Zákinthos

Zákinthos (zä'kinthôs) [key]or Zante (zăn'tē) [key], Lat. Zacynthus, island (1991 pop. 32,556), c.157 sq mi (407 sq km), W Greece, in the Ionian Sea; one of the Ionian Islands. The chief town is Zákinthos, a port and trade center and the capital of Zákinthos prefecture. Wine, currants, citrus fruits, and olive oil are produced on the fertile, intensively cultivated island. According to tradition, the island was settled by persons led by Zacynthus, son of the Arcadian chief Dardanus. Earthquakes devastated the island in 1514, 1893, and 1953; it was rebuilt completely after the last quake.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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