Samos is found at a distance of 10 miles from Ikaria, while from the Asia Minor coast it is separated by a channel of a width of only 1300 m (= seven stages). The maximum width from north to south is 11 miles and the maximum altitude is 1443 m (Mount Kerketeus). The perimeter of the shoreline reaches 86 nautical miles and has a total surface area of 477 square kilometers. It is the birthplace of the great mathematician Pythagoras, the astronomer and mathematician Aristarchus and the philosopher Epicurus with his many fables.

A large number of tourists visit the island in summer. Of all the Greek islands, Samos is the closest to Turkey. It is separated by the Strait of Mycale (or Samos Strait, in ancient times), which at the height of Poseidonio has a width of about 750 meters (Greek territorial waters).

The island has a population of 33,814 inhabitants (2001 census). The capital is called Samos or Vathi, with 6,236 inhabitants and the second largest town is Karlovassi with 5740 inhabitants. Other major cities are Ano Vathi (2025 inhabitants), the old capital of the island Chora, Pythagorion (1327), Mytilinii (2340), Marathokampos (1329), Kokkari (973) and Koumaradei.

It is here in Samos that we find the Eupalinos tunnel, an underground water works and major technical public work in antiquity, as described by Herodotus. The 1036 meter-long tunnel was drilled simultaneously on both sides of the mountain and the two tunnels met about in the middle with admirable precision considering the technological know-how of the time. Another major attraction is the Samos Heraion. In ancient times, the temple of Hera was the largest in Greece, according to Herodotus. The ruins of the temple are located near contemporary Heraio, which is a coastal tourist settlement.