dependent economy of Sotiras, Thasos, Greece

The pattern of decline of the mining community of Sotiras, in the island of Thasos in Greece is examined as well as its resurrection as a seasonal second home economy. Thasos has been famous for its mineral wealth since antiquity, and Sotiras, functioned as the second most important mining town on the island during the early twentieth century. The community has experienced boom and bust cycles from its continued dependence on a single activity, mining in the early part of the century and tourism and seasonal residents at the present time. The main objective of this study is to discuss and analyze the socioeconomic, cultural, and spatial effects of the boom periods and the long decades of decline in between on the population and landscape of Sotiras in a core-periphery framework.