Rhodes

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Rhodes (Ródhos) Greek island in the se Aegean Sea; the largest of the Dodecanese archipelago. It was colonized by the Dorians in c.1000 bc, and later conquered (at different times) by Persia, Sparta, Athens, Macedon, Rome, and the Byzantine Empire. In 1310 the Knights Hospitallers captured Rhodes, and they defended it against the Turks for more than 200 years. It was finally seized by the Ottomans in 1522. Ceded to Italy in 1912, it became part of Greece in 1947. The chief city is Rhodes. Products: wheat, tobacco, cotton, olives, fruits, vegetables. Area: 1400sq km (540sq mi). Pop. (2001) 90,963.

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