SYROS

Modern Greek Sros, island near the centre of the Cyclades group, in the Aegean Sea, Greece. Its chief town and port, Hermopolis, on a bay of the east coast, is the capital of the noms (department) of Cyclades. The island, with an area of 32 square miles (84 square km), is hilly, denuded, and irregular in shape, and it reaches an elevation of 1,450 feet (442 m). The old quarter, no Sros, of Hermopolis was founded in the 13th century by Venetians on the site of a classical town. Refugees from the War of Greek Independence (182129) founded the adjacent contemporary port, which was important in Greek coastal trade. Industries include shipbuilding, tanning, cotton mills, weaving, and confectionery, but the main source of revenue is from maritime trade and commercial shipping. Pop. (1981) 19,668.