Thesprotia

Thesprotia (Greek Θεσπρωτία, dt also Thesprotia; Albanian Qarku cameria or Qarku i Çamërisë ) is a landscape in Greece, which forms one of the four regional districts of the Greek region of Epirus. Capital is Igoumenitsa. From 1936 until the Greek administrative reform in 2010 had the status of a prefecture Thesprotia; January 1, 2011 whose powers were divided between the region and the numerically much reduced communities. The Regional District Thesprotia sends seven MPs in the Epirus Regional Council, but also has no political significance. It includes the municipalities of Filiates, Igoumenitsa, Souli and Sagiada.

Geography

Thesprotia is located in the western and northern region of Epirus in Greece.

In ancient times, the landscape Thesprotia was bounded on the west by the coast of the Ionian Sea. The northern border is formed by the river Kalama (alternative and ancient name Thyamis ), which Thesprotia by the landscape Chaonia Corfu island opposite, separated. The southern part of Chaonia heard in the modern to the Regional District of Thesprotia, the northern part of Vlorë County (Albania). The southern boundary of the landscape Thesprotia was the river Acheron. According to others, position the southern boundary of the ancient region of Thesprotia, between the rivers Acheron and Louros and thus closed the northern areas of the Regional District of Preveza which gained its exclave Parga one. The adjoining countryside in the south and southwest was called Kassiopia. The southeast of Thesprotia bordered the land Amvrakia ( Ambracia ), the east-southeast border separated Thesprotia and Athamania. The eastern boundary of the landscape Thesprotia is not clearly defined. To the northeast and east bordered on the landscape Molossis ( Molossia ) in Thesprotia. The ancient sanctuary of Dodona was in Molossis on the eastern border of Thesprotia. Parts of Molossis today are partly the northeastern part of the Regional District Thesprotia.

The area of Thesprotia important in its borders of the ancient landscape somewhat. In the north, bordering the modern Thesprotia in Albania. The border with Albania case runs on the southern foothills of the mountains ceraunischen (Mali Kanalit ) and shares the ancient landscape Chaonia in a northern Albanian and in a southern Greek part. This part of Thesprotia is dominated by the southern slopes of the mountains keraunischen. An offshoot of the Ceraunischen mountains, the Tsamanda in the northeastern region of Thesprotia, is the highest elevation of Thesprotia with a height of 1,759 m; the summit is on the Albanian-Greek border. The coast around and especially north of Sagiada is rugged and rocky. Towards the east- northeast, the vegetation increases, especially during the transition to the easternmost mountains Nordpindos. Second dominant and at the same time limiting factor of the northern Thesprotia is the river Kalama ( Thyamis ). It flows from north-east from the Nemertsika massif of the Pindos mountain range over 115 km in length in the Bay of Valtos the Ionian Sea to the southwest. In the course of which he forms canyons, especially between the villages Vrosina and Pende Ekklisies, but also planes as the north of Neraida. Shortly before his mouth in the Ionian Sea of Kalamos is a river delta with hydro- biotopes. It is between Igoumenitsa in the south and Sagiada and Asprokklisi in the north. The village is located on Filiates a northern tributary of Kalama on the northern edge of the eastern plain of the river mouth.

The course of the Kalama separates the northern part of Thesprotia from the central part. To the west on the coast of the Ionian Sea is located on the bay of Igoumenitsa, which forms a protected harbor, the city of Igoumenitsa. To the east of Igoumenitsa the mountain Varathi rises with a maximum height of 657 m above sea level and forms the southern boundary of the Kalama - mouth plane. Further east rise in northwest-southeast orientation of the mountain ranges of the Ori Paramythias and directly east of it the Souliou mountain range. The latter is also the border eastwards to the Regional District of Ioannina south of Kalama Valley. The Ori Paramythias form the eastern boundary of the valley of Paramithia or the valley of the river Cocytus, which arises between Kefalovryso and Paramithia and south- south-east flowing towards Parga. The Cocytus valley is a fertile plain, which slowly decreases with the villages Gardiki, Glyki and Vouvopotamos on the height level of the Ionian Sea. In Glyki of Cocytus in the Acheron, which flows coming to the west from the east to the Ionian Sea flows. The Cocytus valley widens from the confluence of Cocytus and Acheron to the west across the Ionian Sea to significantly up.

