The northern part of Syros is mountainous and the island stands out in general for the variety
of the landscape in its hinterland, where hills alternate with low-lying farming areas. The
coastline is indented with inlets of all sizes between capes. There are two large bays, of
Ermoupoli to the east and Finikas to the west. Archaeological excavations have shown that
Syros was inhabited in Neolithic times. Digs at Kastri and Halandriani have revealed a
prehistoric acropolis, a settlement and a burial ground, and yielded artefacts of the Early
Cycladic period.It is located exactly in the middle of the Cyclades and was the cultural and
trade centre of the Aegean in the 19th century and its capital, Ermoupolis, was Greece’s
principal port and is today the largest town of the Cyclades and the capital of the archipelago.
At first sight, Syros looks very industrial but when one visit the town of Ermoupolis and sees
its incredible beauty he will immediately fall under its charm. Syros economy doesn’t depend
on tourism but on industries like textile, dairy farms and horticultural industry from which plants
and flowers are exported to the rest of the Cyclades. Syros used to have the most powerful
ship-building industry in the whole Greece but decline with the rise of the Athenian harbour
of Piraeus.The very recent history of the island with tourism makes it a very “Greek” island,
unspoiled by holiday trappings, huge hotel units and touristy shops everywhere.