The Arachthos ( el, Άραχθος) is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...
in eastern
Epirus
sq, Epiri rup, Epiru
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = Historical region
, image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinri ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
. Its source is in the
Pindus
The Pindus (also Pindos or Pindhos; el, Πίνδος, Píndos; sq, Pindet; rup, Pindu) is a mountain range located in Northern Greece and Southern Albania. It is roughly 160 km (100 miles) long, with a maximum elevation of 2,637 metres ...
mountains, near the town
Metsovo
Metsovo ( el, Μέτσοβο; rup, Aminciu) is a town in Epirus, in the mountains of Pindus in northern Greece, between Ioannina to the west and Meteora to the east.
The largest centre of Aromanian (Vlach) life in Greece, Metsovo is a large r ...
(
Ioannina regional unit). It is long, and its drainage area is .
Its upper course is known as ''
Metsovitikos''. From its confluence with the
Dipotamos near the village of
Batza it is called Arachthos. It flows towards the south, passing between the
Athamanika
Athamanika or Tzoumerka (Greek: Αθαμανικά or Τζουμέρκα) is a mountain range in northwestern Greece, part of the wider Pindus mountain range. Its highest point is the mountain Kakarditsa, at 2,429 m. Its length is approximately ...
and the
Xerovouni
Xerovouni ( el, Ξεροβούνι, also Ξηροβούνι ''Xirovouni'') is a mountain in the southern part of the Epirus region, Greece. It covers the northeastern Preveza, the southern Ioannina and the northwestern Arta regional units. Its m ...
mountains. In this place meets the
Plaka Bridge, the largest one-arch stone bridge in Greece. It enters the large
Pournari Reservoir, in the
Arta regional unit, which is about 18 km² and prevents flooding of the city of
Arta and also supplies water to most of
Epirus
sq, Epiri rup, Epiru
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = Historical region
, image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinri ...
. The town of
Peta is situated near the dam.
Arta, about 8 km downstream of the dam, is the largest town on the river. Arta's historic landmark is the stone
Bridge of Arta
The Bridge of Arta ( el, Γεφύρι της Άρτας) is a stone bridge that crosses the Arachthos river (Άραχθος) in the west of the city of Arta (Άρτα) in Greece. It has been rebuilt many times over the centuries, starting with ...
over the Arachthos. The river continues through the lowlands south of Arta, and finally empties into the
Ambracian Gulf
The Ambracian Gulf, also known as the Gulf of Arta or the Gulf of Actium, and in some official documents as the Amvrakikos Gulf ( el, Αμβρακικός κόλπος, translit=Amvrakikos kolpos), is a gulf of the Ionian Sea in northwestern Gree ...
near
Kommeno
Kommeno ( el, Κομμένο) is a village and a former community in the Arta regional unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nikolaos Skoufas, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal u ...
, 16 km southeast of Arta.
References
External links
Arachthos River on GTP Travel Pages(in English and Greek)
MandraPhotosArachthos River on WebshotsArachthos Gorge photoArahthos Festival
Rivers of Epirus (region)
Rivers of Greece
Landforms of Ioannina (regional unit)
Landforms of Arta (regional unit)
Pindus
{{Greece-river-stub