Kalamos

Kálamos (Greek: Κάλαμος, known in antiquity as Καρνος – Karnos), is a mountainous island and a former community in the Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lefkada, of which it is a municipal unit. It lies east of Lefkada, near the Greek mainland. It has an overwintering population of around 500 people, which is swelled substantially in the summer by tourists. The name Kalamos means reed in Greek. Its population was 496 at the 2011 census. The land area is 24.964 km2 (9.639 sq mi), and its highest point is 754 m (2,474 ft) above sea level.

The main settlement on the island is the port town of Kálamos (pop. 454), on the east coast of the island. From here a regular ferry service connects the island to Mytikas on the mainland. Episkopi (pop. 42) is the only other inhabited village on the island. The village of Kefali, also known by its Venetian name Porto Leone was abandoned following the 1953 Ionian earthquake, which destroyed the water supply, but its church is still in use.

In the early 1990s, the water system was rebuilt and now every household has running water. As well, in recent years, all the foot paths that were once dirt have been upgraded to stone or pavement. Kalamos, once a remote island without electricity or a proper water system, now has all the conveniences of the mainland. The nearest lyceum (middle school) and gymnasium (secondary school) are in Aetolia-Acarnania on the mainland but most of its students attend school in Nydri on Lefkada.