Island (pop., 1991: 42,000), Greece.
In the Aegean Sea, Sámos is located off the western coast of Turkey, from which it is separated by the Sámos Strait. Wooded and mountainous, the island has an area of 184 sq mi (476 sq km). Settled by the Ionian s in the 11th century BC, it was a leading commercial centre of Greece by the 7th century BC. It was noted for its cultural achievements, especially in sculpture, during the 6th-century-BC reign of Polycrates . Ruled successively by Persia, Athens, Sparta, Rome, Byzantium, and Turkey, it was annexed to Greece in 1912. The island is fertile and produces wine, olives, fruit, cotton, and tobacco.