Karpathos is an island of the Dodecanese archipelago, of which it has the highest relief (Mount Lastos or Kalì Limni, about 1215 meters), and it has an elongated shape in the direction of the meridians. Located between Crete and Rhodes, it has an area of 301 square kilometers inhabited by just over 6500 people. The capital is Pigadia which, unlike all the other small villages of the island, the main one being Olimpo, is located by the sea, on the south-eastern coast. Wheat, barley, vines and olive trees are cultivated and mainly sheep and goats are reared. The territory, crossed by a mountain range, is ideal for trekking.
The west coast is the most exposed to the meltemi winds: the beaches in the area are frequented only by surfers, many of whom are Americans and Australians, often descendants of island emigrants; the most sheltered are those to the east, mostly not very large and made of pebbles or gravel; in Amopi, however, we find five of them, among which there are also sand ones. The beaches on the south coast are white sand; those to the north can be reached almost exclusively by sea.
The narrow inlet of Tristomo is very characteristic, a small fjord that can be visited by boat, but the ferries that sail on the route involving Rhodes and Crete dock in the port of Pigadia, also called Karpathos Town, in the bay of Vronti. From here it is also possible, thanks to the internal route carried out by boats, to reach the small port of Olimpo, Diafani, also on the east coast, but further north, where, at times, even some of the aforementioned ferries can moor. The boats that carry out the excursions from Pigadia to Diafani then continue to the beaches of Kyra Panaya, Achata and Apella and to the island of Saria, which forms a single municipality with the island of Karpathos which bears the latter's name.
The inhabited centers on the western side are Arkasa, where there are some traces of the ancient acropolis of Arkesia, Finiki, a fishing village famous for its fish restaurants and Mesochori, located among olive groves and vineyards. In the hinterland we find Aperi, where there is the cathedral of Karpathos (the Orthodox Church of Kyra Panagia) and Menetes, where the Assumption of Mary is celebrated on August 15th with songs, dances and typical gastronomic products.