PREDMET: POSLOVNI ENGLESKI 1
TEMA:
SANTORINI GREECE
Profesor: Student:
Contents
1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................3
2. TOURISM...................................................................................................................................5
3. ARCHITECTURE.......................................................................................................................6
4.WINE INDUSTRY.......................................................................................................................7
5. VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS..........................................................................................................8
6. CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................9
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1. INTRODUCTION
Santorini is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km southeast of
Greece's mainland. It's the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which
bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera. It forms the
southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of
approximately . Santorini is essentially what remains after an enormous
volcanic eruption that destroyed the earliest settlements on a formerly single
island, and created the current geological caldera. The capital, Fira, clings to the
top of the cliff looking down on the lagoon.
Santorini was named by the Latin Empire in the thirteenth century, and is a
reference to Saint Irene, from the name of the old cathedral in the village of
Perissa. Santorini and Anafi are the only locations in Europe to feature a hot desert
climate. Santorini's primary industry is tourism, particularly in the summer months.
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Santorini is famous for dramatic views, stunning sunsets from Oia town, the
strange white aubergine ( eggplant ), the town of Thira and naturally its very own
active volcano. There are naturally fantastic beaches such as the beach of Perissa,
maybe the best beach in Santorini, the black pebble beach of Kamari, white beach
and red beach.
Most people who go to Greece go to Santorini. Maybe as many people go to
Santorini as they do to Athens which is pretty amazing since most people who visit
Greece have to at least stop in Athens to get wherever they are going.
It may be the most popular island in the world. There are few travel destinations
that combine beautiful beaches, spectacular scenery, ancient cities, amazing
restaurants, some of the world's best wine, and an active volcano. But Santorini has
all this and more.
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2. TOURISM
In 1956 a major earthquake near Amorgos island resulted in the demolishing of
many buildings in the north of Santorini, leading to the desertion of many of its
villages. The expansion of tourism has resulted in the growth of the economy and
population. The major settlements include Fira, Oia, Kamari, Perissa, Imerovigli,
Pyrgos and Therasia. Akrotiri is a major archaeological site, with ruins from the
Minoan era.
Santorinis primary industry is tourism, particularly in the summer months.
Santorini was ranked worlds top island for many magazines and travel sites,
including the Travel Leisure Magazine, the BBS, as well as the US News.
Santorini is a unique attraction itself with astonishing rock formations and
traditional whitewashed settlements built at the edge of the caldera. It is visited by
thousands of tourists and Greeks in the summer. The unique caldera, the energy
and the beauty of the island are the most important reasons for being ranked as the
top island in Europe and one of the once in a life time must see destinations of the
world.
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3. ARCHITECTURE
The Cycladic Islands are world famous for their picturesque towns of
cubic white washed homes and blue domed churches. Santorini is especially
famous for the towns of Fira and Oia, whose white and pastel colored homes
and churches seemingly stacked on top of each other are perched on the
cliffs of the caldera. Many of these traditional homes are built on cliff side
caves, having a much larger interior than their exterior would suggest.
The architecture of Santorinis picturesque town is typically Cycladic, but with
strong neoclassical and baroque influences in many of the islands churches and
public buildings.
Villages of Santorini were built to meet perfection. Such an example is the
beautiful Oia which is known for its neoclassical mansions, small churches and
the narrow cobbled paths and colourful houses. Matching the classic with the
modern beauty, Oia offers the most romantic scenery and a plethora of beautiful
places to visit. And Fira, the main town of Santorini is pretty astonishing itself
located at the edge of the caldera giving breathtaking views to the volcano. The
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highlights of the capital are traditional houses which blend with the lovely
venetian characteristics. Due to the hard weather conditions and the protection
from the pirates invasions, Santorinis architecture is very much similar to the
other Cycladic islands.
Today, many modern settlements have appeared near the sea, in areas as Kamari
or Perissa, but have lost all the elements of the traditional architecture.
4.WINE INDUSTRY
The island remains the home of a small, but flourishing wine industry, based
on the indigenous grape variety. The vines are extremely old and resistant to
phylloxera, so they dont need replacement during the great phylloxera
epidemic of the late 19th century.
The viticultural pride of the island is the sweet and strong Vinsanto , a
desert wine made from the best sun dried Assyrtiko, Athiri and Aidani grapes
and undergoing long barrel aging. It matures to a sweet, dark amber orange,
unctuous dessert wine that has achived worldwide fame, possessing the
standard Assyrtiko aromas of citrus and minerals, layered with overtones of
nuts, raisins, figs, honey and tea.
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We must mention and Argyros Winery which was established in 1903 by Giorgos
Argyros, whose grandson Yiannis and his son Mathios still run it. The winery has
been awarded as one of the best 100 wineries in the world in 2005 and 2006 by
Wine and Spirits magazine and they make some delicious wines. Their Argyros
Santorini Barrel 2004 scored 92 points on Wine Spectators 100- point scale.
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5. VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
In 1707 an undersea volcano breached the sea surface, forming the current
centre of activity at Nea Kameni in the centre of the lagoon, and eruptions
centerd on it continue, the last in 1950.
Santorini has erupted many times, with varying degrees of explosivity. There
have been at least twelve large explosive eruptions, of which at least 4 were
caldera forming.
The most famous eruption is the Minoan eruption, detailed below. Eruptive
procts range from basalt all the way to rhyolite, and the rhyolitic products are
associated with the most explosive eruptions.
The earliest eruptions, many of which were submarine, were on the Akrotiri
Peninsula.
Doesnt the Caldera look lovely? That is an active volcano that could explode at
any moment and destroy large parts of Greece! It last erupted in 1950 and you
can even get postcards with a photo of this. Good luck! The volcano first
erupted in about 1,650 B.C. and caused one of the largest explosions every seen
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in the world. The explosion of magma rose over 20 miles high and the release
of all this molten lava caused the volcano to collapse, creating the Caldera.
6. CONCLUSION
The great poets have sung its praises, a 4.000 zear old history. And the
eternal rock continues to stand, strong and majestic, rising proudly from the sea
and guarding well the secrets of Atlantis...
Santorini, though small in size, is considered to be a gastronomic destination
with some of the finest restaurants, winerias and restaurants throughout tze
country. Santorini's cuisine is primarily based on the island's own agricultural
products. Products nourished by the volcanic soil, the sea breeze and the
sunshine of the Aegean Sea, giving them a unique taste. When combined with
the almost exclusively organic cultivation of the island the result is top quallity
ingredients that produce original, tasty and healthy food.
There is a lot of things to do and to see when you go to Santorini, places like
museums, churches, volcano, beaches, wineries ect.
Whatever entertainment means to you, it is certian that in Santorini you will
find what you are looking for. The island provides many choices for all tastes,
enabling you to have both a cosmopolitan as well as an intense life, like in no
other place in the world.
And also ... weddings ... If you imagine a dreamy wedding ceremony that you
will remember for the rest of your life, Santorini is the right destination. The
wild beauty, the fascinating Caldera, the gold sunset and the very good weather
conditions are some the elements that have made Santorini one of the most ideal
wedding destinations worldwide.
If i need to tell you few reasons, why you should go to Santorini, i would chose
a lot of them, but in short: you will sleap on the edge, it has the best sunsets
( who have experienced it will never forget seeing the sun drop into the drink
leaving only the silhouettes of the tiny islets and the pink domed cupolas of
the churches in its wake ), the wine is amazing and it's activities heaven ( sea
kayaking, diving and cave snorkelling, rock climbing and hiking, best
catamaran tours with beach stops and thermal pools ect. ).
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