Greek Islands Portal

Meganisi is 4 nautical miles south-east of the harbor of Lefkada. It is connected with Nydri by ferry boat. It has an area of 19,85 square kilometers and 40 kilometers of coastline.
It is the largest island of a complex (Skorpios, Thilia, Kythros and more), composing the administrative district of the Municipality of Meganisi.
It has 3 settlements: Spartochori, Katomeri and Vathy. Katomeri is the capital of the island.

The first traces of life on the island date back to the Neolithic era. The first name of the island was Taphos.
In general, from the ancient times up to the historical years, the destiny of Meganisi had always been connected with Lefkada.

During the 7th century B.C the island became a Corinthian colony (an artificial channel was first constructed by the Corinthians) and followed in all the important events until the Roman conquest in 197 B.C.

After the fall of Constantinople (1204) to the French, the island was given to Venetians but soon it was incorporated to the dominion of Epirus.
In  1294 (until 1479) the island came into the hands of the French and then Meganisi as well as Lefkada fell under Turkish rule until the return of the Venetians in 1684. In 1797 the island passed into the hands of the French and one year later it felts under the Russian-Turkish rule. From 1807 to 1809 Meganisi was conquered by the imperial French only to fall in the hands of British in 1810. Meganisi and Lefkada as well as the rest of the Ionian islands were united with Greece on the 21-05-1864 after the end of the British occupation.