The southern boundary of the territory, which includes, in contrast to the ancient region of Acheron back until its confluence with the Cocytus to the east. To the west, the boundary runs to the Regional District of Thesprotia Preveza north of Acheron on the southern foothills of the mountains of Parga. Between the mouth of the Acheron in the south near Ammoudia ( near the ancient Ephyra ) and the bay of Parga extends one tongue ' thesprotischen area to the bay of Agios Ioannis on the Ionian Sea. Both north-west of this tongue ( area of Parga ) and south-southeast of the tongue, the landscape is part of the Regional District of Preveza. The mountains of Parga ( Ori Parga ), which run parallel to the coast of the Ionian sea to the south of the bay of Igoumenitsa belong completely to Thesprotia.

The southeast border is the course of the Acheron to the southernmost point of Souliou mountain range. On the same mountain range, the eastern boundary of the district runs Thesprotia Ioannina towards the north. At the northern end of the Ori Paramythias Souliou Mountains offer a passport to the passage between the valley and plain of Paramithia the west and the valley of Dodona in the east: the, stairs Paramythias ' (scale Paramythias ).

Thesprotia has the westernmost point of mainland Greece on the border with Albania.

History

The ancient inhabitants of Thesprotia - the Thesprotians - were beside the molosses and Chaoniern one of the three major tribes in ancient Epirus. Already Homer described in the Odyssey as the Thesprotians seafaring people under the rule of a king. The most important city of the ancient landscape was Ephyra Thesprotia which had a very famous oracle of the dead ( Nekromantion ).

Economy

Thesprotia economic strength is based on agriculture and tourism. Agriculture is operated in the plains of Thesprotia, for example, along the rivers Acheron and Kalama, but also in the level of Paramithia. Tourism is becoming increasingly important. The industry has so far been rather weak in Thesprotia. In the district of Nea Selefkia in the north of Igoumenitsa there is an industrial area with predominantly small industrial enterprises. The newly created industrial park on Highway 2 (Greece ) between Igoumenitsa and Paramithia is currently being used by a few companies to complete. Importantly - especially in the area of Igoumenitsa - is the service sector in conjunction with the port. Through the construction and expansion of the port, the immediate access to the highway 2 and the planned for 2012 to 2015 connections to the Greek railway network is a more intensive use of the commercial sector to expect goods.

Traffic

Road

The backbone of the public and private transport in Thesprotia is as in the rest of Greece and the road network dar. Thesprotia is crossed by several national roads, which all but two -lane highways are expanded with oncoming traffic.

The National Road 6 starts in Igoumenitsa and performs as winding route through the mountains to the east of Igoumenitsa to Ioannina. The National Road 6 is at the same time the European Route 90 and 92 In the 1990s, the line was repeatedly expanded under the topographical possibilities of line and repaired. She is currently the main east-west route to and from Thesprotia, the position but will lose with probability bordering on certainty the further south running highway 2, if it is on all the range consistently between Igoumenitsa and Ioannina ( later consistently to Thessaloniki ) passable.
The National Highway 18 leads in the interior of Thesprotia Filiates about Paramithia and Garidiki south towards Preveza. She has, in spite of the status as a national road, structurally and in terms of traffic the character of a branch line.
The road from Igoumenitsa to Preveza, which, however, does not directly lead along the coast, to this extend, to Parga and Preveza, has special significance for north- south traffic in the regional district. It is not a national road, but probably part of the European Route 55 This route was extended due to the increasing of tourism traffic.
Increasing importance has the street from Filiates after Sagiada in the northwest of the Regional District. By the opening of a border crossing to Albania in the 1990s, a new route for the movement of goods and people to and from Albania ( Vlore province ) has emerged.
The most important road in west-east direction is 2 (A2, Egnatia Odos ) the highway are. This starts right at the port of Igoumenitsa and leads eastwards across Paramithia to Ioannina. The four-lane highway with due to the topography of numerous and complex structures such as bridges and tunnels will consistently lead in the final over to Thessaloniki Ioannina, Grevena, Kozani and Veria. Also, a connection of Kastoria on Highway 15 (Greece ) is already partially in operation, a connection to Central Greece and Thessaly on the planned motorway 3 as well as links to the southern Epirus, the western mainland Greece and the Peloponnese by the Highway 5 ( Ionia Odos ) is provided, which will result in total to a massive reduction in the travel and transportation times to and from Thesprotia. Since the Highway 2 is also continuous from Thessaloniki to Alexandroupolis and further be accessible to the Turkish border, Thesprotia is assigned in west-east direction to the north of Greece, the western end of the most powerful main axis of the road traffic.

