Naxos is the largest island (around 429 km²) of the Greek Cyclades Archipelago in the Aegean Sea. In addition to being the center of archaic Cycladic culture and an abundant source of emery deposits, Naxos is one of the most fertile islands within the Cyclades. It has a good supply of water in a region where water is usually lacking. Mount Zeus (at approximately 1,004 m) is the highest peak in the Cyclades, and tends to trap the clouds, permitting greater rainfall. This has made agriculture an important economic commerce, with various vegetable and fruit crops, as well as cattle breeding. Naxos is well known within Greece for its cheese, potatoes, and Kitron, a local lemon-citrus spirit.

The climate found on Naxos Island is typical Mediterranean, with relatively mild winters and very warm summers. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is Csa. This dry climate, in combination with the coastal marine and aeolian processes, have shaped the recent landscape of the western coast of Naxos island. Around 6000 years BP, St. Georgios Bay was protected by an elongated coastline, which extended almost parallel to the present day shore. The analysis of sediments and microfaunal content revealed that at least from 6144 yrs BP until 232 yrs BP, this area used to be an active lagoon. The embayment was actively changing from a pure coastal environment to a system that frequently alternated between shallow marine (with some fresh water input) and brackish mesohaline (Evelpidou et al., 2010, 2012). The bay shown in the photo has now periodically allowed seawater into a lagoon beside the sand dune beach. This large shallow bay was probably used as a harbor to access the Yria archaeological site, which contains several worship centers and a temple dedicated to the god Dionysus. (Photograph taken by Niki Evelpidou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece)