Greece 2 Euro 2018 Dodecanese

The Dodecanese is a Greek island group near the Turkish mainland. The Dodecanese consists of dozens of islands of which 12 islands are the namesake of the Dodecanese. The most famous islands of the Dodecanese are Rhodes and Kos. The Dodecanese have been occupied by the Turks for centuries and to this day the Turks still claim these Islands. From 1911 to 1948, the Dodecanese belonged to Italy! The Italians have left a good impression on these islands and have done a lot of work on the infrastructure. The Italian Architecture is immediately seen on important buildings on Rhodes. The Dodecanese were officially handed over to Greece in 1948. In the year 2018 it is 70 years since this took place and to commemorate this Greece has issued a special 2 Euro coin. At the centre of this special 2 Euro coin is the "Rose of Rhodes". This rose is also seen on the old coins of Rhodes from thousands of years ago! Around the Rose of Rhodes are stylized waves that fan out from the centre of the coin. Surrounding these waves is the Greek text which translates as "1948 - 2018 The Union of the Dodecanese with Greece and the Hellenic Republic".