Grevena Prefecture
Encyclopedia
Grevena is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Macedonia
. Its capital is the town of Grevena
.
) to the west, Kastoria to the northwest, Kozani to the north and east, Larissa to the southeast and Trikala to the south.
The Pindus
mountains cover the western part of the regional unit. Other mountain ranges are Chasia
in the south and Vourinos
in the northeast. The longest river is Aliakmon which flows in the north and the east.
in 1964, out of parts of the prefectures of Kozani and Larissa. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Grevena was created out of the former prefecture Grevena. The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.
. Wheat and legume crops (mostly chickpeas) cover most of the cultivated areas. Livestock production (including goat and lamb) is also strong. An increasing portion of the farming output is produced under organic farming or low input practices. Other main sources of income include ecotourism
, forest
industry
and the ski resort
of Vasilitsa
, which is a popular destination for winter holidays.
prefecture in Greece. Grevena has one of the highest rates of population decline in Greece. In 2006, there were 225 births (urban areas-160, semiurban-28 & rural -37) and 393 deaths (urban-96, semiurban-42 and rural-255). In rural areas, death rate was about 7 times the birth rate. http://www.statistics.gr/eng_tables/S201_SPO_1_TS_00_06_2_Y_EN.pdf
West Macedonia
West Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Greek Macedonia. It is divided into the regional units of Florina, Grevena, Kastoria, and Kozani.-Geography:...
. Its capital is the town of Grevena
Grevena
Grevena is a town and municipality in Greece, capital of the Grevena peripheral unit. The town's current population is 10,447 citizens; it lies about 400 km from Athens and about 180 km from Thessaloniki. The municipality's population is 30,564...
.
Geography
Grevena borders the regional units of Ioannina (EpirusEpirus (periphery)
Epirus , formally the Epirus Region , is a geographical and administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and the country of Albania to the north. The...
) to the west, Kastoria to the northwest, Kozani to the north and east, Larissa to the southeast and Trikala to the south.
The Pindus
Pindus
The Pindus mountain range is located in northern Greece and southern Albania. It is roughly 160 km long, with a maximum elevation of 2637 m . Because it runs along the border of Thessaly and Epirus, the Pindus range is often called the "spine of Greece"...
mountains cover the western part of the regional unit. Other mountain ranges are Chasia
Chasia
Chasia is a mountain in the southern Grevena Prefecture in Greece.Chasia, also Chassia, Hasia or Hassia may also refer to:*Chasia, Grevena, a municipality in the Grevena prefecture, Greece...
in the south and Vourinos
Vourinos
Vourinos is a mountain range covering the eastern Grevena and southern Kozani prefectures in Greece. Its peaks stand over .The GR-20 is to the north and the Aliakmon river to the southeast. Its length is approximately from northwest to southeast and its width is approximately from southwest...
in the northeast. The longest river is Aliakmon which flows in the north and the east.
Administration
The regional unit Grevena is subdivided into 2 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):- DeskatiDeskatiDeskati is a municipality in the Grevena peripheral unit, Greece.Deskati is famous for its Andromana, an event that happens at the end of spring, where men stand on each other's shoulders to create a large structure with their bodies...
(2) - GrevenaGrevenaGrevena is a town and municipality in Greece, capital of the Grevena peripheral unit. The town's current population is 10,447 citizens; it lies about 400 km from Athens and about 180 km from Thessaloniki. The municipality's population is 30,564...
(1)
Prefecture
Grevena was created as a prefecturePrefectures of Greece
During the first administrative division of independent Greece in 1833–1836 and then again from 1845 until their abolition with the Kallikratis reform in 2010, the prefectures were the country's main administrative unit...
in 1964, out of parts of the prefectures of Kozani and Larissa. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Grevena was created out of the former prefecture Grevena. The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.
