Donousa is an island and a former community

Communities and Municipalities of Greece

For the new municipalities of Greece see the Kallikratis ProgrammeThe municipalities and communities of Greece are one of several levels of government within the organizational structure of that country. Thirteen regions called peripheries form the largest unit of government beneath the State. ...

 in the Cyclades

Cyclades

The Cyclades is a Greek island group in the Aegean Sea, south-east of the mainland of Greece; and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The name refers to the islands around the sacred island of Delos...

, Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Naxos and Lesser Cyclades

Naxos and Lesser Cyclades

Naxos and Lesser Cyclades is a municipality in the Naxos peripheral unit, South Aegean Periphery, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Naxos...

, of which it is a municipal unit. Donousa is the easternmost island of the Lesser Cyclades.

Geography

Donousa is located about 25 km (13 nmi) north of Amorgos

Amorgos

Amorgos is the easternmost island of the Greek Cyclades island group, and the nearest island to the neighboring Dodecanese island group. Along with several neighboring islets, the largest of which is Nikouria Island, it comprises the municipality of Amorgos, which has a land area of...

 and 7 kilometres (4 nmi) from the Makaries islands as well as 15 km (8 nmi) east of the island of Naxos

Naxos (island)

Naxos is a Greek island, the largest island in the Cyclades island group in the Aegean. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture....

. The area is only 13.75 km² and is composed of mountains, hills, rocks and some bushes. It has a diameter of 5 km (3 mi) with the highest point being 363 metres (1,191 ft) and with only 163 inhabitants. Donousa has a small port at Stavros, its main settlement, having ferry routes to Naxos and Amorgos. Other villages include Mersini (on the southeastern coast) and Kalotaritissa (near its northern coastline).

Historical population

The population was 235 in 1928, 250 in 1946 and the population today has declined to only 163 (2001 census). The later years saw the island rise in tourism which has visitors heading to and from Naxos and Amorgos.

Year	Village Population	Change	Island population
1928	235	-	-
1946	250	15/6.38%	-
1981	116	-134/-53.6%	-
1991	81	-35/-30.17%	111
2001	163	-	-