Nisyros also spelled Nisiros is a volcanicGreek island and municipality located in the Aegean Sea. It is part of the Dodecanesegroup of islands, situated between the islands of Kos and Tilos. Its shape is approximately round, with a diameter of about, and an area of. Several other islets are found in the direct vicinity of Nisyros, the largest of which is Gyali, with a population of 22 citizens. The Municipality of Nisyros includes Gyalí, as well as uninhabited Pacheiá, Pergoússa, Kandelioussa, Ágios Antónios and Stroggýli. It has a total land area of and a total population of 1,008 inhabitants. The island was also called Nisiro in Italian and İncirli in Turkish.
Geology
The island has a wide caldera, and was formed within the past 150,000 years, with three separate eruptive stages, ranging from explosive and effusiveandesitic eruptions to explosive and effusive dacitic and rhyolitic activity. Its coasts are generally rocky or pebbled, but there are also a few sandy beaches. The volcano is currently active but not erupting, and fumaroles are found at the craters. It has had four historical eruptions, all of which had a VEI of 2. Almost all of its eruptions involved phreatic activity. The latest eruptive activity was a steam explosion in 1888, after small ash eruptions in 1871 and 1873, and earthquakes are not infrequent. A period of seismic unrest in 1996-1997 led an international team of scientists to initiate monitoring of the volcanic unrest, as part of the European Union sponsored Geowarn project. The entire volcanic complex includes the seafloor between Nisyros and Kos, the island of Gyali and a part of Kos island.
Geography
Nisyros can experience the Meltemi Etesian wind through June - August. This is most obvious on the eastern and western flanks of the volcano, where trees are bent towards the south from the force of the winds. The wind may be especially strong on the island due to jet effects as it passes over Kos.
Settlements
The island is reachable by ship from Piraeus and Kos, and in summer, there are many daily trips from the village of Kardamena on Kos. There is also a heliport. The main town and port of the island is Mandraki. Other villages are Paloi, Nikia, and Emporeios. According to the 2011 census, the municipality's resident population is 1,008, although in summer it is augmented by many tourists as well as expatriate Nisyrians who visit the island for their vacations. Tourism is not so heavily developed as on other Greek islands. Deposits of perlite and pumice on Gyali provide much of the wealth of the island. The island used to be self-sufficient, and many crops were grown on its terraced slopes. Today, though, they are cultivated on a smaller scale.
The patron saint of the island is Saint Nikitas. Many Orthodox Christian churches are found on the island, as well as four monasteries which are not inhabited by monks today, although various celebrations take place in them. The largest monastery is the one of Panagia Spiliani at Mandraki. It is built beside the medieval castle erected by the Knights Hospitaller.
The diocese was nominally restored in 1927 as Titular See of the lowest rank, initially named Nysirus, and renamed Nisyrus in 1928. It has been vacant for decades, having had the following incumbents:
