Milos is the south westernmost island in the Cyclades,. Its area is estimated at 151 km². The greater portion is rugged and hilly, culminating in Mount Profitis Elias 748 m (2,454 ft) in the west. The island is of volcanic origin, with tuff, trachyte and obsidian among its ordinary rocks.
The harbour town is Adamas; one of the biggest natural harbours of the Mediterranean. Adamantas has played an important role in the island's history and economy. From there the road leads to Plaka, the Capital, and Kastro, rising on a hill above it. The ancient town of Milos was nearer to the entrance of the harbour than Adamas, and occupied the slope between the village of Tripiti and the landing-place at Klima. Here is a theatre of Roman date and some remains of town walls and other buildings, one with a fine mosaic excavated by the British school at Athens in 1896. Numerous fine works of art have been found on this site, notably the Venus of Milos, currently in Le Louvre museum in Paris, the Asclepius in London, and the Poseidon and the archaic Apollo in Athens. Other villages include Triovasalos, Peran Triovasalos, Pollonia and Zefyria the old capital of the island.
Milos flourished during antiquity thanks to its mining-rich soil. It was inhabited since Neolithic times where it grew wealthy thanks to obsidian, a black volcanic rock used for manufacturing weapons and tools, some traces of which have been found in the Peloponnese, in Crete in Cyprus, and as far away as Egypt.
Milos has a Mediterranean climate, rainy winters and warm to hot dry summers.
There are about 70 beaches on Milos Island. Hivadolimni Beach is the longest at about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi). Some of the rest of the beaches are Kapros, Pachena, Alogomantra, Agios Konstantinos, Mitakas, Firopotamos, Plathiena, Pollonia, Firiplaka, Paliochori, Provatas, Tsigrado, Agia Kyriaki, Agios Sostis. The North and South and bay beaches are the tourist attractions. The eastern and western beaches are very quiet.