Samos << SAY mos or SAM ohs >> is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. It is separated from the coast of Turkey by the Samos Strait. Samos covers 184 square miles (476 square kilometers) and has a population of about 35,000. The island’s economy relies on tourism, winemaking, and the production of forest products, tobacco, and grapes. The port of Vathi is the capital. Samos was once part of ancient Greece. It was part of the Ottoman Empire from the mid-1400’s until 1913, when it was reclaimed by Greece after the Second Balkan War.
