Santorini is the largest island in a small group of Greek isles, situated amidst the Aegean Sea. It now uses the contemporary name Thira. The name Santorini was given to it by the Latin Empire in reference to Saint Irene in the thirteenth century. It originated from the old cathedral in the village of Perissa. Historically it had many names before, including Strongýlē (derived from the Greek Στρογγύλη, meaning “the circular one”), Kallístē (originating from Καλλίστη, translated as “the most beautiful one”) and contemporarily Thēra. Notably, during the reign of the Ottoman Empire over the Aegean Sea territories, the Turkish exonym for Santorini was “Santorin” or “Santoron”. Although the original name of Thira was revived in the nineteenth century as the official name of both the island and its main city, the colloquial Santorini is still widely used.

The island is situated around 200 km from the Greek mainland. It belongs to the Cyclades group of islands. Its total area sums up at approx. 73 km². According to the 2011 census, the population of the island is an estimate 15,550 people. The name Santorini derives from the Greek Σαντορίνη, meaning “earth”. It is also the name of the entire archipelago.

The Municipality of Santorini comprises all inhabited islands of the Santorini archipelago and Therasia, as well as the uninhabited islands of Nea Kameni, Aspronisi, Christiana, and Palaia Kameni. In total, the municipal area makes for 90.623 km².

The archipelago has volcanic origin. It is best known for its history with volcanic activity. Most notable is the catastrophic volcanic eruption, which occurred around 1400 BC. Before this eruption took place, the coastal line of Santorini had had a nearly perfect circular shape, formed after a series of volcanic eruptions. When the latter took place, the resulting explosion was so powerful, that the center portion of the island burst open, thus creating an enormous caldera, which filled up with water from the sea. According to scientific research, the eruption had taken down a mountain with an estimated height of approx. 1300 m. As the explosion occurred, 100 km³ worth of rocks flew into the air. As a result, a rectangular lagoon measuring at 12 by 7 km was formed, surrounded by 300 m high steep cliffs from three sides. On the fourth side the lagoon is separated by a small island called Therasia. The northwest and southwest sides of the lagoon are connected to the sea. The caldera is 400 m deep, which makes it possible for ships to anchor in the protected bay. On the southwest coast there is a newly built marina by the name of Vlychada. The main port on the island is Athinias. The capital city of Fira is situated on the top of the cliff looking down on the lagoon. Traces from the disastrous explosion can be found all through the length of the Mediterranean coastal line and as far as Egypt. To this day, Santorini is regarded as the most active volcanic centre in the South Aegean Volcanic Arc. The arc is approx. 500 km wide and ranges from 20 to 40 km in width. Historically, the region first became volcanically active around 3-4 million years ago, though volcanism on Thira began about 2 million years ago with the extrusion of dacitic lava from the region of Akrotiri. To present times, there is an active volcanic crater on the small island of Nea Kameni.

Historians believe that this very volcanic eruption is the reason for the disappearance of the Crete Minoan civilization as the island of Crete is merely 100 km south of Santorini. This refers to one of the largest and most devastating volcanic eruptions in recorded history, known as the Minoan eruption. It occurred around 3600 years ago during the height of the Minoan civilization. The belief is that a resulting Tsunami had lead to havoc on the island’s territory. Furthermore, there is assumption that this may be the actual foundation for the myth of Atlantis as described in the legend.

Today Santorini is a wonderful tourist centre, regularly visited by travelers from all corners of the world. The city has been going through development to keep in track with trends en route to preserving itself as a destination for vacations ever since the 1960s when it first started attracting tourists to its lands. The result of such activities is the culture clash between the ordinary Greek every day life and the contemporary luxury, providing visitors with both an inside look at the traditional Greek culture and modern accommodation. Today the island is filled with all kinds of hotels, taverns and other resorts, as well as beautiful sandy beaches and crystal clear water, preserved in the seas surrounding the island.

The main city on the island is Fira (also called Phira). The lengthiest beaches across the island are Kamari and Perissa. Other well-known beaches include the Red beach, the White beach and the Lover’s beach, all situated near Akrotiri. Akrotiri is an important archaeological site on the island, being known for having preserved ruins from the Minoan era. A noteworthy place on Santorini is Imerovigli, known as a traditional place for watching the sunset. Its majestic beauty at dusk has made it a particularly romantic place come sunset where many couples and families share the scenic view with each other.

Santorini is part of the Municipality of Thira (Δήμος Θήρας in Greek). The municipality covers the settlements on the islands of Santorini and Therasia. It was formed in 2011 as a result of the local government reform through the merger of the former Oia and Thira municipalities. Today Oia carries the status of a commune (Greek: Κοινότητα) within the frontiers of the municipality of Thira. It comprises the local subdivisions (known as τοπικό διαμέρισμα) of Therasia and Oia. The Municipality of Thira has an additional 12 subdivisions on the island of Santorini: Akrotiri, Imerovigli, Karterados, Emporio, Vourvoulos, Episkopis Gonia, Exo Gonia, Megalohori, Pyrgos Kallistis, Mesaria, Vothon, and Thira as the seat of the municipality.

The contemporary outlook of Santorini is influenced by the course of natural disasters occurring on the territory of the island since as soon as the mid 20^th century. In 1956 a strong earthquake near the Amorgos island resulted in many buildings in the north of Santorini collapsing. In turn, many villages in the northern region were abandoned. Among these many negative occurrences, a positive in the last few decades has been the growth of tourism on the island. Tourism has been a source for economic growth and consequently stimulation for the growth of the island’s population. The largest settlements on Santorini include Fira (Phira), Oia, Emporio, Kamari, Perissa, Imerovigli, Pyrgos, and Therasia. The ruins dating back to the Minoan era in Akrotiri are a great tourist attraction and also contribute as an archaeological site for scientific research.

The island’s traditional architecture is similar to the other Cyclades’ architecture. Most common are low-lying cubical houses, made of stones and whitewashed or limewashed using various volcanic ashes to get different colour nuances. What sets these architectural monuments apart from all others is the utilization of the hypóskapha: extensions of houses dug sideways or downwards into the surrounding pumice. The most essential characteristic of these rooms is the high insulation achieved through the air-filled pumice. This makes them cool in the summer and warm in winter. They also serve as shelters for food storage and wine cellaring. Such are the famous Kánava wineries of Santorini.

As one of the few Cyclades islands with a well functioning airport, Santorini is a convenient tourist destination. Scheduled flights are carried out by Olympic Air, Aegean Airlines and Athens Airways. Chartered flights from other airlines are available in summer. Buses, taxis, hotel car-pickups and rental cars account for the transportation to and from the terminal.