Dodecanese Islands include about 40 Greek islands and many small reefs in the Aegean Sea. They lie off the southwest coast of Turkey. The islands cover 1,036 square miles (2,682 square kilometers). Many of the small islands and reefs are uninhabited. The most important islands are Kalimnos, Karpathos, Kos, Leros, Patmos, Rhodes, and Simi. The chief economic activities include tourism, fishing, building small boats, farming, and raising sheep and goats. In 1522, the Dodecanese came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, which was based in what is now Turkey. Italy took control in 1912 and held the islands until 1947, when they were given to Greece.
