The Island
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Skiathos is the most Westerly of the Sporades group of the Greek islands. It is a lush, green island and although it has an area of only about 46 sq km, there are over 60 beaches and many people choose to return for their holidays year after year for that simple fact alone. The only town on the island – Skiathos Town - is a busy, cosmopolitan place with plenty of nightlife, shops, bars & tavernas providing entertainment until the early hours for those who prefer their holidays to be a bit on the hectic side. Along the South coast road there are large numbers of tavernas and bars catering for the tourist trade whilst the North coast, in contrast, is completely undeveloped with stunning scenery and deserted beaches & coves.
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Skiathos is one of the few islands in Greece that has never changed name, at least as far as is known. It is not certain where the name comes from and one theory has it that it is a pre-Greek name given to the island's very first inhabitants. Another explanation is that it comes from the Greek word for shadow, Skia, and that it got it because of its many trees, or that the island lies in the shadow of the mountains of Pelion on the mainland or Mount Athos on the Halkidiki Peninsular.