A recent study has found that many of the whitest sand beaches in the world are located in Europe. 

In order to determine how white the sand on a beach is, the research by CV Villas used scientific colour theory and analysed the RGB colour codes of sand from 200 beaches across the world.

With Greece being home to some of the best beaches around the globe, it is no surprise that the “whitest” sand in Europe can be found on a Greek island – Kos. 

Marmari Beach, located on this island in the Aegean Sea, ranked third globally for its white sands. The research found that the sand on this beach is only 6.5 points off from the purest white shade. 

The third largest island in the Dodecanese group, Kos is popular among holidaymakers and can be enjoyed by both party-goers and families seeking a relaxing break from their daily routines. 

Many of those who have visited Marmari have praised it on Tripadvisor. One wrote: “A lovely, mainly sandy beach with waves and water that is warmer than the other side of the island. We parked nearer to the end at Ria’s beach where the sunbeds were very comfortable and only €5 per bed!”

Amother holidaymakers said: “Lovely beach. Sea nicer than other side of island as a bit warmer and more waves which we like. Also was sandy so softer underfoot than pebbles at resort. Lovely friendly couple hiring out beach loungers which were super comfy. Even gave us complimentary fruit.”

Another top Greek beach is Agios Prokopios on the island of Naxos in the Cyclades. This beach secured a place in the top 30 whitest sand beaches globally.

Agios Prokopios is a favourite among both locals and tourists who visit it regularly. 

To determine the whiteness of the 200 beaches analysed, CV Villas used unedited Google map images and, after picking with a colour dropper tool the RGB code of the sand, it compared these colour codes to the purest shade of white using a comparative online tool which calculated the closest match. 

European beaches dominated the list, with 15 out of the top 30 beaches located on the continent. Among other European beaches performing very well were Tropea Beach in Italy and Platja de Muro in Spain. 

The top spot was awarded to Tulum Beach in Mexico, while the Anse Source d’Argent Beach in the Seychelles came in second, just ahead of the Kos beach.