Cyclades
[key], Gr. Kikládhes [Gr.,=circular],
island group, c.1,000 sq mi (2,590 sq km), SE Greece, a part of the Greek
archipelago, in the Aegean Sea stretching SE from Attica. The name was
originally used to indicate those islands forming a rough circle around
Delos. The Cyclades
include about 220 islands of which Tínos, Ándros, Mílos, Náxos, Kéa, Páros, Serifos, Ios, Kithnos, and
Thíra are
important. Ermoupolis, on
Síros, is the chief town and administrative center of the group.
Largely mountainous, with a dry and mild climate, the islands produce wine,
fruit, wheat, olive oil, and tobacco. Iron, manganese, and sulfur are mined,
and marble is quarried. Unplanned development and crowds of summer tourists
have caused pollution and water shortages. The islands are noted for the
Bronze Age artworks found there (see Cycladic art). In 1829 the Cyclades
passed from the Ottoman Empire to Greece.
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