Railway

A link to the Greek railway network Thesprotia does not currently. As part of the trans-European transport corridors and networks ( TENs), however, is planned at the Greek railway network connection Thesprotia. This is to the south of the route of Highway 2 a railway station in Igoumenitsa arise. The railway line is there beginning then run east to Ioannina and get from there to the southeast connection to the existing rail network in Kalambaka ( from there connecting to Thessaloniki and Athens). At the same time a new railway line along the Ionian Sea is provided by means of a new route from Ioannina from south to Patras. Construction is projected for 2012. However, the implementation will not be backed up, since due to the mountainous topography as in the Highway 2 enormous costs will be incurred during construction.

Aviation

A national or international airport is not in the field of Thesprotia.

Seafaring

The maritime transport has received an overwhelming importance of Thesprotia in the form of ferry traffic. Igoumenitsa and its port is the end point and stopover for ferry services (people, vehicles) between Greece and Italy, with the cities of Bari, Ancona, Brindisi and Venice. These ferry services are mainly used by tourists from Central and Western Europe. Your use increased significantly in the early 1990s, when the country passage from Central Europe to Greece was impassable due to the wars in the former Yugoslavia. In addition to the ferry to Italy and the south of Greece (especially Patras ) is Igoumenitsa the end point of the passenger and car ferry to Corfu.

Media

Thesprotia, the send in addition to national Greek radio station local radio station on FM. These are (selection)

Radiothesprotia - 97.1 and 103.2 FM and FM with RDS. location Paramithia
Radio Igoumenitsa - 89.2 and 92.3 FM and FM with RDS. Location: Igoumenitsa
4U Radio Igoumenitsa - 93.3 FM FM with RDS. Location: Igoumenitsa
Ekklisia Paramythias - 105.1 FM and 105.9 FM. Location: Paramithia

In addition to national and local radio stations and radio programs from Corfu, Ioannina and Preveza can be received. The reception of Albanian radio stations is possible in the north of Thesprotia.

Television reception in Thesprotia is terrestrial and still analog. In the next few years also turns in Thesprotia and the rest of the country, the DVB -T, that is already applied in Athens, Thessaloniki and Thessaly and covers about 60 % of the total population of Greece. In Thesprotia you can receive the most important broadcasting Greece in good quality and the regional stations from Arta and Corfu. The number of air television was in 2007 at 25 stations, as not all Greek TV stations have a valid broadcasting license for the whole Greece. Thesprotia also had a local television station, called ALFA TV Igoumenitsa. This has ceased operations again.

The internet connection in Thesprotia is feasible with good speeds. DSL connections with up to 24,000 Mbps are available.

The reception of mobile phones is very good in Thesprotia in towns and settlement areas. Problems with the reception of network signals from mobile phone networks are due to the mountainous geography of Thesprotia encountered yet. All three networks of the Greek mobile phone provider Cosmote, Vodafone GR (formerly Panafon ), WIND GR (formerly TIM GR) can be received in Thesprotia.

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