Administrative region of Greece
Place in Epirus and Western Macedonia, Greece
Epirus
(
ih-
PY
-r?s
;
Greek
:
?πειρο?
,
romanized
:
Ipiros
,
[?i.pi.ros]
) is a traditional
geographic
and modern
administrative region
in northwestern
Greece
.
[4]
It borders the regions of
Western Macedonia
and
Thessaly
to the east,
West Greece
to the south, the
Ionian Sea
and
Ionian Islands
to the west and
Albania
to the north. The region has an area of about 9,200 km
2
(3,600 sq mi). It is part of the wider historical region of
Epirus
, which overlaps modern Albania and Greece but lies mostly within Greek territory.
Geography and ecology
[
edit
]
Greek Epirus, like the region as a whole, is rugged and mountainous. It comprises the land of the ancient
Molossians
and
Thesprotians
[5]
and a small part of the land of the
Chaonians
, the greater part being in Southern
Albania
. It is largely made up of mountainous ridges, part of the
Dinaric Alps
. The region's highest spot is Mount
Smolikas
, at an altitude of 2,637 metres (8,652 ft) above sea level. In the east, the
Pindus Mountains
that form the spine of mainland Greece separate Epirus from
Macedonia
and
Thessaly
. Most of Epirus lies on the windward side of the Pindus. The winds from the Ionian Sea offer the region more rainfall than any other part of Greece.
The
Vikos-Aoos
and
Pindus National Parks
are situated in the
Ioannina Prefecture
of the region. Both areas have a wide range of
fauna
and
flora
. The climate of Epirus is mainly
alpine
. The vegetation is made up mainly of coniferous species. The animal life is especially rich in this area and includes, among other species, bears,
wolves
, foxes,
deer
and
lynxes
.
Administration
[
edit
]
The
Epirus Region
(
Περιφ?ρεια Ηπε?ρου
,
Periferia Ipirou
), as it is currently defined, was established in the 1987 administrative reform and was divided into
prefectures
(
νομο?
,
nomi
), which were further subdivided into
municipalities
(
δ?μοι
,
dhimi
).
[4]
Greece's
local government reforms of 2011
[6]
streamlined local government by replacing the prefectures with
regional units
(
περιφερειακ? εν?τητα
,
periferiaki enotita
) and re-structuring former
municipalities and communities
to reduce their total number. Today, the four regional units of Epirus are:
Thesprotia
,
Ioannina
,
Arta
, and
Preveza
.
Regional Unit
|
Municipality
|
Population
(2011)
[7]
|
Population
(2021)
[8]
|
Seat
|
Ioannina
|
Ioannina
|
112,486
|
113,094
|
Ioannina
|
Ioannina
|
Konitsa
|
6,362
|
5,325
|
Konitsa
|
Ioannina
|
Pogoni
|
8,960
|
6,859
|
Kalpaki
|
Ioannina
|
Zagori
|
3,724
|
3,384
|
Asprangeloi
|
Ioannina
|
Metsovo
|
6,196
|
5,429
|
Metsovo
|
Ioannina
|
Zitsa
|
14,766
|
13,630
|
Eleousa
|
Ioannina
|
North Tzoumerka
|
5,714
|
5,075
|
Pramanta
|
Ioannina
|
Dodoni
|
9,693
|
7,258
|
Agia Kyriaki
|
Arta
|
Arta
|
43,166
|
41,633
|
Arta
|
Arta
|
Central Tzoumerka
|
6,178
|
5,562
|
Vourgareli
|
Arta
|
Nikolaos Skoufas
|
12,753
|
11,411
|
Peta
|
Arta
|
Georgios Karaiskakis
|
5,780
|
5,321
|
Ano Kalentini
|
Preveza
|
Preveza
|
31,733
|
30,893
|
Preveza
|
Preveza
|
Ziros
|
13,892
|
13,071
|
Filippiada
|
Preveza
|
Parga
|
11,866
|
10,771
|
Kanallaki
|
Thesprotia
|
Igoumenitsa
|
25,814
|
25,709
|
Igoumenitsa
|
Thesprotia
|
Souli
|
10,063
|
8,767
|
Paramythia
|
Thesprotia
|
Filiates
|
7,710
|
6,351
|
Filiates
|
The region's governor, since 1 January 2011, is
Alexandros Kachrimanis
, who was elected in the
November 2010 local administration elections
for the
New Democracy
and
Popular Orthodox Rally
parties, and re-elected in
May 2014
and
May 2019
.
