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See links below for other web sites on this Island.
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 Location |
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Evia is the second largest island in Greece and is linked to the mainland by a bridge and motorway. It’s capital Halkida is located at the narrowest point of the Evian Strait. The Sporades lie to the east and west of Evia and about 1km south are the small wooded Petali islands, reachable by regular boat trips..
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 Population |
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Approximately 165,000.
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 History |
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Evia, originally part of the mainland has a legendary story. It was blown from Poseidon’s trident and split from Thessaly and Attica. Logically however, it was separated from the mainland by an earthquake and subsidence!
It was the longest surviving southerly outpost of the Ottoman Turks.
The Ottoman Turks, and those before them appreciated the islands wealth such as the Venetians and Lombard’s.
The last Ottoman garrison was only evicted in 1833, hanging on in defiance of the peace settlement that was awarded to Evia by the New Greek state. Substantial Turkish communities remained on the island even until 1923.
The Island’s capital is at Chalcis, located halfway up the West coast, it was an important center in ancient Greece, due to its strategic position. Eretria was another major ancient city in the 6 C. BC, before Athens dominated the region. By the start of the 19th C. the population was so small that the houses were used to re-house the inhabitants of Spata that managed to escape the 1824 Turkish devestation.
Evia, an island rich in mining and agriculture and is now encouraging tourism as a new source of income as mining and agriculture are in decline.
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 Religion |
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This topic is not island-specific. It applies to the nation of Greece.
Orthodox Christianity is the recognized dominant religion of Greece and it is legally protected by the state. This has caused legal discrimination against non-Orthodox Churches, and although the constitution of 1975 removed the power of most of the old laws against Protestants, problems still exist today. There is a lot of fear towards anything outside of the Orthodox Church, especially on the islands. However, repeated rulings of the European Court of Justice in favour of religious minorities in cases of discrimination have led to a relative increase of the freedoms that these religious minorities now enjoy.
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 Saints |
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Most of the saints are honored on this island and the Orthodox Church is highly respected.
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 Prayer |
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-That the outreach will enable the gospel of salvation to be shared
-That the people on the island will realize their need for God and their eyes will be opened to the truth and love of God through reading the Bible for themselves.
-That God will work in the lives of all the God-fearing people already living on this island, and bring healing & refreshment to their lives.
- That God will bring people to Evia to follow up after Operation Gideon.
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 Miscellaneous |
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Athenians regard Evia as a convenient destination for a weekend break!
Evia is well worthwhile for its scenic mountain roads, pristine inland villages.
The current in Evias narrow channel changes direction around seven times daily, if you have the patience to hang around and watch it!
Evia is not very popular with island hoppers, lacking the beaches and sites, which would attract the crowds.
Bus and rail links with Athens is very good.
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 Celebrations |
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The celebrations on the islands usually revolve around the Saints, and there is a big celebration at Easter in the Orthodox Church.
May 27 (St. johns festival) hordes of pilgrims come to worship the relics in the Church of Agios Ioannis Rosses.
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 Resources |
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www.greektravel.com
www.in2greece.com
http://www.dilos.com/region/eviasporades/evia.html
www.harrys-60-greek-islands-guide.com
www.worldtravelgate.org
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