Cyclades Islands

Cyclades islands (Κυκλάδες) is a group of islands in the center of Aegean Sea, a few miles south-east from Piraeus port. Ancient Greek geographers gave this unique cluster of islands the name Cyclades because they saw that they formed a circle (kyklos => circular islands) of sorts around the sacred island of Delos, the birthplace of Ancient God Apollo and Artemis.

Dodecanese map

Generally, all these islands are peaks of a submerged mountainous terrain, with the exception of two volcanic islands (Santorini and Milos). The climate is usually mild and dry, however the soil is not as fertile as other Greek areas.