Epirus (
Greek: Ήπειρος,
Ípiros), is a
periphery in northwestern
Greece. It borders the peripheries of
West Macedonia and
Thessaly to the east,
West Greece to the south, the
Ionian Sea and the
Ionian Islands to the west and
Albania to the north. The province has an area of about 9,200 km² (3,551 square miles). It is part of the wider historical region of
Epirus, which overlaps modern
Albania and
Greece but mostly lies in modern Greek territory. The periphery covers the same area as the
Greek region of Epirus from before the 1987 administrative reformΠ.Δ. 51/87 “Καθορισμός των Περιφερειών της Χώρας για το σχεδιασμό κ.λ.π. της Περιφερειακής Ανάπτυξης” (''Determination of the Peripheries of the Country for the planning etc. of the development of the peripheries,
Efimeris tis Kyverniseos ΦΕΚ A 26/06.03.1987
Geography and ecology
Greek Epirus, like the region as a whole, is rugged and mountainous.It comprises the land of the ancient
Molossians and
ThesprotiansWinnifrith, T.J.
Badlands-Borderland: A History of Southern Albania/Northern Epirus. London: Duckworth Publishers, 2003, ISBN 0715632019, p. 8. "The Thesprotians lived in the western part of what is now Greek Epirus, the Molossians in the rest of Greek Epirus, and the Chaonians in the southern section of Southern Albania..." and a small part of the land of the
Chaonians the greater part being in Southern
Albania. It is largely made up of mountainous ridges, part of the
Dinaric Alps. The periphery's highest spot is on Mount
Smolikas, at an altitude of 2.637 metres above sea level. In the east, the
Pindus Mountains that form the spine of mainland Greece separate Epirus from
Macedonia and
Thessaly. Most of Epirus lies on the windward side of the Pindus. The winds from the Ionian Sea offer the region more rainfall than any other part of Greece.
The
Vikos-Aoos and
Pindus National Parks are situated in the
Ioannina Prefecture of the periphery. Both areas have imposing landscapes of dazzling beauty as well as a wide range of
fauna and
flora. The climate of Epirus is mainly
alpine. The vegetation is made up mainly of coniferous species. The animal life is especially rich in this area and includes, among other species,
bears,
wolves,
foxes,
deer and
lynxes.
Government
Epirus is divided into four
prefectures (
nomoi), which are further subdivided into
dēmoi (
municipalities) or
koinótētes (roughly equivalent to
British or
Australian shires).
The prefectures are:
- Thesprotia
- Ioannina
- Arta
- Preveza
Cities
Economy
Epirus has few resources or industries and its rugged terrain makes agriculture difficult. Sheep and goat
pastoralism have always been an important activity in the periphery (Epirus provides more than 45% of meat to the Greek market) but there seems to be a decline in recent years.
Tobacco is grown around Ioannina, and there is also some
farming and
fishing, but most of the area's food must be imported from more fertile regions of Greece. Epirus is home to a number of the country's most famous dairy products' brands, which produce
feta cheese among others.
Demographics
Around 350,000 people live in Epirus. According to the 2001 census, it has the lowest population of the 13
peripheries of Greece. This is partly due to the impact of repeated wars in the 20th century as well as mass
emigration due to adverse economic conditions. The capital and largest city of the region is
Ioannina, where nearly a third of the population lives. The great majority of the population are
Greeks, but the province also includes one of Greece's largest concentrations of
Aromanians, people who identify with the Greek population. Greece does not officially recognize minorities other than the
Greek Muslim minority in
Thrace, therefore it is difficult to estimate the size of the
Aromanian populations.
According to research conducted by a Romanian ethnographer in 1994, native Albanian is dying fast, and attempts to find Albanian-speakers in the region proved unsuccessful.Winnifrith, Tom J. "Southern Albania, Northern Epirus: Survey of a Disputed Ethnological Boundary" (
Society Farsarotul Home).
The delineation of the border between Greece and Albania in 1913 left a number of Albanian-populated villages on the Greek side of the border (and the Greek-populated villages and cities in the region called
Northern Epirus on the Albanian). Coastal parts of the region in
Thesprotia were populated in the past by an Albanian minority (
Cham Albanians) along with the majority of ethnic Greeks.
References
External links