| New municipality | Old municipalities | Seat |
|---|---|---|
| Deskati Deskati Deskati is a municipality in the Grevena peripheral unit, Greece.Deskati is famous for its Andromana, an event that happens at the end of spring, where men stand on each other's shoulders to create a large structure with their bodies... |
Deskati Deskati Deskati is a municipality in the Grevena peripheral unit, Greece.Deskati is famous for its Andromana, an event that happens at the end of spring, where men stand on each other's shoulders to create a large structure with their bodies... |
Deskati |
| Chasia Chasia, Grevena Chasia is a former municipality in Grevena peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Deskati, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 2,317 . The seat of the municipality was in Karpero.... |
||
| Grevena Grevena Grevena is a town and municipality in Greece, capital of the Grevena peripheral unit. The town's current population is 10,447 citizens; it lies about 400 km from Athens and about 180 km from Thessaloniki. The municipality's population is 30,564... |
Grevena Grevena Grevena is a town and municipality in Greece, capital of the Grevena peripheral unit. The town's current population is 10,447 citizens; it lies about 400 km from Athens and about 180 km from Thessaloniki. The municipality's population is 30,564... |
Grevena |
| Avdella Avdella Avdella is a village and a former municipality in Grevena peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Grevena, of which it is a municipal unit. It is a seasonal Vlach village in the Pindus mountains, at 1250–1350 metres altitude... |
||
| Kosmas o Aitolos Kosmas o Aitolos Kosmas o Aitolos is a former municipality in Grevena peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Grevena, of which it is a municipal unit. It is named after the 18th century Greek saint Cosmas of Aetolia. Population 1,792 . The... /Agios Kosmas |
||
| Ventzio Ventzio Ventzio is a former municipality in Grevena peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Grevena, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 2,957 . The seat of the municipality was in Knidi.... |
||
| Gorgiani Gorgiani Gorgiani is a former municipality in Grevena peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Grevena, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 1,707 . The seat of the municipality was in Kipoureio.... |
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| Dotsiko Dotsiko Dotsiko is a village and a former community in Grevena peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Grevena, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 187 .... |
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| Irakleotes Irakleotes Irakleotes is a former municipality in Grevena peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Grevena, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 3,080 . The seat of the municipality was in Agios Georgios.... |
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| Theodoros Ziakas Theodoros Ziakas (municipality) Theodoros Ziakas is a former municipality in Grevena peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Grevena, of which it is a municipal unit. It was named after Theodoros Ziakas, a 19th century leader of the Greek struggle for... |
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| Mesolouri Mesolouri Mesolouri is a mountain village and a former community in Grevena peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Grevena, of which it is a municipal unit... |
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| Perivoli | ||
| Samarina Samarina Samarina is a village and a former municipality in Grevena peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Grevena, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located on an eastern spur of Mount Smolikas, the highest of the Pindus range... |
||
| Smixi Smixi Smixi is a Vlach village and a former community in Grevena peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Grevena, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 509 .... |
||
| Filippaioi Filippaioi Filippaioi is a village and a former community in Grevena peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Grevena, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 254 .... |
Economy
The region's economy relies on farming and agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. Wheat and legume crops (mostly chickpeas) cover most of the cultivated areas. Livestock production (including goat and lamb) is also strong. An increasing portion of the farming output is produced under organic farming or low input practices. Other main sources of income include ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
, forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
and the ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
of Vasilitsa
Vasilitsa
Vasilitsa is one of the best ski resorts in Greece. The ski center is located in the middle of Pindos , approximately 42km away from Grevena and 417km from Athens. The ski resorts currently has 5 lifts and 16 ski trails. The summit of the resort is 2113m above sea level and the total vertical drop...
, which is a popular destination for winter holidays.
Transport
- Greek National Road 15Greek National Road 15Greek National Road 15 is a national highway of Greece. It passes through Kalambaka, Grevena, Neapoli and Kastoria....
, S, Cen., N - Greek National Road 26Greek National Road 26Greek National Road 26 is a national highway of Greece. It connects Elassona with Greek National Road 15 north of Kalampaka....
, SE - Via EgnatiaVia EgnatiaThe Via Egnatia was a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. It crossed the Roman provinces of Illyricum, Macedonia, and Thrace, running through territory that is now part of modern Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Greece, and European Turkey.Starting at Dyrrachium on the...
(motorway)/E90European route E90European route E 90 is an A-Class West-East European route, extending from Lisbon in Portugal in the west to the Turkish-Iraqi border in the east.-Itinerary:...
, SW, Cen., NE
Demography
At the 2001 Greek census, Grevena was the least densely populatedPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
prefecture in Greece. Grevena has one of the highest rates of population decline in Greece. In 2006, there were 225 births (urban areas-160, semiurban-28 & rural -37) and 393 deaths (urban-96, semiurban-42 and rural-255). In rural areas, death rate was about 7 times the birth rate. http://www.statistics.gr/eng_tables/S201_SPO_1_TS_00_06_2_Y_EN.pdf
See also
- List of settlements in the Grevena prefecture
- Slavic toponyms of places in Grevena Prefecture