The other Greek Island groups, in the wider Aegean Sea, include - to the South, the Cyclades (Greek: Κυκλάδες), south-east of the mainland.
Sometimes thought of as the Eastern Sporades - the islands of Lesbos, Limnos and Chios are in fact the North Aegean Group.
The Southern Sporades are now known as the Dodecanese (or in Greek: Δωδεκάνησα, Dodekánisa), which includes Rhodes, Patmos and Kos.
The Saronic Islands are an archipelago, just off the Greek mainland. The main islands are Salamis (where the ancient Greek navy defeated the Persians), Aegina, Angistri, and Poros. The islands of Hydra, Dokos and Spetse are sometimes included in this group.
The Aegean Sea itself (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος, Egeo Pelagos is part of the the Mediterranean - located between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey and in the north, connected to the Marmara Sea, (and therefore Black Sea), by the Dardanelles and Bosporus. The Aegean Islands are within the sea and some bound it on its southern periphery, including Crete and Rhodes.
The sea was traditionally known as "Archipelago" (in Greek, Αρχιπέλαγος) - presumably widened in use because of the Aegean's spectacular number of islands.
Sailing map of the Northern SporadesThe bigger islands have some small number of inhabitants - mostly of "craft sellers to tourists" as well as farmers and fishermen - and the only proper towns double as ports: Skiathos town, Skopelos town, Patitiri on Alonissos and Linaria on Skyros.
On Skopelos island Glossa - near the port of Loutraki and on the island Brian has a place - Alonissos - the port of Steni Vala have some relatively good tavernas within their narrow, winding alleys.
There's plenty of lovely bays to anchor in - beautiful scenery and gorgeous beaches plus wildlife if you can spot it - for example the Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus), the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), the striped dolphins (Stenella coerruleoalba), the long finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) as well as Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta), Eleonora's falcon (Falco eleonorae) and the red, with a small black spot, on billed Audouin's gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii) - the latter like a small Herring Gull - but not a scavenger. Rather it feeds on fish and hunts at night!
Skiathos itself (in Greek: Σκιάθος), is only a v. small island; the westernmost island in the Northern Sporades group and the mainland of Greece and Magnesia* lie to the west, while the island of Skopelos lies to the east. The name of the island dates back to ancient times.
*Incidentally Magnesia is the homeland of the mythical heroes Jason, Peleus and his son Achilles. The word magnet comes from the Greek "magnítis líthos" (magnesian stone) and the names for magnesium and manganese are derived from this.
