Ithaca (island)
Native name: Ιθάκη | |
|---|---|
View of Vathy | |
Ithaca within the Ionian Islands | |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 38°22′N 20°43′E / 38.367°N 20.717°E |
| Archipelago | Ionian Islands |
| Area | 117.8 km2 (45.5 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
| Region | Ionian Islands |
| Regional unit and municipality | Ithaca |
| Largest settlement | Vathy |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 3,091 (2021) |
| Pop. density | 24/km2 (62/sq mi) |
| Additional information | |
| Official website | www |
Ithaca (/ˈɪθəkə/ ITH-ə-kə), also Ithaki (Greek: Ιθάκη [iˈθaci]) or Ithaka (Ancient Greek: Ἰθάκη Ithákē [itʰákɛː]), is a Greek island located in the Ionian Sea, off the northeast coast of Kefalonia and to the west of continental Greece.
Ithaca's main island has an area of 96 square kilometres (37 sq mi) and in 2021 had a population of 2,862. It is the second-smallest of the seven main Ionian Islands, after Paxi. Ithaca is a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. The capital is Vathy (or Vathi).
Modern Ithaca is generally identified with Homer's Ithaca, the home of Odysseus, whose delayed return to the island is the plot of the epic poem the Odyssey; however, many other attempts at identification have been made.