Kastelorizo

Kastelorizo (Greek: Καστελόριζο - Kastelorizo, offeecially Μεγίστη - Megisti) is a Greek island an municipality locatit in the sootheastren Mediterranean. It lees roughly 2 km (1 mi) aff the sooth coast o Turkey, aboot 570 km sootheast o Athens an 125 km (78 mi) east o Rhodes, amaist hawfwey atween Rhodes an Antalya an 280 km (170 mi) tae Cyprus. Kastelorizo is pairt o the Rhodes regional unit. The meanin o its current offeecial name Megisti (Μεγίστη) is "biggest" or "greatest", but at anerlie 11.987 km2 (5 sq mi) in aurie, it is the smawest o the Dodecanese. The name, housomeivver, refers tae the fact that it is the lairgest o the sma airchipelago. Name an Etymology The island's offeecial name, Megisti (Μέγιστη), is rarely uised in Greek, the traditional name Kastelorizo (Καστελόριζο) bein common. Thare are several hypotheses aboot the oreegin o the name Kastelorizo, which is thocht tae date frae Byzantine era. Thare is wide consensus that "Kastello" is derivit frae the Laitin wird "castellum", meanin "castle", as this wird (in the Greek form), wis uised frequently bi Byzantine Greeks. Thare is some argument on the seicont pairt o the name. The arguments are centred on the follaein possible oreegins o the wird 'rizo': 1) 'rizo', bein derivit frae the Italian wird "rosso" meanin "red", aither frae the reddish colour o the rocks o the island, or frae the reddish colour o the castle at sunset, or frae the colour o the coat o airms o the Great Master o the Knichts o Rhodes, Juan Fernandez de Heredia, which stuid abuin the gate o the castle; thir arguments are widely discreditit as the rocks on the island dae no contain ony reid pigment an the name Kastellorizo, pre dates the arrival o the Knichts; or 2) 'rizo', bein a corruption o the wird "Rhoge", ane o the auncient appellations o the nearbi island o Rho. If this is correct, the island's modren name is actually an amalgam o the separate island names 'Castello' an 'Rhoge'; or 3) 'rizo', bein the actual Greek wird 'rizon' maintained throughoot the centuries, meanin "ruit", as researched bi Greek Historian I.M. Hatzifotis (1996), tae signify the "tree ruits" o the fuithill whare the castle wis biggit. It haes gane bi several different names in its history, includin Kastellorizo (Greek), Castellorizo (Greek name wi Italian spellin), Castelrosso (Italian, meanin "Red Castle"), Chateau Rouge (French translation o Italian name) an Turkis: Meis, or Kızılhisar, the umwhile derivin frae the island's offeecial name in Greek, the latter meanin Reid Castle, a translation o the Italian name. Sister ceeties Perth, Wastren Australie, Australia Antalya, Turkey References Template:Dodecanese Islands Template:Kallikratis-Sooth Aegean