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(c) Greeks outside Greece

In addition to the estimatednumber of approximately 3,500,000 Greeks in the Greek kingdom, there are a large number of Greeks outside Greece, most of whom retain their national sympathies and interests. These may be divided into three classes:

1. The Greeks of unredeemed Hellas', whose aspiration it is to be included in the Greek kingdom. These are found mainly in European and Asiatic Turkey, and in the islands adjacent to Asiatic Turkey. There are also a certain number in the districts assigned to other Balkan states by the treaties of 1913.

2. Greek colonists or merchants, who, without giving up their Greek nationality, have settled in various countries all over the world, from America to India. Many of these ultimately return to live in Greece, and they have also returned in great numbers at any time of crisis, such as the Balkan Wars of 1912-13 or the Great War.

3. Greeks who have been born or become naturalized in foreign countries. Strictly speaking, these are no longer Greeks by nationality, but they have always kept up a keen interest in the affairs of Greece. Through their Representative Congress of Hellenic Communities, held in Paris in 1916, they have tried to influence political affairs in Greece, though of course they have no constitutional rights.

It is difficult to form any estimate of the numbers of the third of these classes, or to draw a definite line between those who still remain Greeks in national sentiment and those who have become assimilated to their new nationality, but a rough estimate may be made of the first two classes as follows:

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These numbers are approximately equal to those of the Greek race in Greece itself; the Paris Congress above referred to claimed to represent a total of 35 Greek communities and 4,000,000 Hellenes; but this claim was not admitted by the adherents of King Constantine, against whom the Congress was defending the Greek Constitution. The Greeks who had acquired another nationality, but took an active interest in the Congress, were probably as numerous as those retaining Greek nationality though resident at a distance from Greece.

The title of 'King of the Hellenes', not 'King of Greece', which was taken by King George in 1862, was chosen in relation to the Greek communities outside Greece, as well as to Greeks in the kingdom, and the former were actually allowed to vote, through their representatives, on the situation of 1862 and the choice of the new king.

THE CYCLADES AND NORTHERN SPORADES

(1) POSITION AND SURFACE

The Aegean Sea consists of three large basins divided by ridges which are for the most part submerged, but of which the summits rise to form the series and groups of islands which cross diagonally from Greece to Asia Minor. In the extreme south the open sea is barred by Crete. North of this is the south Aegean basin, from which rise the groups of islands known as the Cyclades (Kyklades) and Sporades, divided from each other by a strip of sea relatively free from islands. North of these groups there extends the middle Aegean basin, from which arise the coast islands of Mitylene and Khios, and also the island of Psara, on the Asiatic side; and Euboea and Skyros, off the European coast, besides several reefs and islets. North of these islands is the north Aegean basin, which is again divided into an Asiatic and a European part. The first portion contains the islands near the Dardanelles (Tenedos, Imbros, Lemnos, and Strati or Aïstrate); the second and narrower portion the group of islands known as the Northern Sporades (or Magnesian Islands), including Skiathos, Skopelos, and Halonesos (Khiliodromia). Between the north Aegean basin and the coast of Thrace rise the two Thracian islands of Thasos and Samothraki.

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The islands of the Aegean here considered are (1) the Cyclades, (2) the Northern Sporades and the island of Skyros. The North Aegean islands and the islands near the Asiatic coast are treated in Handbook No. 96.

The Cyclades

Of these islands 24 possess an area of more than 9 square miles, and, including the numerous smaller islands, the Cyclades have in all an area of about 1,050 square miles.

In the ensuing description the Cyclades are arranged on topographical and bathymetric considerations into three main groups comprising six series or sub-groups numbered continuously:

I. The northern group, three parallel series running from north-west to south-east, viz. :

(1) North-east series: Andros, Tenos, Mykonos, Delos, orographically the continuation of southern Euboea.

(2) Central series: Gyaros (Gioura), Syra (Syros). (3) South-western series: Keos (Zea), Kythnos (Thermia), Seriphos (Serpho), Siphnos.

Approached from west or east the islands of the first series appear as an extended mountain chain gradually diminishing in height from north-west to south-east. Andros (area 157 square miles) is divided from Euboea by the Doro channel (over 6 miles broad, and 200 fathoms deep), and rises at its central point to about 3,200 ft. Between Andros and Tenos is a strait (To Steno) 24 fathoms deep. Tenos (area 79 square miles) is a broad rounded ridge attaining a height of 2,089 ft. To the south-east, across a broad strait, the island of Mykonos rises to a height of 1,194 ft. The islands present the steepest slope along the remarkably straight line of their south-west coasts; their north-west coasts are more richly articulated by large rounded bays. Andros is the most important island in this series, and the second largest in the Cyclades.

Syra, in the central series, has a superficial area of 31 square miles, and is the meeting-place for a good deal of trade.

The four islands on the south-western limit are fairly widely separated from each other, Keos (superficial area 67 square miles) being the nearest to Attica both in position and many other respects.

II. (4) The central group, in which the mass of land forming the islands unites them into a closely related body comprising Naxos, Paros, and Antiparos (with the islets of Despotiko and Strongyle).

The whole group looks like a related mountain mass, and is popularly comprised under the name Paronaxia. The heights of the islands diminish from east to west: Naxos (area 173 square miles), 3,290 ft.; Paros, 2,460 ft.; Antiparos, 1,010 ft. The pure white marble found in Paros (superficial area 81 square miles) is famous.

III. The southern group consists of two series : (5) The southern diagonal series, south of (4) above, and running from west-south-west to eastnorth-east, comprising the small islands of Pholegandros (Polykandro), Sikinos, Nios (Ios), Herakleia (Raklia), Keros, Denusa, Amorgos, together with the islets Skhinousa, Apano Koupho, Kato Koupho, &c.

(6) The series on the southern limit curving from west to east and comprising Melos, Kimolos, Santorin (Thera), Anaphe, together with the islets Eremomelos (Antimelos), Polinos, &c.

The extended island of Amorgos (area 50 square miles, highest alt. 2,560 ft.) is the largest of the first of these series.

The Melos group, in the last series, exhibits volcanic features, and is noted for important mining products. The mountains of Melos (area 62 square miles) reach the height of 2,538 ft.

The Thera group (combined area 30-35 square miles) are the most southerly of the Cyclades, and are chiefly of volcanic origin, although at the south-east end are mountains (alt. 1,887 ft.) of non-volcanic origin. The

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