Istiaia
The town is located in the northwestern end of the island Euboea, 5 km from the north coast, and north of the mountain Telethrio. It was the capital of Istiaia Province until the province was abolished in 2006. Visitor attractions of Istiaia include the Museum of Natural History and the church of Agios Nikolaos.
Subdivisions
The municipal unit Istiaia is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages and population at the 2011 census given in brackets):
- Avgaria (pop. 96)
- Galatsades (Galatsades, Kamatriades, pop. 148)
- Galatsona (pop. 65)
- Istiaia (Agios Georgios, Istiaia, Kanatadika, Nea Sinasos, Neochori, pop. 5,522)
- Kamaria (pop. 381)
- Kokkinomilea (pop. 72)
- Kryoneritis (pop. 189)
- Milies (pop. 169)
- Monokarya (Kato Monokarya, Monokarya, pop. 155)
- Voutas (Voutas, Kyparissi, Simia, pop. 294)
Population history
Year | Population community | Population municipal unit |
---|---|---|
1991 | 3,966 | - |
2001 | 5,343 | 7,353 |
2011 | 5,522 | 7,091 |
2021 | 5,107 | 6,457 |
History
Istiaia was named after the ancient town of Histiaea, already mentioned by Homer in his Iliad. The old town was situated 2 km west of the present town. Archaeological findings from 2000 BC have been done, suggesting a settlement existed here in the Middle Helladic period.
Near the ancient town, a new town was founded, named Xirochori. Its name was changed into Istiaia in 1913, after the ancient town Histiaea.