Apart from the port and the village of Chora, Ios has a few small settlements that consist of groups of spread out houses in the background of major beaches (Theodoti, Kalamos, Manganari).

With the help of European Community funds some roads have been built, all of them paved, and a scenic amphitheatre was created by the German architect Peter Haupt at the top of the village hill.

According to Plutarch, it is thought that the name has derived from the Ancient Greek word for violets, "ἴα", (ia) because they were commonly found on the island[7] and it is the most accepted etymology.

[8] In the Ottoman period the island was called Anza or Aina, and its present name was officially established in the 19th century after over 2000 years of usage.

[10] The name Little Malta, which is found in texts of travelers during the Ottoman domination, is related to the permanent presence of pirates on the island.

[12] In case of extreme events like earthquakes and wildfires, the Municipality of Ios had prepared a general plan called Homer (Greek: Όμηρος) which includes the cooperation of all Iitians.

The main causes of this phenomenon were the migration movement, the epidemiological conditions of the time and to a lesser extent, the loss of men aged between 18 and 45 during the war.

Popular dishes of Ios are the "tsimediá" (τσιμεντιά, pumpkin flowers stuffed with rice) and "mermitzéli" (μερμιτζέλι, handmade barley).

[25] In 1827 the local leaders of Ios wrote a letter to the revolutionary government of Greece requesting a school to open in the island.

[27] Ios from the prehistoric era and thanks to its safe natural harbour played an important role on the sea roads to Crete.

[32] Although Ios did not have a strong naval force, it was one of the first islands to raise the flag of revolution in when the Greek War of Independence began in 1821.

In a modern era, the island began to emerge in the 1970s as an increasingly popular tourist destination for young people in Europe.

Today Ios retains its reputation as an island of youth and entertainment, with excellent tourist infrastructure, an organised marina at its harbour and an adequate road network.

Pythia replied with the oracle "Your mother's home is the island of Ios, which will accept you when you die, but you should be careful of the enigma of the young children."

[34][12] In 1771, a Dutch count named Pasch di Krienen after having read the narrative, came to Ios in order to find the grave.

When he found this, Pasch was sure that the grave belonged to the epic poet but he spotted some grammatical mistakes on the gravestone and he began doubting its authenticity.

After having spent considerable time and money, he decided to give up after having also found two graves at Agia Theodoti[36][37] On 25 January 1884 the alleged tomb of Homer was visited by Theodore and Mabel Bent during their tour of the Cyclades.