Archipelago Dodecanese Population 0 (2011) Area 160 ha Regional unit Rhodes | Highest elevation 20 m (70 ft) Official website www.megisti.gr Island group Dodecanese | |
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Ro or Rho (Greek: Ρω) is a small Greek island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea near Kastellorizo, close to the Turkish coast. It is part of the municipality of Megísti (Kastellorizo), in the South Aegean region.
Map of Ro, Megisti 07580, Greece
Together with other islets in the surrounding region, Ro was the object of a sovereignty dispute in the 1920s between Turkey and Italy, which at the time was in possession of Kastellorizo and the Dodecanese islands. The dispute was solved in a 1932 treaty, which assigned Ro to the Italian side. It finally came under Greek sovereignty in 1947, together with the other former Italian possessions in the Aegean.
Ro has been uninhabited for most of history, except for the one Greek woman who made it famous, Despina Achladioti. Every day, Achladioti, also known as the Lady of Ro, would fly a Greek flag, clearly visible from Turkish soil, over the island, until her death in 1982.
A small Greek military unit is now based on the island, with the primary duty of continuing the tradition of raising the flag, set by the "Lady of Ro", Despoina Achladioti. According to the 2011 census the island has no permanent residents.
The islet is named Kara Ada in Turkish.