The Saronic Islands are a group of seven larger (and numerous smaller) islands, some of which are located in the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea and some south of the Argolis Peninsula. The main inhabited islands of this group are Salamis, Aegina, Agistri, Poros, Hydra, Spetses, Dokos, and the Methana Peninsula.
Although Methana is geographically a peninsula, it is considered (in terms of landscape and transport) to be one of the islands of the Saronic Gulf.
The Saronic Islands are particularly popular with Greek tourists. They belong to the prefecture of Piraeus and thus to the Greek region of Attica. The Greek term "Argosaronic Islands" also includes some other small, uninhabited islands in the Argolic Gulf, which politically belong to the Peloponnese region.
The islands are accessible by ferry from Piraeus and the Peloponnese.
The Saronic Islands and the Saronic Gulf are named after the mythical king Saron, who is said to have drowned while hunting in Lake Psiftaia in prehistoric times.
Salamis, the largest island in the group, is where the ancient Greek fleet defeated the Persians in the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC.
Geologically, the islands of Aegina, Poros, and the Methana Peninsula belong to the northwestern part of the Aegean arc, which is home to the still-active volcanoes of Methana, Milos, Santorini, and Nisyros.