Communities
[
edit
]
Municipalities
[
edit
]
Municipal units
[
edit
]
Economy
[
edit
]
Epirus has few resources and its rugged terrain makes agriculture difficult. Sheep and goat
pastoralism
has always been an important activity in the region (Epirus provides more than 45% of meat to the Greek market), but there seems to be a decline in recent years.
Tobacco
is grown around Ioannina, and there is also some
farming
and
fishing
, but most of the area's food must be imported from more fertile regions of Greece. Epirus is home to a number of the country's most famous dairy product brands, which produce
feta
cheese among others. Another important area of the local economy is tourism, especially eco-tourism. The natural environment of the area, as well as its traditional villages and lifestyle, have made Epirus a tourist attraction.
[
citation needed
]
The
gross domestic product
(GDP) of the region was €4.1 billion in 2018, accounting for 2.2% of Greek economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €14,700 or 49% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 63% of the EU average. Epirus is the region in Greece with the third lowest GDP per capita and one of the poorest regions in the EU.
[9]
Demographics
[
edit
]
Around 320,000 people live in Epirus. According to the 2001 census, it has the lowest population of the 13
regions of Greece
. This is partly due to the impact of repeated wars in the 20th century as well as mass
emigration
due to adverse economic conditions. The capital and largest city of the region is
Ioannina
, where nearly a third of the population lives. The great majority of the population are
Greeks
, including
Aromanians
and
Arvanites
. The region has shrunk by 17,313 people between 2011 and 2021, experiencing a population loss of 5.1%.
[1]
The delineation of the border between Greece and Albania in 1913 left some Albanian-populated villages on the Greek side of the border as well as Greek-populated villages and cities in
Northern Epirus
, in present-day Albania. In the past, the coastal region of
Thesprotia
was also home to a
Cham Albanian
minority, whose number did not exceed 25,000 in the 1940s, alongside the local Greeks.
[10]
After the war and their expulsion, the Greek census of 1951 counted a total of 127 Muslim Albanian Chams in Epirus, while 44 were counted in 1986 in Thesprotia.
[11]
Gallery
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Census 2021 GR"
(PDF)
(Press release).
Hellenic Statistical Authority
. 19 July 2022
. Retrieved
12 September
2022
.
- ^
"Population on 1 January by age, sex and NUTS 2 region"
,
www.ec.europa.eu
- ^
"Sub-national HDI ? Area Database ? Global Data Lab"
.
hdi.globaldatalab.org
. Retrieved
20 July
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Π.Δ. 51/87 "Καθορισμ?? των Περιφερει?ν τη? Χ?ρα? για το σχεδιασμ? κ.λ.π. τη? Περιφερειακ?? Αν?πτυξη?" (
Determination of the Regions of the Country for the planning etc. of the development of the regions,
Efimeris tis Kyverniseos
ΦΕΚ A 26/06.03.1987
- ^
Winnifrith, T. J.
Badlands-Borderland: A History of Southern Albania/Northern Epirus
. London: Duckworth Publishers, 2003,
ISBN
0-7156-3201-9
, p. 8. "The Thesprotians lived in the western part of what is now Greek Epirus, the Molossians in the rest of Greek Epirus, and the Chaonians in the southern section of Southern Albania ..."
- ^
"Article 1.006, Act No. 3852/2010"
(PDF)
(in Greek). 5 July 2010.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 5 July 2010
. Retrieved
6 May
2020
.
- ^
"Demographic and social characteristics of the Resident Population of Greece according to the 2011 Population ? Housing Census revision of 20/3/2014"
(PDF)
.
Hellenic Statistical Authority
. 12 September 2014. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 8 September 2015.
- ^
"Census 2022"
(PDF)
.
statistics.gr
(in Greek)
. Retrieved
6 April
2023
.
- ^
"Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018"
.
Eurostat
.
- ^
Kretsi, Georgia.
Ethnologia Balkanica
. LIT Verlag Munster
. Retrieved
27 July
2014
.
The Chams are understood as members of the Albanian-speaking Muslim "minority" which used to live predominantly in northwestern Greece (Epirus),
- ^
Ktistakis, 1992: pp. 8, 9 (citing Krapsitis V., 1986: Οι Μουσουλμ?νοι Τσ?μηδε? τη? Θεσπρωτ?α? (The Muslim Chams of Thesprotia), Athens, 1986, p. 181.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
- Area
- 9,203 km
2
(3,553 sq mi)
- Population
- 336,856 (as of 2011)
- Municipalities
- 18 (since
2011
)
- Capital
- Ioannina
|
Regional unit of
Arta
| | |
---|
Regional unit of
Ioannina
| |
---|
Regional unit of
Preveza
| |
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Regional unit of
Thesprotia
| |
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|