25 interesting facts about Rhodes

The wonderful island of Rhodes is a real storehouse of history in the open air. Unlike a fair amount of the rest of Greece, it is covered in dense vegetation, making it an incredibly beautiful place to relax, so that local beaches attract a huge number of tourists every year. Once upon a time, Rhodes changed hands more than once, and its turbulent history was reflected in its appearance, turning it into an amazingly interesting island.

Interesting facts about Rhodes

1. The island is washed by two seas, Cretan and Libyan (interesting facts about the seas).
2. Among all the islands belonging to Greece, it occupies the 4th place in terms of area.
3. The population of the island is 115 thousand people.
4. The capital of the island is also called « Rhodes», and its historic center is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
5. About half of all the inhabitants of the island live in its capital.
6. The city of Rhodes was founded over 2400 years ago.
7. Rhodes is 10 times less distance from mainland Turkey than from Greece (interesting facts about Turkey).
8. There are few cloudy days in Rhodes. The sun shines brightly over the island for about 300 days a year.
9. Once a temperature of -3 degrees was recorded here. But in general, the climate in Rhodes is very mild and pleasant.
10. Many locals do not lock their houses and cars here. The crime rate in Rhodes tends to zero.
11. Once upon a time, the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the ancient wonders of the world, was located here. The giant statue was destroyed by an earthquake (interesting facts about earthquakes).
12. You can drive around the whole Rhodes in a circle by car in a few hours if there are no traffic jams. However, they almost never happen here.
13. It is on Rhodes, in the town of Lindos, that the only ancient Greek stadium that has survived to this day is located.
14. The total length of the coastline of Rhodes is a little over 250 kilometers.
15. More than 37% of the island is covered with forests.
16. Translated from ancient Greek «Rhodes» means «rose». There are really many of these flowers on the island.
17. Deer are found here. They are also a symbol of the island (interesting facts about deer).
18. There are 44 settlements on Rhodes. These are mostly small villages.
19. The island was settled in the 4th-5th century BC by people who arrived from Crete.
20. Locals believe that the legendary Hercules was the founder of the first settlement on Rhodes.
21. Three-quarters of the budget of Rhodes comes from tourism.
22. The Order of the Knights of Malta was once called Rhodes. After Rhodes was conquered by the Ottoman Sultan, the knights had to look for a new home, which became Malta (interesting facts about Malta).
23. Hundreds of thousands flock to the Petaloudes valley of Rhodes once a year for several days, if not millions of butterflies.
24. In the city of Kamiros, located on Rhodes, a water supply system was already operating 2500 years ago, supplying water to houses.
25. Several ancient mosques, perfectly preserved, remind of the era of Ottoman rule in Rhodes to the present day.