Alyzia is a former municipality

Communities and Municipalities of Greece

For the new municipalities of Greece see the Kallikratis ProgrammeThe municipalities and communities of Greece are one of several levels of government within the organizational structure of that country. Thirteen regions called peripheries form the largest unit of government beneath the State. ...

 in Aetolia-Acarnania

Aetolia-Acarnania

Aetolia-Acarnania is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Greece. It is located in the western part of Greece; the regional unit is a combination of the geographic regions Aetolia and Acarnania. Its capital is Missolonghi for historical reasons, with its biggest...

, West Greece, Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Xiromero

Xiromero

Xiromero is a municipality in the Aetolia-Acarnania peripheral unit, West Greece Periphery, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Astakos.-Municipality:...

, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located on the central west coast of Aetolia-Acarnania, near the island community of Kálamos. It has a land area of 148.719 km² and a 2001 census population of 3,759 inhabitants. Its municipal seat was the town of Kandíla (pop. 1,299). The other towns are Archontochóri (pop. 1,046), Mýtikas (846), Várnakas (318), and Panagoúla (250).

Subdivisions

The municipal unit Alyzia is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):

• Kandila
• Archontochori (Archontochori, Agios Athanasios, Paliovarka)
• Varnakas
• Mytikas
• Panagoula

History

Ancient Alyzia was one of the most important cities of ancient Acarnania

Acarnania

Acarnania is a region of west-central Greece that lies along the Ionian Sea, west of Aetolia, with the Achelous River for a boundary, and north of the gulf of Calydon, which is the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth. Today it forms the western part of the prefecture of Aetolia-Acarnania. The capital...

. According to Strabo

Strabo

Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...

, the city was named after Alyzeus

Alyzeus

Alyzeus was in Greek mythology a son of Icarius and Polycaste, and brother of Penelope and Leucadius. After his father's death, he reigned in conjunction with his brother over Acarnania, and is said to have founded the town of Alyzeia there....

, son of Icarius

Icarius

In Greek mythology, there were two people named Icarius or Ikários .-Icarius of Sparta:One Icarius was the son of either Perieres and Gorgophone or of Oebalus and Bateia, brother of Hippocoon and Tyndareus and, through Periboea, father of Penelope, Perileos, Thoas, Damasippus, Imeusimus, Aletes...

 and brother of Penelope

Penelope

In Homer's Odyssey, Penelope is the faithful wife of Odysseus, who keeps her suitors at bay in his long absence and is eventually reunited with him....

 (Odysseus

Odysseus

Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....

' wife).