Rhodes is the biggest island in the Dodecanese, the Twelve Islands. The island, which is about 11 km from Turkey, has an area of about 1400 km 2 (less than half that of Gotland) and roughly 100,000 inhabitants. Half of the population live in the town of Rhodes, which is also the capital of the group of islands. The town is divided into two parts: the old town within the walls and the new hotel town outside.

On 23-29 September 1996 there was a large Swedish-Greek cultural manifestation on Rhodes. Visby and Rhodes signed a twinning agreement. Visby is sometimes called the Town of Roses, and the same applies to Rhodes, which takes its name from the Greek word for rose, rhodon.