This island, about forty square kilometres in size, lies off the western shores of present-day Turkey, in the Aegean Sea. Archeological digs inform us that there were more inhabitants on the island than simply John, including a city (of unknown size). Trade with the mainland would also provide a means for John’s record of his vision to be distributed among the seven churches that are in Asia
(Revelation 1:4).
9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.