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The cliffs of Folegandhros rise sheer in places over 300m from the sea - until the early 1980s as effective a deterrent to tourists as they always were to pirates. It was used as an island of political exile right up until 1974, but life in the high, barren interior has been eased since the junta years by the arrival of electricity and the construction of a lengthways road from the harbour to Hora and beyond. Development has been given further impetus by the recent exponential increase in tourism and the mild commercialization this has brought. A veritable explosion in accommodation for most budgets, and improvement in ferry arrival times, means there is no longer much need for - or local tolerance of - sleeping rough on the beaches. The increased wealth and trendiness of the heterogeneous clientele is reflected in fancy jewellery shops, an arty postcard gallery and a helipad. Yet away from the showcase Hora and the beaches, the countryside remains mostly pristine, and is largely devoted to the spring and summer cultivation of barley, the mainstay of many of the Cyclades before the advent of tourism. Donkeys and donkey paths are also still very much in evidence, since the terrain on much of the island is too steep for vehicle roads
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