Laconia
Laconia (Greek Lakonía Λακωνία ) is a Greek landscape in the south of the Peloponnese region.
Laconia was in ancient times also the name of the Spartan state, the free inhabitants were called Laconians or Lacedaemonians. From the adjective laconic as a term for the Spartans ( cf. spartan ), the term is derived from laconic speech.
After the founding of the modern state of Lakonia Greece was established as a prefecture in 1833 and remained so with some interruptions until the administrative reform of 2010. Here, their skills were transferred to the aggregating in number greatly reduced communities and the Peloponnese region. Since then, Laconia is the Regional District Laconia ( gr Periferiaki Enotita Laconia ). This sends eight representatives to the Regional Council of the Peloponnese region, but also has no political significance. Laconia includes the municipalities Anatoliki Mani, Elafonisos, Evrotas, Monemvasia and Sparta.
Geography
Laconia is between the Parnon and the Taygetos mountains, high mountain ranges, which usually exceed the thousand - foot mark and thus made the whole land in the ancient world into a fortress. The mountain ranges run in two "fingers " of the Peloponnese peninsula, the Parnon at the end of a rather low chain of karst hills in cape Kremidi, the Taygetos in the Mani peninsula. Between them there is the Laconian Gulf and the fertile valley of the river Evrotas, which, until it reaches the laconic golf after about 70 km, is complemented by numerous tributaries, which provide the entire valley for uniform watering.
From the powerful in the ancient capital of Sparta only scant archaeological remains were preserved. Among the most famous tourist destinations of the prefecture belongs to the Byzantine Mystras and the cave of Diros in West Mani.
Former provinces ( επαρχίες )
At the foundation of Laconia, the territory from the provinces was
- Epidavros Limiras ( Επίδαυρος Λιμήρας ), capital Molai
- Lake Demon ( Λακεδαίμων ), the capital of Sparta
- Gythio ( Γύθειο ), capital Gythio
- Itylo ( Οίτυλο ), capital Areopoli
At times, namely 1836-1845 and 1899-1909 was Laconia in two areas divided, namely in Laconia with the provinces Gythio and Itylo ( 1899-1909 than Lakoniki Prefecture) and Lacedaemon in the strict sense, the provinces Lake Demon and Epidavros Limiras included. The Kythira province belonged from 1866 to 1909 to the prefecture of Laconia and Lakoniki.