Rho (island)
Encyclopedia
Ro or Rho is a small Greek
island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea
near Kastelorizo
, close to the Turkish
coast. It is part of the municipality of Megísti (Kastelorizo)
, in the Dodecanese
prefecture.
Together with other islets in the surrounding region, Ro was the object of a sovereignty dispute in the 1920s between Turkey and Italy
, which at the time was in possession of Kastelorizo and the Dodecanese islands. The dispute was solved in a 1932 treaty
, which assigned Ro to the Italian side. It finally came under Greek sovereignty in 1947, together with the other former Italian possessions in the Aegean.
Ro has been uninhabited for most of history, except for the one Greek woman who made it famous, Despina Achladioti
. Every day, Achladioti, also known as the Lady of Ro, would fly a Greek flag, clearly visible from Turkish soil, over the island, until her death in 1982.
A small Greek military unit is now based on the island, with the primary duty of continuing the tradition of raising the flag, set by Achladioti. The 2001 census reported a population of 15 inhabitants.
The islet is named Kara Ada in Turkish
.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
near Kastelorizo
Kastelorizo
Kastelorizo, , is a Greek island and municipality located in the southeastern Mediterranean. It lies roughly off the south coast of Turkey, about 570 km southeast of Athens and east of Rhodes, almost halfway between Rhodes and Antalya and to Cyprus...
, close to the Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
coast. It is part of the municipality of Megísti (Kastelorizo)
Kastelorizo
Kastelorizo, , is a Greek island and municipality located in the southeastern Mediterranean. It lies roughly off the south coast of Turkey, about 570 km southeast of Athens and east of Rhodes, almost halfway between Rhodes and Antalya and to Cyprus...
, in the Dodecanese
Dodecanese
The Dodecanese are a group of 12 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, of which 26 are inhabited. Τhis island group generally defines the eastern limit of the Sea of Crete. They belong to the Southern Sporades island group...
prefecture.
Together with other islets in the surrounding region, Ro was the object of a sovereignty dispute in the 1920s between Turkey and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, which at the time was in possession of Kastelorizo and the Dodecanese islands. The dispute was solved in a 1932 treaty
Convention between Italy and Turkey, 1932
The Convention between Italy and Turkey, signed in Ankara on January 4, 1932, by the Italian Plenipotentiary, Ambassador Pompeo Aloisi, and the Turkish foreign minister Tevfik Rüştü Aras, settled a dispute that had arisen in the aftermath of the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, about the sovereignty...
, which assigned Ro to the Italian side. It finally came under Greek sovereignty in 1947, together with the other former Italian possessions in the Aegean.
Ro has been uninhabited for most of history, except for the one Greek woman who made it famous, Despina Achladioti
Despina Achladioti
Despina Achladioti known as the Lady of Ro was a Greek patriot born on the island of Kastellórizo in 1890. Before the start of World War II, in which her home island was ravaged repeatedly, Achladioti sailed with her husband and mother to the nearby deserted island of Ro where they lived off of a...
. Every day, Achladioti, also known as the Lady of Ro, would fly a Greek flag, clearly visible from Turkish soil, over the island, until her death in 1982.
A small Greek military unit is now based on the island, with the primary duty of continuing the tradition of raising the flag, set by Achladioti. The 2001 census reported a population of 15 inhabitants.
The islet is named Kara Ada in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
.