Syvota

Syvota Σύβοτα
View of Syvota.
Location
Syvota
Coordinates	39°24′N 20°15′E / 39.4°N 20.25°E / 39.4; 20.25Coordinates: 39°24′N 20°15′E / 39.4°N 20.25°E / 39.4; 20.25
Location within the regional unit
Government
Country:	Greece
Region:	Epirus
Regional unit:	Thesprotia
Municipality:	Igoumenitsa
Population statistics (as of 2001)
Municipal unit
- Population:	3,010
Other
Time zone:	EET/EEST (UTC+2/3)
Auto:	ΗΝ

Syvota (Greek: Σύβοτα), formerly Mourtos (Μούρτος) til 1953, is a village and a former municipality in Thesprotia, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Igoumenitsa, of which it is a municipal unit.^[1] Population 3,010 (2001 census). The seat of the municipality was in Plataria.

The earliest recorded inhabitants of the region are the Thesprotians, a Greek tribe of Epirus. In antiquity, the location was called Sybota and was the site of the Battle of Sybota.

During the Middle Ages, Syvota, like the rest of Epirus, was part of the Byzantine Empire and the Despotate of Epirus. Under the Turks, it was called Mourtos.

After nearly 500 years of Ottoman rule, Syvota joined Greece in 1913, following the Balkan Wars. The coastal village of Syvota (Albanian: Murto or Vola) was home to Cham Albanians before 1944, when they were expelled for collaborating with the Axis Powers.^[2]

Today, Syvota town is a well-developed resort, owing largely to the numerous pristine beaches with clear waters located on several islets immediately offshore.

References

1. ^ Kallikratis law Greece Ministry of Interior (Greek)
2. ^ Vickers, Miranda and Pettifer, James. The Albanian Question: Reshaping the Balkans. I.B. Tauris, 2007, ISBN 1860649742, p. 238.