What is "chios"

Chios (; , ; alternative transliterations Khíos and Híos) is the fifth largest of the Greek islands, situated in the Aegean Sea, off the Anatolian coast. The island is separated from Turkey by the Çeşme Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mastic gum and its nickname is The mastic island. Tourist attractions include its medieval villages and the 11th-century monastery of Nea Moni, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Chios regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean region. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Chios town. Locals refer to Chios town as "Chora" ("Χώρα" literally means land or country, but usually refers to the capital or a settlement at the highest point of a Greek island).

Chios is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of North Aegean. The capital of the regional unit is the town of Chios. The regional unit consists of the islands of Chios, Psara, Oinousses and some smaller uninhabited islands (including Antipsara), all in the Aegean Sea.

Chios is the main town and a former municipality on the island of Chios, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the municipality Chios, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located on the eastern coast of the island facing the Turkish coastal town of Çeşme. The town has a population of 32,000 and is the administrative capital and main port of both the island and of the regional unit of Chios. Chios town is one of eight municipal units on the island.

The city is often locally referred to as "Chora" (Χώρα; literally meaning "town") or "Kastro" (Κάστρο) to distinguish it from the entirety of the island with which it shares the name.

North of Chios lies the suburb of Vrontados, while the Chios Island National Airport and town of Karfas lie a few kilometres south of the centre.

In Greek mythology, Chios was the eponym of the island of Chios. He was the son of Poseidon and an unnamed nymph, and received his name from the heavy snowfall that occurred while his mother was in labour (cf. Ancient Greek χιών chiōn "snow").

Other ancient sources mention a different Chios, son or daughter of Oceanus, as an alternate eponym for the island, and also state that it could as well have taken its name from the nymph Chione, or simply from the snowy weather.