Vamvakou (Greek: Βαμβακού) is a village in Lakonia in the Peloponnese, Greece. As of 2011, it had a population of 88. It is notable as the birthplace of the parents of Stavros Niarchos and Ioannis Coumantaros who founded two of Greece's most powerful shipping dynasties. Long suffering from population decline as villagers migrated to the cities and abroad, it has recently been the site of a large scale investment sponsored by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation with the goal of attracting new residents.^[2]