Koukounaries

Koukounaries Κουκουναριές
Location
Koukounaries
Coordinates	39°9′N 23°24′E
Government
Country:	Greece
Region:	Thessaly
Regional unit:	Sporades
Municipality:	Skiathos
Population statistics (as of 2001)
Village
- Population:	126
Other
Time zone:	EET/EEST (UTC+2/3)
Auto:	ΒΟ

Koukounaries is a location and a beach in the southwest part of the island of Skiathos in Greece. It is 16 km southwest of the main town on the island. Skiathos is part of the Sporades group of islands in the Northern Aegean Sea.

Koukounaries (Greek: Κουκουναριές), means 'Stone Pines' in Greek. At Koukounaries there is a lagoon and a wooded peninsula with a Stone Pine (Pinus pinea) forest separating the lagoon from the Aegean Sea. On the seaward side of the penisnula there is a popular fine-textured beach called 'Koukounaries Beach' or "Chrisi Ammos" (Greek: Χρυσή Άμμος, meaning 'golden sand'). This is one of the few locations in Greece where a Stone Pine forest still exists.

Koukounaries was once known as Maratha (Μάραθα). Until 1964, when Skiathos was designated by the Greek National Tourism Organisation as a special development zone for tourism, the Town of Skiathos was the only settlement on the island. Following the GNTO's zoning, a paved road along the coast connected the Town of Skiathos to Koukounaries. Around the same time, the first large scale resort development on the island was built in Koukounaries. Koukounaries is the last stop of the bus route from Skiathos Town.

Currently, Koukounaries is a popular tourist destination during summer with numerous hotels, hostels, camping sites, tavernas, restaurants, bars, "ouzeri", and cafes.

Population

Year	Population
2001	126

Gallery

• 

  Koukounaries beach, July 2005

• 

  Koukounaries beach, October 2008

See also

• Skiathos

External links

• Municipality of Skiathos
• National Tourism Organisation (GNTO)
• Koukounaries on GTP Travel Pages (in English and Greek)