Thessaloniki ( el, Μητροπολιτική Περιοχή Θεσσαλονίκης ''Mitropolitiki Periohi Thessaloníkis'', ''Metropolitan Area of Thessaloniki'') 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 divisions of Greece, administrative units. They are divisions of the country's 13 Modern reg ...

. 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 an ...

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 ...

and its capital is the city of

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 metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

Geography

The regional unit stretches from 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 Laris ...

in the southwest to the Strymonic Gulf in the east. Two bodies of water are located in the north, Lake Koroneia in the heart of the regional unit and

Lake Volvi Lake Volvi ( el, Λίμνη Βόλβη - ''Límni Vólvi'') is located at the root of the Chalkidiki peninsula, in the Thessaloniki regional unit of Greece. It is the second largest lake in the country at length and width. The area is 68 k ...

in the east. There are farmlands throughout the west and southwest, with fewer in the northeast, north and along the

Axios River The Vardar (; mk, , , ) or Axios () is the longest river in North Macedonia and the second longest river in Greece, in which it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around ...

valley. Mountainous areas include the Chortiatis in the west-central part, the Vertiskos in the north and parts of the Kerdylio mountains in the northeast. The regional unit borders on the

Imathia Imathia ( el, Ημαθία ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Macedonia, within the geographic region of Macedonia. The capital of Imathia is the city of Veroia. Administration The regional unit Ima ...

regional unit to the southwest,

Pella Pella ( el, Πέλλα) is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It is best-known for serving as the capital city of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, and was the birthplace of Alexander the Great. On site of the ancient cit ...

to the west,

Kilkis Kilkis ( el, Κιλκίς) is a city in Central Macedonia, Greece. As of 2011 there were 22,914 people living in the city proper, 28,745 people living in the municipal unit, and 51,926 in the municipality of Kilkis. It is also the capital city o ...

to the north,

Serres Sérres ( el, Σέρρες ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki. Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northe ...

to the east and

Chalkidiki Chalkidiki (; el, Χαλκιδική , also spelled Halkidiki, is a peninsula and regional unit of Greece, part of the region of Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia in Northern Greece. The autonomous Mount Athos region co ...

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

History

The area that was to become the Thessaloniki regional unit was annexed by Greece in 1912, during the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...

. The area was struck by an earthquake in 1978, and by flooding due to rainfall in October 2006. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of modern Turkey, was born in ''Salonica'', the name for the city of Thessaloniki when it was part of the Ottoman Empire.

Administration

Coast of Perea, Thessaloniki prefecture, Greece

Langadas from 5km altitude - SlaRos Project - Mission 1

Municipalities

The Thessaloniki regional unit is subdivided into 14 municipalities. These are: (Number corresponds to the map in the infobox.) * Ampelokipoi-Menemeni (2) *

Chalkidona Chalkidona ( gr, Χαλκηδόνα) is a municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. The seat of the municipality is Koufalia. The town is a hub for trucking traffic around the Thessaloniki area. Municipality The municipality Chalk ...

(13) *

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also ...

(4) *

Kalamaria Kalamariá ( el, Καλαμαριά, ''Port Side'') is among the most densely populated suburbs in Greece, located about southeast of downtown Thessaloniki, with a population of92.238 inhabitat History The area was first settled by humans in pre ...

(7) * Kordelio-Evosmos (8) *

Lagkadas Lagkadas ( el, Λαγκαδάς, ) is a town and municipality in the northeast part of Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. There are 41103 residents in the municipality and 7764 of them live in the town of Lagkadas. Lagkadas is located northeast o ...

(9) * Neapoli-Sykies (10) *

Oraiokastro Oraiokastro ( el, Ωραιόκαστρο) is a municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece and a suburb of Thessaloniki. Municipality The municipality Oraiokastro was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the foll ...

(14) *

Pavlos Melas Pavlos Melas ( el, Παύλος Μελάς, ''Pávlos Melás''; March 29, 1870 – October 13, 1904) was a Greek revolutionary and artillery officer of the Hellenic Army. He participated in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and was amongst the first ...

(11) *

Pylaia-Chortiatis Pylaia-Chortiatis ( el, Πυλαία-Χορτιάτης) is a municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Central Macedonia, Greece, consisting of three suburbs of Thessaloniki. The seat of the municipality is Panorama. The municipality has a ...

(12) *

Thermaikos Thermaikos ( el, Θερμαϊκός) is a suburban municipality of the regional unit of Thessaloniki, Greece. It consists of the municipal units Thermaikos, Epanomi and Michaniona. The municipal unit Thermaikos is subdivided into the communities ...

(5) *

Thermi Thermi ( el, Θέρμη) is a Southeastern suburb and a municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. Its population was 53,201 at the 2011 census. It is located over the site of ancient Therma. Municipality The municipality Ther ...

(6) *

(1) * Volvi (3)

Prefecture

The Thessaloniki Prefecture ( el, Νομός Θεσσαλονίκης) was created when the area was annexed by Greece during the

in 1913. At that time. its area was the largest prefecture in the country, covering about 7% of the total land. The prefectures of

and

were split off in 1930 and 1937 respectively, and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in 1947,

and Pieria were additionally created from land belonging to the Thessaloniki Prefecture. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis administrative reform, the prefecture was transformed into a regional unit within the

region, without any change in boundaries. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganized, according to the table below.

