Paros
Paros
Πάρος | |
|---|---|
From top left: Parikia, Panagia Ekatontapiliani, the Frankish Castle and a typical Paros street | |
| Coordinates: 37°4′N 25°12′E / 37.067°N 25.200°E | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | South Aegean |
| Regional unit | Paros |
| Area | |
• Municipality | 196.3 km2 (75.8 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 724 m (2,375 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
• Municipality | 14,520 |
| • Density | 74/km2 (190/sq mi) |
| • Community | 6,204 |
| Demonym | Parian |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 844 00 |
| Area code(s) | 22840 |
| Vehicle registration | EM |
| Website | www |
Paros (/ˈpɛərɒs/; Greek: Πάρος [ˈparos]; Venetian: Paro) is a Greek island in the central Aegean Sea. Part of the Cyclades island group, it lies to the west of Naxos, from which it is separated by a channel about 8 kilometres (5 miles) wide. It lies approximately 150 km (93 miles) south-east of Piraeus. The Municipality of Paros includes numerous uninhabited offshore islets totaling 196.308 square kilometres (75.795 sq mi) of land. Its nearest neighbor is the municipality of Antiparos, which lies to its southwest. In ancient Greece, the city-state of Paros was located on the island.
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, working marble quarries and mines (as well as abandoned ones) can be found on the island, but Paros is primarily known as a popular tourist spot.