THE DODECANESE

The Dodecanese islands were the last addition to Greek territory in the 20th century. Under Italian rule since 1912, they were united with Greece in 1947 in the aftermath of World War II. The coin depicts Despoina Achladiotou (1890-1982), known as the “Lady of Ro”. During World War II, she participated in the Resistance from the remote islet of Ro in the Dodecanese, where she had settled in 1924. Every day until her death, she would hoist the Greek flag on Ro at dawn and lower it at dusk.