Katakolo

Katakolo (Greek: Κατάκολο; before the 1970s: Κατάκολον or Katakolon) is a seaside town in western Ilia in the municipality of Pyrgos. Katakolo is part of the municipality of Pyrgos (Ilia). It is located south of Patras and Dounaiika, 12 km off downtown Pyrgos, west of Olympia and northwest of Messenia. It is located at 37.75° (37'39°) N, 21.33° (20'20°) E. The town centre is within a gulf overlooking the Ionian Sea and it is where it divides the Kyparissian Gulf with the rest of the Ionian.

Nearest places:

*Skafidi (northeast)
*Pyrgos (east)

ubdivision:

*Agios Andreas

Geography

*Location:
**Latitude:
***Katakolo: 37.633 (37°38') N
***Agios Andreas: 37.665 (37°39'55') N
**Longitude:
***Katakolo: 22.31667 (21°°19') E
***Agios Andreas: 22.313 (22°°18'47') E
*Postal code: 270 67
*Elevation: sea level, about 30 m to 50 m in the mountains
*Dialing code: +30-26210 (030-26210)

Historical population

About Katakolo

It has a small port which is the main port of Pyrgos, a school, restaurants, a church and a town square. The most impressive is surely the visit to the Municipal Museum of Ancient Greek Technology which holds 150 operating reconstructions of mechanisms and inventions of the ancient Greeks covering the period from 2000 B.C. to 100 A.D. A railway called the Katakolo-Pyrgos line goes to Katakolo. Small hills with forests surround Katakolo. Katakolo is situated on a peninsula and has a lighthouse founded southwest. The Lighthouse Katakolo ("Faros Katakolo") was first opened in 1865. It is also a frequent stop for cruise ships on tours of the Ionian and Mediterranean seas. Consequently, many of the shops in the town centre are geared toward foreign tourists. The other main industries includes agriculture and services.

Several buildings were rebuilt after World War II and the Greek Civil War.

Katakolo has a small school, churches, and a square("plateia").

Museums

* Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Katakolo

Persons

*Yiannis Latsis (1910-2003) shipping tycoon

External links

* [http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?tb=1&city=Katakolo&country=GR Mapquest - Katakolo]
* [http://www.gtp.gr/LocPage.asp?id=4385 GTP - Katakolo]
* [http://www.gtp.gr/LocPage.asp?id=4530 GTP - Agios Andreas, Katakolo]
* [http://indexmundi.com/z/?lat=37.65=21.31666667&t=p&r=4300&p=katakolon&cc=gr&c=greece.htm Indexmundi - Katakolo]

ee also

*List of settlements in the Elis prefecture
*Katakali, a village in the southern part of Grevena