Chios

Chios Χίος
Municipality
Chios Location within the region
Coordinates: 38°22′39″N 26°03′54″E / 38.37750°N 26.06500°E / 38.37750; 26.06500
Country	Greece
Administrative region	North Aegean
Regional unit	Chios
Government
• Mayor	Ioannis Malafis[1] (since 2023)
Area
• Municipality	842.3 km2 (325.2 sq mi)
Highest elevation	1,297 m (4,255 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2021)[2]
• Municipality	50,361
• Density	60/km2 (150/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	82x xx
Area code(s)	227x0
Vehicle registration	ΧΙ
Website	www.chios.gr

Chios (/ˈkaɪ.ɒs, ˈkaɪ.oʊs, ˈkiː-/; Greek: Χίος, romanized: Chíos [ˈçi.os] ^ⓘ, traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea, and the tenth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mastic gum and its nickname is "the Mastic Island". Tourist attractions include its medieval villages and the 11th-century monastery of Nea Moni, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Chios regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean region. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Chios.^[3] Locals refer to Chios town as Chora (Χώρα literally means land or country, but usually refers to the capital or a settlement at the highest point of a Greek island).

The island was also the site of the Chios massacre, in which tens of thousands of Greeks on the island were massacred, expelled, and enslaved by Ottoman troops during the Greek War of Independence in 1822. Chios remained a part of the Ottoman Empire until 1912.