Port of Kalymnos...The islands of the Dodecanese Cluster lie in the southeastern part of the Aegean Sea between Samos, Crete, and the coast of Asia Minor. Kalymnos, known as the Island of the Sponge Divers, is one of them.
Administratively, it belongs to the South Aegean Region – Kalymnos Regional Unit. Total surface: 111.14 sq km. Population: 18,621 (2011 Census).
Kalymnos is mainly a maritime island. Its main economy is sponge-harvesting and fishing. That is why the island’s history and culture developed along the lines of its engagement in maritime trade. As of the late 19th century, Kalymnos was the center of sponge-harvesting. The trade of Kalymnian sponges had spread throughout Europe and America, bringing wealth, prosperity, and cultural development to the island and leaving its stamp on many of the art and science sectors on the island until today. Kalymnos has a large fishing fleet, one of the largest in Greece. It is the main source of wealth for the island since sponge-harvesting has waned due to a variety of reasons.
Fani Kapela Koutouzi