two local beaches, a man-made beach at the West End of the harbour, and the cove at Gefira.
Limestone cliffs with a multitude of caves and overhanging areas have made Kalymnos a destination for international rock climbers; and more specifically for sport climbing. The huge yellow cave full of stalactites above the town of Masouri (The "Grande Grotta") and the long and tall walls that surround it are most popular. The other small hamlets of Kalymnos are Vathy, Myrties, Emborios and the small village of Agios Petros at the north end of the island.