Thessaloniki Prefecture

Infobox Pref GR
name = Thessaloniki
name_local = Νομός Θεσσαλονίκης
flag_reg = Flag of Greek Macedonia.svg


periph = Central Macedonia
capital = Thessaloniki
population = 1.099.598
population_as_of = 2005
pop_rank = 2nd
pop_dens = 298.6
popdens_rank = 3rd
area = 3,682.736
area_rank = 9th
postal_code = 54x xx - 57x xx
area_code = 2310, 239x0
licence = NH
provinces = 2
municip = 43
commun = 2
ISO = GR-54
website = [http://www.nath.gr/ www.nath.gr]

Thessaloniki ( _el. Θεσσαλονίκη) is a "nomos" (prefecture) in Greece, containing Thessaloniki, Lagana and the northern portion of the Chalcidicean peninsula. The prefecture is the second in Greece in population and the largest in Macedonia as well as northern Greece.

Geography

The prefecture stretches from the Thermian Gulf to the Strymon Gulf. The Thermian Gulf is to the southwest while the Strymon Gulf is in the east. Two bodies of water stretch to the north, Lake Koronia in the heart of the prefecture and Lake Volvi to the east. The mountains are in the central and the northern parts, farmlands are in the western and the southwestern part and few to the northeast, the northern portion and along the Axios valley. The mountains include the Chortiatis to the westcentral part, the Vertiskos to the north and parts of the Kerdylio mountains to the northeast. The prefectures is bounded with the Imathia prefecture to the southwest, Pella to the west, Kilkis to the north, Serres to the east and Chalkidiki to the south.

History

The Thessaloniki Prefecture was created when Thessaloniki joined with the rest of Greece during the First Balkan War in 1913. The area then was the largest in Greece covering about 7% of all of Greece. Pella split in 1930, Kilkis prefecture split in 1937 and after World War II in 1947, Imathia and Pieria split from the Thessaloniki prefecture. It did not affect the population rank and remained first in Macedonia, Central Macedonia and northern Greece. The prefecture was to be struck by an earthquake in the 1970s and later recent heavy rainfalls clumbered parts of the prefecture in the 2000s.

The rainfall of October 8, 2006 (see Flooding of Central Macedonia) hampered the eastern portion of the prefecture, Apollonia, Asprovalta, Nea Madytos, Stavros, and Vrasna were affected; the streams overflowed with mud and about 300 houses were flooded and damaged. Several people were stranded that one helicopter helped several victims trapped in the raging floodwaters. The valley area was heavily flooded seeing much of the crops damaged with some not being affected. Trees were sawn over the flooded plain. Three bridges were destroyed including the old section of the Via Egnatia paralyzing traffic between Thessaloniki and Kavala and the other eroded a lane of the local road. The superhighway is north of the affected area and was re-opened. One of the causes of the flooding is the garbage not being cleaned out from its streams, the other was of poor architecture.

Climate

Its climate includes hot Mediterranean summers and cool to mild winters in low lying areas and its plains. Winter weather is very common in areas 500 m above sea level and into the mountains.

Transport

Roads and Highways

The area is connected by the following roads and highways.

*Greek National Road 1/E75 (motorway), SW, W, NW
*Via Egnatia/E90 (motorway A2), NW, Cen., E
*Greek National Road 4, Cen., SW
*Greek National Road 12 (motorway, branch of the Via Egnatia), NW
*Greek National Road 18, SW
*Greek National Road 67, (motorway), S
*Thessaloniki Ring, Cen, S.

History

Several superhighways and highways were added including the GR-1 and the new Via Egnatia link with Thessaloniki and the superhighway in 1973, the Thessaloniki Ring and the Diagonal Road (GR-67, partly GR-18) and the partial section of the GR-65 in the 1970s and the 1980s and lately the Via Egnatia superhighway between 1997 and 2005 and currently, the GR-12 will be converted to a superhighway standard in the late-2000s and the early-2010s.

Other

*Transit System (Thessaloniki)
*Future Thessaloniki Subway System opening around 2011

Communications

Most of the stations are in the city (see Thessaloniki#Communications). Here are list of stations outside the city:

*Thermi TV - Thermi

porting teams

Basketball teams

*PAOK
*Aris
*Iraklis

Football/Soccer teams

*PAOK
*Iraklis
*Apollon Kalamarias
*Aris

Municipalities and communities

See also: List of settlements in the Thessaloniki prefecture