Ithaca (island)
Greek island / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ithaca, Ithaki or Ithaka (/ˈɪθəkə/; Greek: Ιθάκη, Ithaki [iˈθaci]; Ancient Greek: Ἰθάκη, Ithakē [i.tʰá.kɛː]) is a Greek island located in the Ionian Sea, off the northeast coast of Kefalonia and to the west of continental Greece.
Native name: Ιθάκη | |
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Geography | |
Coordinates | 38°22′N 20°43′E |
Archipelago | Ionian Islands |
Area | 117.8 km2 (45.5 sq mi) |
Administration | |
Region | Ionian Islands |
Regional unit and municipality | Ithaca |
Largest settlement | Vathy |
Demographics | |
Population | 2,862 (2021) |
Pop. density | 24/km2 (62/sq mi) |
Additional information | |
Official website | www |
Ithaca's main island has an area of 96 square kilometres (37 sq mi) and in 2021 had a population of 2,862. It is the second-smallest of the seven main Ionian Islands, after Paxi. Ithaca is a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. The capital is Vathy (or Vathi).[1][2]
Modern Ithaca is generally identified with Homer's Ithaca, the home of Odysseus, whose delayed return to the island is the plot of the epic poem Odyssey.