Nea Makri ( el, Νέα Μάκρη) is a town in

East Attica East Attica ( el, Ανατολική Αττική) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Attica. The regional unit covers the eastern part of the urban agglomeration of Athens, and also the rural area to its east. Adm ...

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 with ...

. Since the local government reform of 2011, it has been a municipal unit within the municipality of

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

. The municipal unit has an area of 36.662 km². It is part of the Athens metropolitan area.

Geography

Nea Makri is situated on the coast of the

Petalioi Gulf The Petalioi Gulf ( el, Κόλπος Πεταλιών - ''Kolpos Petalion'') is a gulf of the Aegean Sea, Greece. It stretches between the east coast of Attica and the south tip of the island Euboea. It takes its name from the Petalioi islands, th ...

, a gulf of the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek language, Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish language, Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It ...

, in the easternmost part of the

Attica Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean Se ...

peninsula. It is 7 km north of

Rafina Rafina ( el, Ραφήνα) is a suburban port town located on the eastern coast of Attica in Greece. It has a population of 13,091 inhabitants (2011 census). Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Rafina-Pikermi, of ...

, 8 km south of Marathon and 25 km northeast of

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 ...

city centre. The municipal unit Nea Makri also contains the village Neos Voutzas, 5 km south of Nea Makri town centre.

Greek National Road 83 Greek National Road 83 is a national highway of Greece. It connects Athens with Rafina Rafina ( el, Ραφήνα) is a suburban port town located on the eastern coast of Attica in Greece. It has a population of 13,091 inhabitants (2011 census). ...

(Athens - Marathon - Rafina) passes through Nea Makri. Popular locations near Nea Makri include Zoumberi Beach and the Brexiza Wetland. It is widely known and visited due to its beaches and coastline.

History

The area was once known as ''Plesti'', but following the 1922 Greek military disaster in Asia Minor and the subsequent expulsion of the native Greeks of Makri in Turkey, it was renamed ''Nea'' Makri (''New'' Makri) by the refugees who settled there. The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

operated a HF radio communications base north of Nea Makri from the mid to the late 20th century. The transmitters were located further north, at Kato Souli. The call sign of the station was ''NGR''. The American naval communications station was the deployment location for

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 (NMCB 133) is a United States Navy Construction Battalion, otherwise known as a Seabee Battalion, homeported at the Naval Construction Battalion Center (Gulfport, Mississippi) (aka: Naval Mobile Constructio ...

, home-ported in Gulfport, MS.

Saint Ephraim the martyr St. Ephraim the Neomartyr, Ephraim the Martyr, or Ephraim of Mount Amomon (Greek: Άγιος Εφραίμ ο μάρτυρας / του Όρους των Αμώμων), believed to have lived from 1384 to 1426, is venerated as a martyr and miracle-wo ...

was a monk who may have lived in the Monastery of the Annunciation in Nea Makri; it has become an important monastery in recent years and has become a site of pilgrimage for all Greeks.

Population

References

{{Marathon div Closed installations of the United States Navy Marathon, Greece Populated places in East Attica

Geography

History

Population

See also

References