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Santorini is a small, circular group of volcanic islands located in the Aegean Sea, about 200 km south-east from the mainland of Greece.

It is also known by the name of the largest island in the archipelago, Thira or Thera. It is the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of approximately 73 km² (28 sq mi), and in 2001 had an estimated population of 13,600.

It is the most active volcanic centre in the Aegean Arc, though what remains today is largely a caldera.

The name Santorini was given to it by the Venetians in the 13th century and is a reference to Saint Irene. Before then it was called Kallistē ('the most beautiful one'), Strongylē ('the circular one'), or Thera.