Geography and Climate Skopelos is the capital of the group of islands known collectively as the Sporades ie Skiathos, Alonissos, Skopelos and Skyros, which lie to the east of Volos in the North Aegean Sea, belonging to the province of Magnisia. Approximately 35 kilometres in length, and covering 96 square kms, Skopelos lies on the same latitude as Paxos, Majorca, Ibiza and the Azores.
It is very mountainous, the tallest peak being Mount Delphi at a height of 680 metres.The coastline is varied, with many inlets, and it totals over 60 kilometres.
Skopelos enjoys a fair amount of rain over the year, which helps to maintain its extensive forests. The winter months of December, January and February are when most of this rainfall comes, and some years there is even snow. Amongst the damp, or cold days, there are some warmer periods; in January, there is usually a two week period of pleasant sunny days known as 'Alkyonides'. From March onwards, the days start to become milder, and wildflowers bloom in abundance. Summer weather starts in May or June, with hot sunny days, warm seas, and evenings. The hottest month of the year is usually July. August enjoys frequent cooling 'Meltemia'-Northerly winds which start to blow in the evenings, and calm down after lunchtime the following day. In September, and October, the evenings start to cool down, and there might be a few showers or cloudy days. November can be varied, with a mix of autumnal/wintry weather.

History Archaeological findings shows colonisation by the Cretans around 1600 BC; excavations in the area of Stafilos beach in 1936 uncovered a grave whose size was equivalent to those of the royal tombs of the Mycenaean civilisation; among other treasures they found a very large golden sword-thought to belong to the Cretan prince, Stafilos. He and his brother Peparithos founded cities at Stafilos, Knossa - the site of the current day town of Glossa, and at the site of the present-day main town. The island came to be known as Peparithos. The Cretans brought with them grain, olive trees, and grapevines, which in turn brought prosperity to the island through the following centuries. Silver coins minted here in the 6th century BC have been found at the site of the Delphi Oracle. From 800 to 750 BC the island was occupied by people from Chalkis, who had three settlements, Peparithos (Skopelos town), Selinous (Loutraki) and Panormos. Remains of the citadel walls at all three sites can still be seen. After periods of of rule under the Athenians, Makedonians, and Alexander the Great, Skopelos came under Roman rule along with the rest of Greece, in 146BC. From 330-1204AD, Byzantine rule, and 1204-1538, Venetian rule the island was selfgoverned, and had its own bishop. In 1538, Skopelos was attacked by the pirate Barbarossa, who murdered many of the inhabitants. From the beginning of the 17th century until the 1821 revolution, Skopelos like the rest of Greece fell under Ottoman rule. However in many ways, the island was allowed a fair amount of freedom, with no Turks living on the island, and with the right to worship in their churches unchallenged.In 1821, Skopelos was one of the first to become involved in the revolution, and lent its naval strength to the revolutionaries of Halkidiki, Magnesia and Evia. In 1830, Skopelos became part of the newly established Greek State. At the start of the 20th century, with the advent of steamships, the boatbuilding industry suffered very badly. A further blow to the island's economy came with an outbreak of Phylloxera which decimated the islands' vineyards in the 1940s. In recent years, the traditional agricultural industries of honeymaking, wine production, prunemaking, and breeding of livestock have enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance, and provide an alternative source of income to that of tourism for some islanders.

Nature & Wildlife For those who enjoy tranquillity and a wide range of landscapes, Skopelos is an idyll. It is crisscrossed by a network of muletracks and goat paths, which pass through dense pine forests, through olive groves where herds of goats graze, and tiny hamlets with picturesque country cottages. Along the way there are numerous wayside springs where you can quench your thirst. For those interested in botany, the island boasts a huge range of flower, trees and shrubs, around 700 species in total, providing colour-and wonderful scents throughout the year. Around 67% of the island is covered by woodland; unlike the Cycladic islands, the Sporades are extremely green islands; Skopelos has vast tracts of pine forests,whose scent fills the air, and whose resin is collected and used to flavour one of Greece's most famous products, retsina. The island has orchards of plum, almond and pear trees, olive and citrus groves, and small vineyards which still produce the once famous and abundant local wine. If you are interested in wildflowers, its well worth visiting in April, and early May as you will see a wide variety, including poppies, anemones, irises, convulvulus, freesias, and gladioli. Skopelos also has a wide variety of fauna-including around 66 species of wild birds-native and migratory. There are several kinds of birds of prey, most common are the Eleonora Falcons, and the Scops owl, but you may also be lucky enough to see kestrels, eagles, vultures and buzzards. Along the coastlines, you can see herons, kingfishers, plus cormorants and gulls. Apart from birds, there are a large variety of butterflies, lizards, frogs, hares, ferrets, tortoises, hedgehogs, bats and snakes. Most of the snakes are not poisonous; only the viper poses a real danger-but as with most snakes, this is only when it is disturbed or provoked.

People The island has a population of around 6000, with around 4000 people living in Skopelos town, 1500 in Glossa and Loutraki, and the rest in Elios, Klima and other small settlements on the island. These days most of the population is involved in the tourist industry in one way or other, and this has meant that the younger generations have started to choose to remain on the island, instead of having to go to the mainland to find employment. There are still many trades being practised and handed down from father to son; for example, there are many carpenters on the island, possibly due to the island's history of boat building, and some are still making the traditional couches and trunks. A sector of the population still take their income from fishing; fresh fish is sold from small boats (caiques) on the waterfronts of both Skopelos and Loutraki.
Its unusual these days to see islanders dressed in the traditional costume, although a few of the older ladies still wear the fullskirted blue dress with a white blouse. If you are interested in the traditional costumes and generally in learning more about the island's bygone eras, its worth visiting the town's Folklore Museum. Many island women still make fine and delicate needlework as their mothers and grandmothers did before them. In general, the island's population is fairly well-off, and most own at least one piece of land from which they harvest the olives to make oil in the islands municipal press. The houses are still frequently passed down through the female line, in the form of a dowry ('prika').