The islands of Greece they cover one fifth of the surface total of the country, equal to approximately 25,000 km². But exactly how many islands are there? Because if you try to do a quick search online the first results will tell you with a certain degree of certainty that they are there 6,000 islands scattered in its seas (Aegean, Libyan and Ionian) and only these 227 they would actually be inhabited.
But here comes the interesting part: this number is not confirmed by any authoritative source. This is in fact an approximation introduced some time ago byHellenic National Tourist Board and never rectified. Indeed, it was subsequently attributed to ELSTATthe national statistical institute of Greece, giving false authority to the data.
So, what do the official sources say? Before looking at the numbers, one premise: counting the exact number of islands for cartographers is more complex than it seems. What is the boundary between the island and the rock, or with the outcropping rocks? A thorny issue, which generates confusion – also because some of the numbers you are about to read, such as those of the Military Geographical Service, are cited consistently by various Greek secondary sources, but do not appear in first-hand public documents.
The Hellenic Military Geographic Serviceprecisely, counts every single rock, reef or rock spur that remains above the water level all year round, and the overall total rises to a mind-boggling figure: 29,372 islands, islets And rocks of any size. If instead we introduce a filter on size, only 446 they have a surface greater than one square kilometre and, of these, only 119 in would be inhabited.
Of a different opinion Greek Navy which, through its Hydrographic Service and as confirmed by the website of the Greek Republic, matters 9,835 islandsislets and rocks, of which approx 220 inhabitants. As I anticipated at the beginning, this discrepancy between databases is not a new phenomenon: it depends not only on the systems used for cataloging but also – and above all – on the criteria used to define the very concept of “island”.
So, what is the definitive answer? It all depends on what we’re interested in knowing. If classic tourist information is enough for you, the answer is 6,000. If you are a navigator and rely on Navy hydrographic data, they are almost 10,000. If, however, you are a geographer and count every single rock, Greece will almost give you a gift 30,000 points on the map to explore.
