The easternmost fingerling peninsula (Agio Oros) jutting out from Chalkidiki, on the northwestern coast of the Aegean. The district is severely mountainous and geographically isolated; it has therefore been an attractive locale for monasteries and anchorites since at least the 9th century. There are presently 20 monastic establishments located there; a law dating from 1060 forbids the presence of any female in the area, human or animal.