The Greek islet of Strongyli is located at 36°6′50″N 29°38′12″E vs Istanbul at 41°00′49″N 28°57′18″E.
Although the island itself only has one inhabitant. But even the Greek island of Kastellorizo (36°08′42″N 29°35′06″E) with 584 people is still further East than Istanbul.
That means that Greece extends further East, South, and West than all of European Turkey.
Kastellorizo (offically Megisti) and its smaller neighboring islet Strongyli became part of Greece following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and treaties after World War I.
How and When:
- Historical Context:
Kastellorizo, located off the southwestern coast of Turkey, had a predominantly Greek population historically, even during Ottoman rule. As the Ottoman Empire weakened, control over islands in the eastern Aegean became contested. - Italian Control:
In 1912, Italy occupied Kastellorizo during the Italo-Turkish War. It was formally ceded by the Ottomans to Italy under the Treaty of Lausanne (1923), which settled post-WWI borders and the Greco-Turkish War. - Integration into Greece (1947):
Following World War II, under the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947, Italy transferred the Dodecanese Islands: including Kastellorizo and Strongyli to Greece. The islands thus officially became Greek territory.
Why:
- Ethnic and Cultural Factors:
Kastellorizo had a historically Greek population, speaking Greek and culturally aligning more closely with Greece than Turkey. - Strategic and Political Considerations:
Post-World War II settlement aimed at stabilizing the Mediterranean region and rewarding Greece, a key Allied power against Axis occupation. The islands’ Greek identity facilitated their transfer from Italy to Greece rather than Turkey.
Current Significance:
Today, Kastellorizo and especially Strongyli have major geopolitical importance, as their inclusion in Greece impacts maritime boundaries and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) between Greece and Turkey.
Have you ever visited them?
Y.D. Robinson says
The western part of mainland Anatolia had a very significant Greek population up until the Greek-Turkish population exchange of 1923, in many places constituting the majority. The same thing was true for much of the north coast of Anatolia, as far east as the Pontic region (including Trebizond and Samsun). Not to mention that Cyprus, with a majority of Greeks, is – just like the Pontic region – far to the east of Greece proper.
Thus, it’s really no surprise that the easternmost part of Greece is a bit further east than Istanbul, which – as Constantinople – has been the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Church the way that the Vatican is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.