The population reached 70,000 in 1896 , but declined gradually in the 20th century . The great 1953 Ionian earthquake forced many people to leave the island . Many people who left the island moved to Patras or Athens , or they immigrated to America and Australia , following relatives who had left the island decades before . In the same time , people from poorer areas of Greece such as Epirus and Thrace came to the island . The population has hovered between 35,000 and 42,000 since then ; in the 2011 census , it was 35,801
great 1953 Ionian earthquake
1953 Ionian earthquake
Cephalonia