Almopia

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Almopia (Greek Αλμωπία ( f sg ), slaw Meglen, osm. Karacaova ) is a historical region in Greece on the border with Macedonia, until the local government reform in 1997 as a province Almopia ( gr Eparchia Almopias ) was part of the prefecture of Pella and is since 2011, a municipality in the north-west of the Central Macedonia region. Almopia was between 1910 and 1930 affected by the aftermath of the Balkan Wars and the Greek - Turkish war of a fundamental population change; the current inhabitants are Greeks mostly descendants of refugees (especially Pontier and Cappadocians, Caucasian, Thracians and Turkish-speaking inhabitants of Asia Minor ) from the territory of modern Turkey and the Middle Ages resident Slavs and Slavic- Greek Macedonians, while all non- Greek Orthodox inhabitants of the province after and had to leave Bulgaria to Turkey. To date, the Northeast Almopias also part of the main settlement area of ​​the Meglenorumänen, a Balkan Romance minority in Greece.

The hitherto thirty towns in the province Almopia were summarized in 1997 the two communities Aridea and Exaplatanos. With the administrative reform of 2010, the municipality Almopia was formed from these two communities, which has its administrative headquarters since then in the small town Aridea.

Toponyms and etymology

Almopia ( ancient Greek Almopia Ἀλμωπία ) is the ancient Greek name of a district of ancient Macedonia, whose inhabitants were called Almōpes ( Ἀλμῶπες ) and whose name has been attributed to a mythical giant Almops, son of Poseidon and Helle, was the reputed that he lived in this area. Ptolemy mentions three cities in this area, namely Hormah ( Ὅρμα ), Europos ( Εὔρωπος ) and Apsalos ( Ἄψαλος ). Received The present territory of the municipality, which in the Middle Ages the Slavic name Meglen (, fog ', maz. Меглен, Bulgarian Мъглен, Greek Moglena Μογλενά ) is situates as the ancient Almopia. In the early Byzantine period, the area received by a same attachment presumably near Notias the Greek name Enotia ( Ενωτία ), which was also used from 1915 to 1927 for the province. The Turkish name of the area was Karacaova (, Schwarztal ', gr Karatzova Καρατζόβα ).

Geography

Almopia includes topographical, geological, traffic- and climatically some special features which clearly distinguish them from the area.

Geographical location and topography

Almopia is in the northwest of the Greek region Central Macedonia and covers the level of Aridea, which lies at about 100-200 m above sea level, and the slopes of the surrounding mountains, which almost completely surround the municipality. The Vora Mountains demarcates the community from the south and west of the neighboring Edessa Florina westmakedonischen, the west and north it forms the border with Macedonia. The westernmost and highest point of the area is the eponymous main peak of Vora ( 2524 m, also Kaimakchalan ), the third highest peak in Greece, which marks here, triangle ' between Western, Central Macedonia and the Republic of Macedonia. In the north of Vora is the Pinovo massif ( 2156 m ), which lies largely in the municipal territory, its conclusion. A little further north follows the Tzena or Kožuf massif, which with the Tzena ( 2182m ) has a further two thousand meters peaks in the municipality. To the east the massif of Paiko between the Skra ( 1097 m ) to the north and the Meterizi ( 1598 m), which forms the southern end rises. It marks the east boundary of the municipality Peonia and separates in the southeast Almopia from the territory of the municipality Pella.

In the South Central mountain -like hills connects the southern foothills of Vora and Paiko, here bordered the town Skydra to Almopia. The level of Aridea is by the river Moglenitsas or Almopeos drained ( slaw Belica ). His breakthrough in the zentralmakedonische lowlands marked on the border with Skydra at just 50 m height the southernmost and the lowest point of the municipality. A road connection performs four kilometers to the west across the Apsalos Pass in height of 145 m to the south into the plane. Previously led the Moglenitsas in Giannitsa Lake and left him as Loudias, so he was also named Ano Loudias (, top Loudias '). He has become a tributary of the Aliakmona by the draining of the lake.

Numerous mountain streams form the headwaters of the Moglenitsas and irrigate the cultivated land the plane. From the north, the Koziakas ( Κόζιακας ), which rises on the hill of the same, in the plain, from the north-east from the saddle between Tzena and Skra comes the Golemas ( Γκολέμας ), the order Notia a separated from the pelvis Arideas small plane ( gr Οροπέδιο της pours άνω Αλμωπίας, high level of upper Almopia ') flows through the former is cultivated as agricultural. Coming from the Pinovo massif opens the Xiropotamos in the Golemas.

