Xanthi (, el, Περιφερειακή ενότητα Ξάνθης, Turkish: İskeçe) 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 munici ...

. 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 ...

of East Macedonia and Thrace. The capital is Xanthi. Together with the regional units Rhodope and Evros, it forms the geographical region of Western Thrace.

Geography

Xanthi borders the

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 ...

n provinces of Smolyan and

Kardzhali Kardzhali ( bg, Кърджали , ''Kărdžali''; tr, Kırcaali; gr, Κάρτζαλι, ''Kártzali''), sometimes spelt Kardžali or Kurdzhali, is a town in the Eastern Rhodopes in Bulgaria, centre of Kardzhali Municipality and Kardzhali Pro ...

to the north, and the

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

to the south. The regional unit of

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

lies to the west,

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 ...

to the northwest and Rhodope to the east. The Rhodope Mountains cover the northern part of the regional unit. The highest point is ''Koula'', at 1,827m. The coastal area has a predominantly Mediterranean climate, whereas the northern mountainous part has a colder continental climate.

Administration

The regional unit Xanthi is subdivided into 4 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox): * Abdera (''Avdira'', 2) *

Myki Myki ( ), stylised as myki, is a reloadable credit card-sized contactless smart card ticketing system used for electronic payment of fares on most public transport services in Melbourne and regional Victoria, Australia. Myki replaced th ...

(3) * Topeiros (4) * Xanthi (1)

Prefecture

Xanthi was established as a prefecture in 1944 ( el, Νομός Ξάνθης), when it was split off from the

Rhodope Prefecture Rhodope ( el, Ροδόπη, ''Rodópi'' ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Its name is derived from the Rhodope Mountains, which cover the northern part of its territory. Together with ...

. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the prefecture was transformed into a regional unit within the East Macedonia and Thrace region, with no change in its boundaries. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.

Transport

* GR-2/ E90,

Via Egnatia The Via Egnatia was a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. It crossed Illyricum, Macedonia, and Thracia, running through territory that is now part of modern Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, and European Turkey as a con ...

, old and new, SW, Cen., S, SE * GR-12/E90, W, Cen. * GR-55 *Railway Thesaloniki-Alexandroupoli

Culture

The remains of the ancient city of Abdera have been excavated. Subterranean

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 ...

ian tombs from the 2nd century BC have been discovered in Komnina. There is a Byzantine castle near the old town of Xanthi. During the 19th century, local tobacco production and commerce developed rapidly. The manors of the old city Xanthi, many of which are still intact, testify to the prosperity of the tobacco merchants during this period.

References