The Dodecanese islands are named for twelve, yet the group contains fifteen major islands.

Countries & Cities · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The name Dodecanese literally means twelve islands, but this label is a historical misnomer. Originally applied to a different cluster of islands in the Cyclades, the term migrated to the southeastern Aegean during the Ottoman era, eventually sticking to a group that today includes fifteen major islands and ninety-three islets.

The evolution of the name Dodecanese is a study in administrative shifting. In the 8th century, Byzantine sources used the term for a naval command centered on the Cyclades. It was only during the Ottoman period, specifically after 1522, that the name became associated with the current group. When the Ottoman Empire attempted to centralize administration in the late 19th century, the twelve islands that held special tax privileges began to be collectively referred to as the Dodecanese by the Greek press.

The geopolitical identity of the islands remained fluid throughout the 20th century. Following the Italo-Turkish War in 1912, Italy occupied most of the islands. Fascist authorities later attempted to rebrand them as the Italian Islands of the Aegean to suppress Greek nationalist sentiment, but the original name persisted. By 1920, the term was firmly established, even as the specific islands included in the count changed due to shifting borders and treaties. The islands were finally united with Greece in 1947.

Today, the Dodecanese remain a distinct entity in unexpected ways. While they are fully integrated into Greece, they retain a unique status in amateur radio, where they are treated as a separate country with the prefix SV5. This legacy reflects their long history as a jurisdiction apart from the Greek mainland, a status that persisted from their time as an Ottoman province through their years under Italian administration and British military protection.

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