Yeronisos
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Native name: Γερόνησος | |
|---|---|
 Yeronisos Island | |
 Interactive map of Yeronisos | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Cyprus |
| Coordinates | 34°54′N 32°19′E / 34.90°N 32.31°E |
| Archipelago | Cyprus |
| Area | 26,000 m2 (280,000 sq ft) |
| Administration | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
Yeronisos or Geronisos (Greek: Γερόνησος or Ιερόνησος; transl. Holy Island) is a small island lying off the west coast of Cyprus, some 18 kilometres north of Paphos. Uninhabited since the 15th century, recent excavations have revealed it once held a sanctuary dedicated to Apollo in the late Hellenistic period.
The island which lies 280 metres from the shore of western Cyprus has been uninhabited since the 14th or 15th century.[1] It has an area of 26,000 square metres and rises 21.65 metres from sea level.[2] Geologically the island consists of a hard calcarenite crust of Pleistocene marine terraces overlying a soft marl core.[2]
The toponym "Holy Island" is an ancient one. Pliny speaks of an island called "Hiera," near Paphos, and Strabo mentions a place called "Hierocepis" nearby Paphos and Akamas.[1] It is likely that the name refers to the Apollo sanctuary that stood there in the 1st century BC.[1]