Kastellorizo

Kastellorizo or Castellorizo (Greek: Καστελλόριζο - Kastellorizo, officially Μεγίστη - Megísti or Meyísti) is a Greek island and municipality located in the southeastern Mediterranean. It lies roughly 2 kilometres (1 mile) off the south coast of Turkey, about 570 km (354 mi) southeast of Athens and 125 km (78 mi) east of Rhodes, almost halfway between Rhodes and Antalya and 280 km (170 mi) to Cyprus. Kastellorizo is part of the Rhodes regional unit.

Name and etymology

The island's official name, Megisti (Μεγίστη) means "biggest" or "greatest", but at only 11.987 km² (5 sq mi) in area, it is the smallest of the Dodecanese. The name, however, refers to the fact that it is the largest of the small archipelago. This name was used in antiquity, but is now rarely used in Greek, the name Kastellórizo (Καστελλόριζο) being common since the twelfth century. There are several hypotheses about the origin of this name. "Kastello" derives from the Italian word "castello", meaning "castle". There is some argument on the second part of the name. The arguments are centered on the following possible origins of the element rizo: