Why is the island of Naxos important in Greek mythology?

According to legend, Zeus, the father of the gods was born in Crete but grew up on the island of Naxos, from where he set out to gain his Olympian throne.

Dionysus, Zeus' son, emerged from his father's thigh on the island of Naxos and was entrusted to some local nymphs, Filia, Coronis and Cleidi to nurture him and bring him up. Dionysus thus grew to love the island which had fostered him and used his divine power to make it a fertile, happy place.

Naxos is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best abrasives available.

Naxos is the most fertile island of the Cyclades. It has a good supply of water in a region where water is usually inadequate. Mount Zeus (1,004 metres or 3,294 feet) is the highest peak in the Cyclades and tends to trap the clouds, permitting greater rainfall. This has made agriculture an important economic sector with various vegetable and fruit crops as well as cattle breeding, making Naxos the most self-sufficient island in the Cyclades.