Phthiotis

Infobox Pref GR
name = Phthiotis
name_local = Νομός Φθιώτιδας


periph = Central Greece
capital = Lamia
population = 181,383
population_as_of = 2005
pop_rank = 14th
pop_dens = 40.8
popdens_rank = 40th
area = 4,440.765
area_rank = 4th
postal_code = 35x xx
area_code = 223x0
licence = ΜΙ
provinces = 2
municip = 23
commun = 2
ISO = GR-06
website = [http://www.fthiotida.gr/ www.fthiotida.gr]

Phthiotis ( _el. Φθιώτιδα, "Fthiótida", IPA2|fθiˈo̞tiða; ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Φθιώτις) is one of the prefectures of Greece. The capital is the city of Lamia. It is bordered by the Maliac Gulf to the east, Boeotia in the south, Phocis in the south, Aetolia-Acarnania in the southwest, Eurytania in the west, Karditsa in the north, Larissa in the north, and Magnesia in the northeast. The name dates back to ancient times. The modern prefecture was created during the Greek War of Independence of 1821 and was known as Phthiotis and Phocis until 1947 when the old southern part became the modern Phocis prefecture and the name changed to the modern-day Phthiotis.

Geography

Much of the areas within the shorelines are mountainous from the southern part with a few low-lying areas but the lowlands are in the central part and a length of 200 to 500 m in average in the north and in the Cephissus and the Spercheios valleys. GR-1 used to encircle the western part of the shoreline of Phthiotis until a tunnel opened up. Mountains dominate the south, the southwest, the further west and the north.

History

The prefecture in the 1950s began construction of the GR-1 (Athens - Lamia - Thessaloniki). Electricity and pavement of the roads began in the 1950s and the 1960s. The highway bypassed Lamia. It was opened a few years later. In the late-1990s, the tunnel began construction and was planned in the later part of the century ans is located in the eastern part of the prefecture. The grand opening of the Maliakos Tunnel linking near Stylida and E of Kamena Vourla was opened in the mid-2000s.

In the Spercheios, flooding which began on March 6, 2005 flooded several places and caused mudslides in the western part wrecking homes and properties. In the mountain areas the snowstorm which arrived by the evening hours of February 7, 2005 brought heavy snowfalls to the area that accumulated as high as one to two metres and stranded roads, inhabitants and caused minor bread shortages, one of the villages including Kampia were hit hard and one which has only one inhabitant which saw the road blanketed with heavy snowfall.

Transport

*E65, S, Cen., NE
*Greek National Road 1/E75, SE, E, Cen., NE
*Greek National Road 3, SE, S, Cen., N
*Greek National Road 27, S, Cen.
*Greek National Road 38, W, Cen.

Municipalities and communities

See also: List of settlements in the Phthiotis prefecture

Persons

*Thanos Livaditis (1934 - September 1, 2005 in Athens)

porting teams

*Lamia FC
*Ionikos Lamias BC

ee also

*List of traditional Greek place names