CYCLADES, the southern group of islands in the .iEgean Sea belonging to Greece, as distinguished from the northern Sporades of the Greek archipelago, and the southern Sporades of the Asiatic portion of the archipelago, belonging to Turkey. They were originally twelve in number, and derived their name from the fact of their lying in a circle round the sacred isle of Delos, which was the smallest of the group. The twelve were Andros (the modern Andro), Ceos (Zea), Cythnos (Thermia), Delos (Mikra Dili), Rhenea (Megali Dili), Myconos (Mykono), Naxos (Naxia), Faros (Paro), Seriphos (Serpho), Siplmos (Sipheno), Syros (Syra), and Tenos (lino). The modern Greek nomarchy of the Cyclades includes the above islands and those of A murgo (the ancient Amorgos), N io (Ios), A ntiparo (Oliaros), Iraklia (Heraclea), Kit-nolo (Kimolos), Milo (Melos), Polykandro (Pholegandros), Sikino (Sicinos), Santorin (Thera), Anaphi (Anaphe), and many other islets and rocks between these, forming together an area of 927 squne miles, and having a population in 1870 of 123,299. The islands are generally high, several exceeding 2000 feet in altitude, and one or two points, as the summits of Andro and Naxia, exceeding 3200 feet ; they have a varied climate and fertile soil, producing corn and fruits, wine and oil. Many of the inhabitants, who are less mixed in race than those of the mainland, are seamen and traders. Herniopolis, on the island of Syra, is the capital of the nomarchy.