Most of the islands are rocky and barren; cultivation is terraced on the smaller islands, while several of the larger ones (Crete, Lesbos, Rhodes, and Chios) have an advantage of fertile plains. | Most of the islands are rocky and barren; cultivation is terraced on the smaller islands, while several of the larger ones (Crete, Lesbos, Rhodes, and Chios) have an advantage of fertile plains. |