Ikaria

Ikaria is also called Nikaria by the locals. It is an elongated mountainous island in the west of the Aegean Sea. The coast length is just over a hundred kilometers. Ikaria is world famous for a study by scientists that has shown that people live here longer than average. Ikaria belongs to the “Blue Zones”.

These are five areas in the world where people live longer than elsewhere. The inhabitants of the island are two and a half times more likely to age 10 years on average than the other Europeans.

Ikaria Island – North Aegean Island group

This has to do with their living and eating habits. People move (walk) a lot at Ikaria instead of driving a car and they mainly use local crops (such as vegetables, fruit, beans and herbs) and products such as olive oil and goat milk. It is also called the Mediterranean diet. Lunch is also taken to have a quiet dinner and a nap.

The capital of Ikaria is Agios Kirykos. The highest point of Ikaria is Atheras (1,037 meters), the second highest point is Ammoudia with 913 meters. These mountains, which run across the length of the island, separate it between north and south.

Agios Kirykos on Ikaria Island

The northern part is flatter and gradually runs towards the sea. This is also the most fertile part of the island. The southern part is much steeper. In the east of the island are the well-known hot springs. The nature of the island is varied, because it consists of green valleys and bare steep rocks.

On Ikaria there are many pine forests and in the west there is the “Randi” forest, one of the most rare, prehistoric, Mediterranean forests.