(Leukas), an island in the Ionian Sea, part of the Ionian Islands; belongs to Greece. Area, 295 sq km. The low mountains, which reach an elevation of 1,158 m, are composed primarily of limestones; karst is developed. In the uncultivated areas, the vegetation contains a predominance of frigana (xerophytic shrub and semishrub vegetation) and maquis. Olives, citrus fruits, and grapes are grown. Levkas, one of the most important regions in Greece in olive production, has approximately 1 million olive trees. Fishing is also important. The principal city and port is Levkas.
the name for the ground used in Russian medieval painting. After the 17th century the word levkas was used to designate the traditional ground for Russian icon painting: powdered chalk mixed with animal or fish glue. Levkas is also the name for the ground under the paint or gilt on wooden artifacts.