Paros 6.83

Paros is a Greek island in the central Aegean Sea. One of the Cyclades island group, it lies to the west of Naxos, from which it is separated by a channel about 8km wide. It lies approximately 150km south-east of Piraeus. The Municipality of Paros includes numerous uninhabited offshore islets totaling 196.308km² of land. Its nearest neighbor is the municipality of Antiparos, which lies to its southwest.Historically, Paros was known for its fine white marble, which gave rise to the term "Parian" to describe marble or china of similar qualities. Today, abandoned marble quarries and mines can be found on the island, but Paros is primarily known as a popular tourist spot.GeographyParos' geographic co-ordinates are 37° N. lat, and 25° 10' E. long. The area is 165km2. Its greatest length from N.E. to S.W. is 21km, and its greatest breadth 15km. The island is of a round, plump-pear shape, formed by a single mountain (724m) sloping evenly down on all sides to a maritime plain, which is broadest on the north-east and south-west sides. The island is composed of marble, though gneiss and mica-schist are to be found in a few places. To the west of Paros lies its smaller sister island Antiparos. At its narrowest, the channel between the two islands is less than 2km wide. A car-carrying shuttle-ferry operates all day (to and from Pounda, 5km south of Parikia). In addition a dozen smaller islets surround Paros.