| Περιγραφή Τόπου |
This site includes three small islets Falkonera, Velopoula and Ananes, situated in the Myrtoon Sea. They are very remote since they are found away from any large land mass and also they are surrounded by very deep sea.The islets can be clustered in two groups according to their geologic history. One group consists of volcanic origin islets (Ananes and Christiana groups) while the second includes islets mainly of sedimentary origin (all the other islets). The limestones belong to the zones of Gavrovo - Tripoli and/or Paxoi. In general the islets are rocky places. The influence of strong winds and rough sea, which act on the islets the whole year round, is obvious at first sight. The general appearance of the islets is the result of the combination of substrate and of climatic factors. On small islands there are two distinct vegetation zones: a littoral zone inhabited by true halophytes and a sublittoral zone, which is not washed by sea water even at stormy weather. In this zone the vegetation is phrygana with Centaurea raphanina ssp. mixta, Sarcopoterium spinosum, Euphorbia sp., Thymus capitatus, etc. on most islets. On some islets the phrygana vegetation is lacking or represented by very few species and instead there is a special sublittoral vegetation, with species confined to small islands or that are rarely found on shores of larger islands. The islets are uninhabited.Vertical seacliffs are present on all islets, even at the ones with the lowest altitudes; rarely is there a beach, and if there is one it is usually with pebbles. The vegetation of the cliffs is mostly composed by Aegean endemics, many of which are obligate chasmophytes.The sea that surrounds the islets is very deep. There is a very small area with shallow waters. This is very important for the marine ecosystems, especially for the oligitrophic systems of the east Mediterranean. |
