The village of Volax lies at the center of this landscape. To the west, the mountains surrounding Pyrgos contain green marble. All around the island of Tinos, the islanders have made the most unusual things out of stone. The hills are all terraced with stone walls and every village is connected to its nearest neighbors by stone walkways set between a parallel set of stone walls. The island's mineral resources include marble, Verde antico, asbestos and a granite mine near Volax (also known as Volakas). Administration Tinos is a separate regional unit of the South Aegean region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Tinos was created out of part of the former Cyclades Prefecture. At the same reform, the current municipality Tinos was created out of the 3 former municipalities: Exomvourgo Panormos Tinos (town) Province The province of Tinos () was one of the provinces of the Cyclades Prefecture. It had the same territory as the present regional unit. It was abolished in 2006. Climate Tinos experiences a Mediterranean climate and has warm and dry summers and mild and wet winters. In the island you come across the etesians (also known as meltemi winds) the strong, dry north winds of the Aegean Sea, which blow from about mid-May to mid-September. They are at their strongest in the afternoon and often die down at night, but sometimes meltemi winds last for days without a break. Meltemi winds are dangerous to sailors because they come up in clear weather without warning and can blow at 7-8 Beaufort. Transportation Tinos has three ports, one for passenger speed boats, and two for ferries and highspeed boats which carry passengers and cars to other ports, including Mykonos (35 min), Piraeus, Rafina, Andros and Syros. There is a heliport close to Aghios Fokas beach, some from the town of Tinos. There are regular buses linking the town of Tinos with other villages on the island. Towns and villages Notable people Kösem Sultan (Anastasia), valide sultan of the Ottoman Empire, mother of Murad IV, Ibrahim I Saint Pelagia Ieronymos I (Kotsonis), Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Haralambos “Babis” Marmanis, Author, Scientist, CTO Yannoulis Chalepas (1851–1938), sculptor Lazaros Sochos (1862-1911), sculptor Patriarch Photius of Alexandria Nikiphoros Lytras (1832-1904), painter Nicholaos Gysis (1842–1901), painter Stelios Perpiniadis (1899–1977), musician Errikos Kontarinis (1906–1971), actor Vangelis Protopappas