Samos is in the East part of the Aegean Sea, close to the Asia Minor coastline. It’s geographically located between the parallels 37.49° and 37.37° to the North and the meridians 26.33° and 27.04° to the East.

Initially joined to the Asia Minor Coast, Samos became separated from the mainland following enormous geological upheavals. According to the myth it was the birth place of goddess Hera. By being colonized by the lonians around the first millennium BC, it was inhabited by Carians and Pelasgians. Samos knew its greatest glory in the 6th century BC. Subsequently it was dominated by the Persians during the Persian Wars, later becoming a member of the Athenian Confederacy.

When Samos revolted against the alliance, the Athenians laid waste the island in revenge. It was later conquered by Macedonians, Ptolernies and Romans. In 1204 it became a Frankish possession, remaining in Venetian hands until 1413, when the Genoese under the Giustiniani gained supremacy and ruled the island together with Chios.

In 1453 with the fall of Constantinople to the Turks, the island was abandoned, its inhabitants fleeing to Chios. In the 16th century Turkish attemps to resettle Samos succeeded. The island remained under Turkish rule until 1912 when it was finally united with Greece