Elafonisos

Elafonisos | Travel Guide

Environment

Geography

Elafonisos is located at the eastern entrance of the Laconic Gulf, west of cape Malea and north of the island of Kythera. A distance of 500 meters separates the island from the coast across (Pounta), which belongs to the Municipality of Elafonisos. Elafonisos has a total area of 22 sq. km. (18 sq. km within the island and 4 sq. miles outside) and a total perimeter of 31.2 km.

Mythology

The sea area of Elafonisos has for centuries been the site of cosmological legends such as the birth of Aphrodite in Kythera, the Three Graces in the Strait of Elafonisos, Paris and Helen during the Trojan war, the Cyclopes' Land and the journey of Odysseus, Glaucus, Silenus, Chiron, the labor of Heracles with the Centaurs and the worship of deities like Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Poseidon and others.

Settlement of Elafonisos

Settlements

Stroggyli Lake

An important and protected wetland of the region, the Stroggyli Lagoon is a refuge for rare species of migratory birds and is part of the NATURA network and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (RAMSAR)

The name "Deer Island"

The first reference to the island's name is in an Arabic manuscript of the pirates' era (7th century), where the island is referred to as "Ashab al baqar", the "deer island", a name that is found again in nautical charts of the 16th century, where Elafonisos is called Isola di Cervi (Deer Island).

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