For example, it appears in the biblical account of Paul's journey to Rome in Acts 27 as "Clauda" (Κλαῦδα) or "Cauda" (Καῦδα).

The area of the municipality, which includes the small island Gavdopoula, is 32.424 square kilometres (12.5 sq mi).

The southeastern corner is a rocky peninsula with a natural arch carved by the elements, called Trypiti.

A concrete sculpture of an oversized chair, built by a group of Russians who came to the island in the 1990s, sits on top of Trypiti.

It is one of the sunniest places in Europe, with the highest amounts of radiation: between 1800 and 1900 kWh/m2 (ideal for solar panels), values closer to North Africa and the Middle East.

In chapter 27 whilst Paul is a prisoner being transported to Rome by ship they encounter a storm, in verse 16 it reads "As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure...".

[citation needed] Upon settling in Crete they created a community known as Gavdiotika, which is part of the town of Paleochora.

[15] Ferries connect the port of Karave with those of Paleochora, Sougia, Agia Roumeli, Loutro and Hóra Sfakíon.

Following that, Prime Minister Costas Simitis visited Gavdos and announced a five-year, €1.5 million plan for the island's development.

In 2001, Costis Stephanopoulos, the Greek President, inaugurated a telemedicine centre on Gavdos, an island which has not had a full-time doctor in recent memory.

However, according to a 2008 BBC News report the island now features stable electrical power, and young medical graduates can serve for six months on Gavdos in lieu of compulsory military service.

But visitors to Gavdos in June 2008 found that the power station was not functioning and that businesses were relying on gas generators operated for a few hours per night; locals stated that the power station worked initially, but no longer serves the entire island reliably.

[14] For the first time, a military outpost was established on the Island of Gavdos by the Greek defence ministry on 30 November 2020.

The decision followed the announcement made by the ministry of expanding Greek territorial waters to 12 nautical miles in the Ionian Sea.

[16] Gavdos is featured in James Aldridge's 1944 novel The Sea Eagle, which tells the story of the escape of a Greek partisan and two Australian soldiers after the Battle of Crete.

The three join an expedition to liberate some Cretan fishermen from a Metaxas-era prison on the eastern end of the island.