Mesopotamia ( el, Μεσοποταμία, before 1926: Τσετιράκι - ''Tsetiraki'';
Bulgarian
Bulgarian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria
* Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group
* Bulgarian language, a Slavic language
* Bulgarian alphabet
* A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria
* Bul ...
and
Macedonian
Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia.
Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to:
People Modern
* Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North M ...
: ) is a village and a municiple
unit of
Kastoria municipality in
Kastoria regional unit,
Western Macedonia,
Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality
Kastoria, of which it is a municipal unit.
The municipal unit has an area of 99.173 km
2.
Population 4,224 (2011).
The municipality was formed at the 1997
Kapodistrias reform under the name ''Aliakmonas'', after 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 ...
. It was renamed to ''Mesopotamia'' in 2006. The village of Mesopotamia was the seat of the municipality.
Sights
Mesopotamia has three Byzantine style churches. The most recent and largest is that of the cathedral of
St. Peter
) (Simeon, Simon)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire
, death_date = Between AD 64–68
, death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire
, parents = John (or Jonah; Jona)
, occupation ...
and
St. Paul. The oldest church is the church of St. Constantine and St. Helen which contains the village cemetery, and the church of Saint Demetrios. The chapel of
St. George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
is a few kilometers outside of the village.
There is a Cultural Center as well. This center supports and preserves the local culture. It holds annual ceremonies on May 19, a day of remembrance for the population, at the
Forest of Mesopotamia
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
near the
Aliakmon River
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 ...
. Finally, the town also has bars and nightclubs.
Economy
Mesopotamia is a rural residential community. Its economy is entirely dependent on the agriculture of wheat. It also houses small private fur industry that is outsourced from the major
fur traders of Kastoria. As the seat of the Aliakmonas municipality, Mesopotamia contains the Aliakmonas Municipal Building. It also contains a pharmacy, and a supermarket. The community of Mesopotamia has recently been linked to a branch of
Northern Greece's brand new
Egnatia Odos highway.
Sport
Mesopotamia has a football (soccer) team calle
Astrapi Mesopotamiaor simply Astrapi (
Greek: Αστραπή) and its origin year is believed to be in the mid-1950s, 1956-1957. It hosts games at th
Municipal stadium of Mesopotamia
Demographics
The Greek census (1920) recorded 1,021 people in the village and in 1923 there were 300 inhabitants (or 140 families) who were Muslim.
Following the
Greek-Turkish population exchange, in 1926 within Tsetiraki there were 140 refugee families from
Pontus.
The Greek census (1928) recorded 1,083 village inhabitants.
There were refugee 141 families (594 people) in 1928.
References
{{Kastoria div
Former municipalities in Western Macedonia
Populated places in Kastoria (regional unit)
Kastoria