West of the Moglenitsas flows to the Toplitsa ( Τόπλιτσα ) or Thermopotamos. As Rema Nikolaou flows from this river at Kresna in Vora massif, flows through a narrow gorge and takes at Loutra Loutrakiou the water from thermal springs, which are used for medicinal purposes with their metal-rich water and the toponymy of the area ( slaw Toplica and gr Thermopotamos means warm river ', Loutra, baths ') has determined. South of the Toplitsa comes from the southern flank of the Kaimakchalan Aspropotamos which opens at Ydrea in the Moglenitsas.

• The main ridge of the Vora forms the border with the Republic of Macedonia
• The Pinovo above the level of Aridea
• The Moglenitsas at Chrysi in summer
• The basin of Ano Almopia with the village Notia

Climate

In Almopia there is a warm- temperate continental climate with relatively warm, dry summers and cool, rainy winter. The weather station in Aridea were measured an average of 5.3 days of snow fall of 1983-92 from November to March, while at the Vora from an altitude of over 1000 meters, a snow cover of more than 50 cm is not uncommon. In the plane took an average of 181 days a year to fog in spring and autumn tend to be somewhat more frequent than in the other seasons. Top Almopia is significantly cooler than the level of Aridea, the fresh climate of the area has traditionally been considered healthy. The foreclosure by mountains in all directions separates the basin climate moderately also from the surrounding landscapes and the Macedonian lowlands. The Karatzovitis, a characteristic cold dry wind from the ridge of the Vora may occur throughout the year, but is especially popular in winter often for violent, bitter cold winds in the plane. From the hopper Almopia it blows south far into the Macedonian lowlands to the remaining area Pellas and after Imathia into it. On the other hand, almost never reach the rest of Greece prevailing southerly winds, the level of Aridea.

Administrative divisions

Almopia consists of two municipal districts, which correspond to the areas of the former municipalities Aridea and Exaplatanos. Today The 30 older, small communities form villages, choose their own local offices. The population figures are derived from the results of the 2001 Census.

• District Aridea - Δημοτική Ενότητα Αριδαίας - 20,213 inhabitants. Place Aridea - Δημοτική Κοινότητα Αριδαίας - 6062 Aridea - Αριδαία - 5600
• Ydrea - Υδραία - 462

• Agathi - Αγάθη - 58
• Dorothea - Δωροθέα - 633

• Loutraki - Λουτράκι - 1163
• Loutra Loutrakiou - Λουτρά Λουτρακίου - 24

• Megaplatanos - Μεγαπλάτανος - 310
• Monastiraki - Μοναστηράκι - 169

• Kato Koryfí - Κάτω Κορυφή - 96
• Sarakini - Σαρακηνοί - 375

• Neohori - Νεοχώρι - 469
• Vorino - Βορεινό - 871

• District Exaplatanos - Δημοτική Ενότητα Εξαπλατάνου - 9141 Place Archangelos - Τοπική Κοινότητα Αρχαγγέλου ( Αρχάγγελος ) - 686
• Place Chrissi - Τοπική Κοινότητα Χρυσής ( Χρυσή ) - 395
• Place Exaplatanos - Τοπική Κοινότητα Εξαπλατάνου ( Εξαπλάτανος ) - 1768
• Place Filotia - Τοπική Κοινότητα Φιλωτείας ( Φιλώτεια ) - 639
• Place Foustani - Τοπική Κοινότητα Φούστανης ( Φούστανη ) - 542
• Place Ida - Τοπική Κοινότητα Ίδας ( Ίδα ) - 735
• Place Konstandia - Τοπική Κοινότητα Κωνσταντίας ( Κωνσταντία ) - 759
• Village Milea - Τοπική Κοινότητα Μηλέας - 1214 Milea - Μηλέα - 677
• Rizochori - Ριζοχώρι - 537

• Neromyli - Νερόμυλοι - 123
• Prodromos - Πρόδρομος - 186

• Notia - Νότια - 388
• Aetochori - Αετοχώρι - 62

• Periklia - Περίκλεια - 382
• Langadia - Λαγκαδιά - 89

Policy

To the mayor of the new municipality was in the 2010 local elections Dimitrios Pasois (PASOK ) selected whose list won 16 of the 25 seats in the municipal council. Two non -partisan electoral lists after seven and four seats.