Provinces

*Province of

''Note:'' Provinces no longer hold any legal status in

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 ...

Transport

Roads and highways

The regional unit of Thessaloniki is connected with the following roads and highways. *Motorways: ** A1/ E75 ''(

Republic of North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

, Larissa,

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

)'' ** A2/ E90 ''(

Kozani Kozani ( el, Κοζάνη, ) is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani regional unit and of Western Macedonia. It is located in the western part of Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmonas river valley. The city lies above sea ...

, Ioannina,

Igoumenitsa Igoumenitsa ( el, Ηγουμενίτσα, ) is a coastal city in northwestern Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit of Thesprotia. Igoumenitsa is the chief port of Thesprotia and Epirus, and one of the largest passenger ports of Greece, ...

)'' ''(

Kavala Kavala ( el, Καβάλα, ''Kavála'' ) is a city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia and the capital of Kavala (regional unit), Kavala regional unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across ...

Xanthi Xanthi ( el, Ξάνθη, ''Xánthi'', ) is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi regional unit of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Amphitheatrically built on the foot of Rhodope m ...

Alexandroupolis Alexandroupolis ( el, Αλεξανδρούπολη, ), Alexandroupoli, or Alexandrople is a city in Greece and the capital of the Evros regional unit. It is the largest city in Western Thrace and the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. It ...

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

)'' ** A25/ Ε79 ''(

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

)'' ** A25 ''(

Macedonia International Airport Thessaloniki Airport , officially Thessaloniki Airport "Makedonia" ( el, Κρατικός Αερολιμένας Θεσσαλονίκης "Μακεδονία", Kratikós Aeroliménas Thessaloníkis "Makedonía") and formerly Mikra Airport, is ...

Nea Moudania Nea Moudania ( el, Νέα Μουδανιά, ''Néa Moudaniá''; often referred to as Moudania (Μουδανιά, ''Moudaniá''), the name of the municipal unit to which the town belongs, is the seat of the municipality of Nea Propontida, Chalkidi ...

)'' *National Roads: ** ΕΟ2/ Ε86 W ''( Edessa,

Florina Florina ( el, Φλώρινα, ''Flórina''; known also by some alternative names) is a town and municipality in the mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. The town of Florina is the capital of the F ...

)'' ** ΕΟ12/ Ε79 Ν ''(

Drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

)'' ** ΕΟ16, SW ''(

Polygyros Polygyros ( Greek: Πολύγυρος) is a town and municipality in Central Macedonia, Greece. It is the capital of Chalkidiki. Geography Polygyros town (pop. 6,121 at the 2011 census) is built in the shape of an amphitheatre on a plateau on ...

, Ouranopolis)'' ** ΕΟ65, Ν ''(

Doirani Doirani ( el, Δοϊράνη) is a town and former municipality in the Kilkis regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kilkis, of which it is a municipal unit. It is situated on the shores of Do ...

)''

History

Until the A1/ E75 motorway (constructed during the 1970s) and the A2/ E90 motorway (constructed during the 1990s) were constructed, GR-1 and GR-2 were the main road links connecting the regional unit of Thessaloniki with other parts of the country. Furthermore, parts of GR-67 (in the near future to form part of the A25) linking

, and GR-65 linking

, were converted into motorways during the 2000s.

Mass transit

*Public transport services are provided by the

Thessaloniki Urban Transport Organization The Thessaloniki Urban Transport Organisation ( el, Οργανισμός Αστικών Συγκοινωνιών Θεσσαλονίκης), abbreviated OASTH ( el, ΟΑΣΘ), is a mass transport company operating in Thessaloniki, Greece. It wa ...

Thessaloniki Metro The Thessaloniki Metro ( el, Μετρό Θεσσαλονίκης, ', ) is an underground rapid-transit system under construction in Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city. Estimates for the cost of the megaproject are €1.62 billion ...

(under construction, to be completed in late 2023)

Communications

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

Thermi TV Thermi ( el, Θέρμη) is a Southeastern suburb and a municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. Its population was 53,201 at the 2011 census. It is located over the site of ancient Therma Therma or Thermē ( grc, Θέρμα, ) was ...

- Thermi

Major Sport Clubs

* Iraklis ''(founded in 1908)'' *

Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to: People * Aris (surname) Given name * Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer * Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player * Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano * Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter * Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...

''(founded in 1914)'' * PAOK ''(founded in 1926)'' *

Apollon Kalamarias Apollon Kalamarias (Greek: Απόλλων Καλαμαριάς) is a Greek sport's club from Thessaloniki founded in 1926. The club is named after Apollo, the mythical Greek god and its colors are red and black. History When thousands of Pontic ...

''(founded in 1926)'' * Agrotikos Asteras ''(founded in 1932)''

References

{{Authority control Prefectures of Greece 1914 establishments in Greece Regional units of Central Macedonia

Geography

History

Administration

Municipalities

Prefecture

Provinces

Transport

Roads and highways

History

Mass transit

Communications

Major Sport Clubs

See also

References