Araxos (, ) is a village and community in the municipal unit of

Larissos Larissos () is a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since the local government reform in 2011, it a unit within the municipality West Achaea. The municipal unit has an area of 225.729&nbs ...

, within the municipality of

West Achaea West Achaea ( – ''Dytiki Achaia'') is a municipal subdivision within greater Achaea – an ancient region of West Greece which forms part of the modern territory of larger Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Kato Achaia. The municip ...

, in the northwestern part of

Achaea Achaea () or Achaia (), sometimes transliterated from Greek language, Greek as Akhaia (, ''Akhaḯa'', ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Western Greece and is situated in the northwest ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. It is located about 29 km southwest of

Patras Patras (; ; Katharevousa and ; ) is Greece's List of cities in Greece, third-largest city and the regional capital and largest city of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese, west of Athens. The city is built at the foot of Mount Panachaiko ...

. The community consists of the villages of Araxos,

Akrotirio Araxos Akrotirio Araxou () is a small coastal village of Achaea, Greece. The village lies at the northwestern part of Peloponnese near Cape Araxos. The village of Araxos and the namesake military airport are few kilometers away. Since 2011, Akrotirio A ...

, and Taxiarches. Araxos is located in the coastal plains near Cape Araxos, which separates the

Gulf of Patras The Gulf of Patras (, ''Patraikós Kólpos'') is a branch of the Ionian Sea in Western Greece. On the east, it is closed by the Strait of Rion between capes Rio and Antirrio, near the Rio-Antirrio bridge, that is the entrance of the Gulf of C ...

from the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea (, ; or , ; , ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, ...

. Two lagoons are located near the village of Araxos: Prokopos to the southwest and Kalogria (or ''Pappas'' or ''Araxos'') to the north. The Mavra Vouna hills lie to the north, with Cape Araxos as their northernmost point. Araxos is 4 km west of

Lakkopetra Lakkopetra () is a village and a community in the northeastern part of the municipal unit of Larissos, northwestern Achaea, Greece. The community consists of the villages Lakkopetra, Ioniki Akti, Karnari and Limanaki. It is located on the Gulf of P ...

, 1 km west of

Araxos Airport Araxos Airport () is the airport of Patras, the third-largest city in Greece. It serves as a combined civilian and military airport and is located near its namesake, the village of Araxos, Achaea. It is also known as ''Agamemnon Airport'' and pri ...

, 5 km north of Metochi, and 13 km west of

Kato Achaia Kato Achaia () is a town and a community in Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality West Achaea, of which it is the seat of administration. The community Kato Achaia consists of the town ...

Strofilia wetlands natural park

The Strofilia Wetlands Natural Park and

Kalogria Beach Kalogria beach () is the name of a sandy and award-winning with Blue Flag beach that is located in the vicinity of the village Araxos, in Northwestern Peloponnese, Greece. The beach is beside the , it has a length of ~9 Km and width 80m and is on ...

are located on the island's northwest coast. Strofilia is a national park that is part of the

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...

network and is protected under the

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar site, Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on We ...

. The wetlands ecosystem occupies a coastal zone of about 22 km (14 mi) in length, with an average width of 1.5 km (0.93 mi). It is a complex coastal ecosystem that includes the lagoons of ''Prokopos'' and ''Kalogria'' (or ''Pappas''), the Lamia marshes, and the forest of Strofilia (Natura 2000 codes: GR 232001 and GR233006). The

Stone pine The Italian stone pine, botanical name ''Pinus pinea'', also known as the Mediterranean stone pine is a tree from the pine family (''Pinaceae''). The tree is native to the Mediterranean region, occurring in Southern Europe and the Levant. The ...

(Pinus pinea) forest of Strofilia is the most extensive Stone Pine forest in all of Greece and one of the largest in Europe. Most of the area consists of sand dune formations.

Historical population

Araxos Air Base

An auxiliary military airfield was constructed in the area in 1939. Construction of the base began around 1958, and it became operational in 1962. Currently, the base is used by the 116 Combat Wing of the

Hellenic Air Force The Hellenic Air Force (HAF; , sometimes abbreviated as ΠΑ) is the air force of Greece (''Hellenic'' being the endonym for ''Greek'' in the Greek language). It is considered to be one of the largest air forces in NATO, and is globally placed 1 ...

