Sofades

Sofades (Greek: Σοφάδες, "Sofádes") is a town in Thessaly, central Greece and it belongs to the prefecture of Karditsa. Its 2001 census population was 6,045 people and 12,215 for the municipality, including a large Roma minority. The terrain level is around 120 m above sea level, and the economy is mainly agricultural (cotton, corn). It is the only municipality that has one municipal district with settlements. Sofades is located south of Palamas southwest of Larissa, the capital of Thessaly, northwest of Lamia and southeast of Karditsa and Trikala. Sofades is linked with the GR-30 (Karditsa - Domokos - Volos) as well as the road with Mataragka and Palamas. Sofades is linked with the OSE line linking Kalambaka and the main line. and it has a train station.

The modern town is very close to the site of the ancient city of Kierion (Κιέριον), one of the most important cities of ancient Thessaly. The name "Sofades" was first recorded as "Sofou" (Σοφού) at around 1454-5 AD. The Greek inhabitants of the region are commonly known as Karagounides (Καραγκούνηδες).

Until 1991, Sofades was the prefecture's third largest community and it surpassed the population of Palamas in the late-1990s, making it the prefecture's second largest community after Karditsa.

Much of the area are hilly and are made up of farmlands, forests covers in mixed areas, the mountains lies to the south and east. A river flows to the north.

Nearest places

*Kypseli, north
*Mataragka, north

Municipal districts

*Agia Paraskevi
*Agios Vissarios
*Ampelos
*Anogeio
*Dasochori
*Filia
*Gefyria
*Kappadokiko
*Karpochori
*Mascholouri
*Melissochori
*Paschalitsa
*Sofades
**Tavropos Laconia and Kythira

Population

Other

Sofades has schools, lyceums (middle schools), a few gymnasia (secondary schools), churches, banks, a post offices and a square ("plateia"). It also has schools across the municipality.

External links

* [http://www.sofades.gr/ Official website] (in Greek)
* [http://www.gtp.gr/LocPage.asp?id=12561 Sofades (municipality) on GTP Travel Pages]
* [http://www.gtp.gr/LocPage.asp?id=12562 Sofades (town) on GTP Travel Pages]
* [http://sofades.tragazikis.com/ Unofficial website] (in Greek)
* Sofades is at coordinates coord|39|20|12|N|22|5|35|E|type:city(6,045)_region:GR|display=inline,title
* [http://www.taneatonsofadon.blogspot.com/ Blog dedicated to Sofades]

Sofades