Which Greek archipelago includes the islands of Rhodes and Kos?

The Greek archipelago that includes Rhodes and Kos is the Dodecanese. This island group lies in the southeastern Aegean Sea, close to the coast of Turkey, and forms part of Greece's South Aegean region.

The name Dodecanese means “Twelve Islands,” although the modern group is usually described as containing 15 larger islands along with many smaller islets. Rhodes is the largest and historically dominant island, while Kos is another major center known for its connection with Hippocrates and ancient medicine.

The islands have a layered history. They were influenced by Greek city-states, Rome, Byzantium, the Knights Hospitaller, and the Ottoman Empire. Italy occupied most of the Dodecanese after the Italo-Turkish War in 1912. The islands were formally incorporated into Greece in 1947 after the Second World War.

The Dodecanese are often confused with the Cyclades, Sporades, or Ionian Islands. Those are separate Greek island groups. Rhodes and Kos are the strongest clues: together, they point to the Dodecanese.