, which consists of the 335 Bombing Squadron and the 336 Bombing Squadron, both equipped with F-16C/D Block 52+ aircraft. The runway is 3352 m long, running in a south-to-north direction (18/36). The military installations are accessed from Lakkopetra to the north. From 1978 to 2001, Araxos Air Base was also home to the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

345 Air Munitions Company. This unit was responsible for the U.S.

B61 nuclear bomb The B61 nuclear bomb is the primary thermonuclear weapon, thermonuclear gravity bomb in the United States Enduring Stockpile following the end of the Cold War. It is a low-to-intermediate yield strategic nuclear weapon, strategic and tactical nuc ...

s intended for delivery by Hellenic Air Force A-7H aircraft under NATO

nuclear sharing Nuclear sharing is a concept in NATO and Russia's policies of nuclear deterrence, which allows member countries without nuclear weapons of their own to participate in the planning, training, and, in extremis, the use of nuclear weapons. In parti ...

arrangements. The nuclear weapons were stored in vaults inside the base's Hardened Aircraft Shelters using the WS3 Weapon Storage and Security System.

Araxos Airport

(IATA: GPA, ICAO: LGRX) is a civilian airport that shares its runway with the Araxos Air Base. It is the closest

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

to the city of

. The airport serves a few civilian charter flights from northern Europe during the summer. The civil aviation installations are accessed from the south.Araxos Airport (in Greek)

Gallery

File:Strofilia Forest and lagoon.jpg, The

Umbrella pine ''Sciadopitys verticillata'', the or Japanese umbrella-pine, is a unique conifer endemic to Japan, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands. It is the sole living member of the family Sciadopityaceae and genus ''Sciadopitys'', a living fossil with no cl ...

(Pinus pinea) forest of Strofylia and the ''Prokopos lagoon''. File:Λιμνοθάλασσα Καλογριάς - Kalogria Lagoon 01.jpg, Prokopos Lagoon File:Όχθη Λιμνοθάλασσας Καλογριάς - Kalogria Lagoon Shore.jpg, Kalogria (Prokopos) Lagoon Shore File:Λιμνοθάλασσα Καλογριάς Πανοραμική - Kalogria Lagoon Panorama.jpg, Prokopos Lagoon Panorama File:KALOGRIA (1).jpg, Partial panoramic view of Prokopos Lagoon within Strofylia Forrest, near Araxos village, Kalogria Village,

Kalogria beach Kalogria beach () is the name of a sandy and award-winning with Blue Flag beach that is located in the vicinity of the village Araxos, in Northwestern Peloponnese, Greece. The beach is beside the , it has a length of ~9 Km and width 80m and is on ...

and Araxos Cape in Western

Achaia Achaea () or Achaia (), sometimes transliterated from Greek as Akhaia (, ''Akhaḯa'', ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Western Greece and is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. The ...

. File:KALOGRIA (2).jpg, Partial panoramic view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:KALOGRIA (3).jpg, Partial panoramic view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:KALOGRIA (5).jpg, Partial view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:KALOGRIA (6).jpg, Partial view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:KALOGRIA (7).jpg, Partial view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:KALOGRIA (8).jpg, Partial view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:KALOGRIA Panorama.jpg, Panoramic view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:Βιότοπος Στροφυλιάς 01.jpg, Partial view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:Βιότοπος Στροφυλιάς 011.jpg, Partial view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:Βιότοπος Στροφυλιάς 021.jpg, Partial view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:Βιότοπος Στροφυλιάς 031.jpg, Partial view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:Βιότοπος Στροφυλιάς 041.jpg, Partial view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:Βιότοπος Στροφυλιάς 051.jpg, Partial view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:Βιότοπος Στροφυλιάς 061.jpg, Partial view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:Βιότοπος Στροφυλιάς 06.jpg, Partial view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:Βιότοπος Στροφυλιάς 071.jpg, Partial view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:Βιότοπος Στροφυλιάς 081.jpg, The Umbrella pine (Pinus pinea) forest of Strofylia and the Prokopos lagoon. File:Βιότοπος Στροφυλιάς 09.jpg, Partial view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:Βιότοπος Στροφυλιάς 10.jpg, Partial view of Prokopos Lagoon. File:Βιότοπος Στροφυλιάς 05.jpg, Halocnemum strobilaceum in Prokopos Lagoon. File:Βιότοπος Στροφυλιάς 07.jpg, Partial view of Prokopos Lagoon with Halocnemum strobilaceum. File:Ξωκλήσι Αγίου Πέτρου.jpg, Saint Peter's orthodox chapel surrounded by Halocnemum strobilaceum in Prokopos Lagoon.

References

External links

Araxos Airport in Greek Airport Guide
{{Authority control Populated places in Achaea West Achaea Military installations of Greece