Imathia ( el, Ημαθία ) is one of the

regional units of Greece The 74 regional units of Greece ( el, περιφερειακές ενότητες, ; sing. , ) are the country's Seventy-four second-level administrative units. They are divisions of the country's 13 regions, and are further divided into municipa ...

. It is part of the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

Central Macedonia Central Macedonia ( el, Κεντρική Μακεδονία, Kentrikí Makedonía, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, consisting of the central part of the geographical and historical region of Macedonia. With a populat ...

, within the geographic region of

Macedonia Macedonia most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...

. The capital of Imathia is the city of Veroia.

Administration

The regional unit Imathia is subdivided into 3 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox): * Alexandreia (2) * Naousa (3) * Veroia (1)

Prefecture

As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Imathia was created out of the former Imathia prefecture ( el, Νομός Ημαθίας). The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.

Provinces

The former prefecture of Imathia was subdivided into the following provinces: Note: Provinces no longer hold any legal status in Greece since 2006.

Geography

The northeastern part of Imathia, along the lower course of the river

Aliakmonas The Haliacmon ( el, Αλιάκμονας, ''Aliákmonas''; formerly: , ''Aliákmon'' or ''Haliákmōn'') is the longest river flowing entirely in Greece, with a total length of . In Greece there are three rivers longer than Haliakmon, Maritsa ( el ...

, is a vast agricultural plain known as Kampania or Roumlouki. The area is known for the production of fruit crops, such as

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...

es and

strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...

. Much of the population lives in this plain, where the towns Alexandreia and Veroia are situated. Imathia has a short shoreline on the

Thermaic Gulf The Thermaic Gulf (), also called the Gulf of Salonika and the Macedonian Gulf, is a gulf constituting the northwest corner of the Aegean Sea. The city of Thessaloniki is at its northeastern tip, and it is bounded by Pieria Imathia and Larissa ...

, around the mouth of the Aliakmonas. The mountainous western part of Imathia is covered by the Vermio Mountains, reaching 2,052 metres near the city of Naousa. The Pierian Mountains reach into the southern part of Imathia, south of the Aliakmonas. The regional unit borders on Pieria to the south, Kozani to the west, Pella to the north and

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...

to the east. Imathia has a mainly

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters.

Transport

The railway from Thessaloniki to Florina and the important railway from Thessaloniki to Athens pass through Imathia, with main stations at Platy, Veroia and Alexandreia. The motorways A2 (Egnatia Odos) (Igoumenitsa - Ioannina - Veroia - Thessaloniki) and A1 (Athens - Lamia - Larissa - Thessaloniki) and the Greek National Roads EO1, EO4 and EO4a pass through Imathia. The

Alexandreia Airport Alexandreia Airport ( el, Αερολιμένας Αλεξάνδρειας) is a military airport located near Alexandreia, a city in the regional unit of Imathia in Greece. Facilities The airport is above mean sea level. It has one runway des ...

is a military airport.

History

Imathia was named after the historic region

Emathia Emathia ( gr, Ἠμαθία) was the name of the plain opposite the Thermaic Gulf when the kingdom of Macedon was formed. The name was used to define the area between the rivers Aliakmon and Loudias, which, because it was the center of the kingdom ...

, which was used by several classical authors as a synonym for Bottiaea or even all of

Macedon Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by ...

. Important ancient towns in the area of present Imathia were Aegae and

Beroea Beroea (or Berea) was an ancient city of the Hellenistic period and Roman Empire now known as Veria (or Veroia) in Macedonia, Northern Greece. It is a small city on the eastern side of the Vermio Mountains north of Mount Olympus. The town is menti ...

. As a part of the

region, it was ruled by the

kingdom of Macedonia Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by ...

, the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

, the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

and from early 15th century by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. In 1913, as a result of the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies r ...

, it became part of Greece. During and after the

Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) The Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, ota, گرب جابهاسی, Garb Cebhesi) in Turkey, and the Asia Minor Campaign ( el, Μικρασιατική Εκστρατεία, Mikrasiatikí Ekstrateía) or the Asia Minor Catastrophe ( el, Μικ ...

, several refugees from

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

settled in Imathia. Initially part of the

prefecture of Thessaloniki Thessaloniki ( el, Μητροπολιτική Περιοχή Θεσσαλονίκης ''Mitropolitiki Periohi Thessaloníkis'', ''Metropolitan Area of Thessaloniki'') is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the Region of Central Maced ...

, Imathia became a

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

in 1946, and Veroia was selected as its capital.FEK 1946 nr. 35
/ref>

Media

Newspapers

* Agrotikoi Orizontes * Elefthero Vima * Epikaira Imathias *

Epta Imathias EPTA may refer to: * European Parliamentary Technology Assessment * European Pulsar Timing Array * Phosphotungstic acid * Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance, a United Nations aid network * European Piano Teachers Association European, or E ...

* Imerisia * Kerkida *

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

* Pliroforisi * Macedonika Nea

Culture

Museums

Wine and Vine Museum (Naoussa) The Wine and Vine Museum is a new museum housed in the traditional building belonging to Ioannis Boutaris in the centre of Naousa, Imathia, Naoussa in Central Macedonia, Greece. The museum’s mission is primarily educational, in other words to m ...

* Archaeological Museum of Veroia *

Byzantine Museum of Veroia The Byzantine Museum of Veroia is a museum in Greece that opened in 2002. The museum focuses on artefacts from the Byzantine and Ottoman empires The Building The museum is housed in the old Markos mill; a rectangular, stone, four-story industri ...

Folklore Museum of the Lyceum of Hellenic Women (Naoussa) The Folklore Museum is located in Naousa, Imathia, Naoussa, Central Macedonia, Greece. It was founded in 1968 by the Lyceum of Hellenic Women with the aim of saving and preserving the customs of Naoussa and the surrounding area. The premises were ...

Sports clubs

Veria F.C. Veria ( el, Βέροια or Βέρροια), officially transliterated Veroia, historically also spelled Berea or Berœa, is a city in Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia, northern Greece, capital of the regional unit of I ...

- Veroia *

Pontioi Veria F.C. Pontioi Veroias Football Club is a football club based in Rachia, Imathia, Greece. Pontioi Veroias FC was founded in 1984. Last season Pontioi Veroias remained at A2 EPS Imathias league as they finished 7th. History Pontioi's best campaign happen ...