The Thermaic Gulf (), also called the Gulf of Salonika and the Macedonian Gulf, is a

gulf A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodie ...

constituting the northwest corner 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 ...

. 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 Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...

is at its northeastern tip, and it is bounded by Pieria Imathia and

Larissa Larissa (; el, Λάρισα, , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 144,651 according to the 2011 census. It is also capital of the Larissa regiona ...

on the west and the Chalkidiki peninsula on the east, with Cape Kassandra at the southeasternmost corner. It is named after the ancient town of Therma, modern

. It is about long. By narrower definitions, the Thermaic Gulf is bounded on the west by the line from the mouth of the Vardar or Axios to Cape

Megalo Embolo Cape Megalo Embolo ( el, Μεγάλο έμβολο, 'Great Point') or Karaburnu (Turkish 'Black Cape'), probably the ancient Aeneium or Aineion ( grc, Αἰνειῶν), is a cape southwest of Thessaloniki, Greece, located next to the village of Ang ...

, making it about long; while the smaller Gulf of Salonica is bounded by a line running from the mouth of the Gallikos to

Mikro Emvolo Mikro Emvolo (), also called Karabournaki (Καραμπουρνάκι), is the cape of Kalamaria in northeastern Thessaloniki and a district of the local municipality. Its name comes from ''kara burun'' in Turkish, meaning 'black peninsula'.''c ...

.Malamut Elisabeth, Grélois Jean-Pierre, "Le port de Thessalonique (IVe-XVIe siècles)", ''Actes des congrès de la Société des historiens médiévistes de l'enseignement supérieur public'' 35:131-147, La Rochelle, 2004. "Ports maritimes et ports fluviaux au Moyen Age."
full text
/ref> Gulf of Thessaloniki and the Vardar River mouth

Gulf of Thessaloniki and the Vardar River mouth

To the Romans, the gulf was also known as ''Thermaicus'' or ''Thermaeus sinus'' ("Gulf of Therma") and as ''Macedonicus sinus'' ("The Gulf 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 ...

", or "The

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 ...

Gulf"). One of its modern names is the "Gulf of Salonica", named after the city of Thessaloniki which sprawls around and along the northeastern coast of the gulf. Places that lie on the gulf include Sani, Kassandreia, ancient

Potidaea __NOTOC__ Potidaea (; grc, Ποτίδαια, ''Potidaia'', also Ποτείδαια, ''Poteidaia'') was a colony founded by the Corinthians around 600 BC in the narrowest point of the peninsula of Pallene, the westernmost of three peninsulas at ...

, Nea Moudania, Agia Triada, Neoi Epivates, Peraia, Kalochori, Methoni, Pydna, Paralia Katerinis,

Olympiaki Akti Olympiaki Akti ( el, Ολυμπιακή Ακτή, ''Olympiakí Aktí'', canonical name) has translation into English as Olympic Beach, Olympic Coast, also still domestically known with its initial name Katerinoskala (Greek: Κατερινόσκα� ...

Alexandrini Alexandrini ( el, Αλεξανδρινή, ) is a village of the Agia municipality. Before the 2011 local government reform it was a part of the municipality of Evrymenes. The 2011 census recorded 161 inhabitants in the village and 244 in the comm ...

Koutsoupia Melivoia (Greek language, Greek: Μελίβοια) is a town and a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in the Larissa (regional unit), Larissa regional unit, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is p ...

and Stomio (Larissa). The rivers emptying into the gulf are the Pineios,

Aliakmon 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 ...

Loudias The Loudias ( el, Λουδίας) or Lydias (Λυδίας), popularly called Mavroneri (Μαυρονέρι, "Blackwater", from its Ottoman Turkish name ''Kara Asmak'' قره آصماق) is a river in Central Macedonia that flows through the r ...

, Gallikos and Axios/Vardar; several streams including one near Pydna also empty into the gulf. The Thermaic Gulf was significantly larger in classical times, with many ancient seaside cities (e.g. Pella) are now found several kilometers inland. The extensive silting mainly affects the northern and western parts of the gulf, which receive the bulk of alluvial outflow. The gulf is home to many famous, pristine beaches, which include Sani Beach. However, there are no beaches on the northwest coast, where wetlands stretch from Methone (northwest coast) to

's western suburb of Kalochori. The

Port of Thessaloniki The Customs House, now passenger terminal, in the early 1900s. The Port of Thessaloniki ( el, Λιμάνι της Θεσσαλονίκης) is one of the largest seaports in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is considered the gateway Port to the Balk ...

is the gulf's largest and busiest port, while another twelve small ports provide sea transport in, out and around the Thermaic gulf. Major road networks of northern

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 ...

such as the A1/ E75 motorway (Athens - Thessaloniki) encircles the western portion of the gulf, while the A25 (Thessaloniki - Nea Moudania motorway) almost encircles the eastern part of it.

References

Gulfs of the Aegean Sea Gulfs of Greece Geography of ancient Chalcidice Geography of ancient Mygdonia Bottiaea Geography of ancient Pieria Thessaloniki Landforms of Thessaloniki (regional unit) Landforms of Central Macedonia Landforms of Pieria (regional unit) Landforms of Imathia Landforms of Chalkidiki {{Marine-geo-stub