Límnos

Límnos, island, eastern Greece, in the Aegean Sea, near the Dardanelles. The island is largely volcanic with a few fertile regions where livestock is raised and fruit and grain are grown. Mírina is the capital and chief town. In 1657 the island was acquired by the Ottoman Empire from Venice, and in the Balkan War of 1912-13 Límnos became a Greek possession. During World War I the island served as a base for Allied military and naval operations against the Ottoman Empire, particularly in the course of the Gallipoli and Dardanelles campaign in 1915. At Moúdhros the Ottomans signed, on October 30, 1918, terms of armistice with the Allies. Area, 482 sq km (186 sq mi); population (1981) 15,721.