Kefalonia is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and perhaps the most varied. It is one of the least inhabited and has not become overly commercialised like some of its sister islands.
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Kefalonia, is also known as Cephallenia, Cephallonia, Kefallinia, or Kefallonia and is the largest of the Ionian Islands with an area of around 350 sq. miles and a population of around 45,000 people.
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The island received its name from the mythical hero Cephalus, who arrived at the island as a refugee from Athens, displacing the island's initial inhabitants who were known as Taphians (Teloboes or Taphioi).
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Most of the towns and villages were built high on hilltops to prevent attacks from raiding parties of pirates that sailed the Ionian Sea during the 1820s. In 1864, Kefalonia, together with all the other Ionian Islands, became a full member of the Greek state.
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Kefalonia offers relative peace and a 'quiet' feel to many of the resorts. From the lush olive and citrus groves in the south west of the island to the tiny, historic villages dotted around the wild mountains of Errisos in the north, or from the quiet, agricultural Paliki Peninsula to the long sandy beaches of the south west, Kefalonia or Cephalonia is an island that is ripe for exploration.
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Kefalonia's profile was greatly increased in the late 1990s thanks to the novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin, by English author Louis de Bernières. The novel is believed to be based on events that occurred in the picturesque village of Farsa, just outside Argostoli, the largest town on the island.
The island is covered by dense vegetation and offers plentiful natural beauty including beaches -- many of them inaccessible from land -- and spectacular caves. Myrtos, the most famous of these beaches, is a major tourist attraction, and has been ranked fifth in the world for its scenic view.
Kefalonia's tallest mountain is Mount Ainos with an elevation of 5,340 feet (almost the same elevation as Denver, Colorado in North America). To the west-northwest are the Paliki mountains where Lixouri is located. Other mountains include Gerania and Agia Dynati.
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