Information about Thessaloniki Prefecture

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Thessaloniki Prefecture Νομός Θεσσαλονίκης

Thessaloniki (Greek: Θεσσαλονίκη) is a nomos (prefecture) in Greece, containing Thessaloniki, Lagana and the northern portion of the Chalcidicean peninsula. The prefecture is the second in Greece in population and the largest in Macedonia as well as northern Greece.

Geography

The prefecture stretches from the Thermian Gulf to the Strymon Gulf. The Thermian Gulf is to the southwest while the Strymon Gulf is in the east. Two bodies of water stretch to the north, the Lagkada Lagoon in the heart of the prefecture and Lake Volvi to the east. The mountains are in the central and the northern parts, farmlands are in the western and the southwestern part and few to the northeast, the northern portion and along the Axios valley. The mountains include the Chortiatis to the westcentral part, the Vertiskos to the north and parts of the Kerdylio mountains to the northeast. The prefectures is bounded with the Imathia prefecture to the southwest, Pella to the west, Kilkis to the north, Serres to the east and Chalkidiki to the south

History

The Thessaloniki Prefecture was created when Thessaloniki joined with the rest of Greece during the First Balkan War in 1913. The area then was the largest in Greece covering about 7% of all of Greece. Pella split in 1930, Kilkis prefecture split in 1937 and after World War II in 1947, Imathia and Pieria split from the Thessaloniki prefecture. It did not affect the population rank and remained first in Macedonia, Central Macedonia and northern Greece. The prefecture was to be struck by an earthquake in the 1970s and later recent heavy rainfalls clumbered parts of the prefecture in the 2000s.

The rainfall of October 8, 2006 (see Flooding of Central Macedonia) hampered the eastern portion of the prefecture, Apollonia, Greece, Asprovalta, Nea Madytos Stavros and Vrasna were affected sawing the streams overflowed with mud and about 300 houses were flooded and damaged. Several people were stranded that one helicopter helped several victims trapped in the raging floodwaters. The valley area was heavily flooded seeing much of the crops damaged with some not being affected. Trees were sawn over the flooded plain. Three bridges were destroyed including the old section of the Via Egnatia paralyzing traffic between Thessaloniki and Kavala and the other eroded a lane of the local road. The superhighway is north of the affected area and was re-opened. One of the causes of the flooding is the garbage not being cleaned out from its streams, the other was of poor architecture.

Climate

Its climate includes hot Mediterranean summers and cool to mild winters in low lying areas and its plains. Winter is very common in areas 500 m above sea level and into the mountains.

Transport

Roads and Highways

The area is connected by roads and highways

• Greek National Road 1/E75 (superhighway), SW, W, NW
• Greek National Road 2/E90 (partially superhighway), NW, Cen., E
• Greek National Road 4/E90, the Via Egnatia, Cen., SW
• Greek National Road 12 (superhighway), NW
• Greek National Road 18, SW
• Greek National Road 67
• Thessaloniki Ring, Cen, S.

History

Several superhighways and highways were added including the GR-1 and the new Via Egnatia link with Thessaloniki and the superhighway in 1973, the Thessaloniki Ring and the Diagonal Road (GR-67, partly GR-18) and the partial section of the GR-65 in the 1970s and the 1980s and lately the Via Egnatia superhighway between 1997 and 2005 and currently, the GR-12 will be converted to a superhighway standard in the late-2000s and the early-2010s.

Other

• Transit System (Thessaloniki)
• Future Thessaloniki Subway System opening around 2011

Communications

Most of the stations are in the city (see Thessaloniki#Communications). Here are list of stations outside the city:

• Thermi TV - Thermi

Sporting teams

Basketball teams

• PAOK
• Aris
• Iraklis

Football/Soccer teams

• PAOK
• Iraklis
• Apollon Kalamarias
• Aris

Municipalities and communities

Municipality	YPES code	Seat (if different)	Postal code	Area code
Agios Athanasios	2101		570 03	2310-70
Agios Georgios	2102	Asprovalta	570 21	23970-2
Agios Pavlos	2103		554	2310-20 & 21
Ampelokipoi	2104		561	2310-72 through 74
Apollonia	2106	Nea Apollonia	570 15	23930-4
Arethousa	2107		570 21	23950-4
Assiros	2108		572 00	23940-6
Axios	2105	Kymina	573 00	23910-4
Chalastra	2142		573 00	2310-74
Chalkidona	2143		570 07	23910-2
Chortiatis	2144	Asvestochori	570 10	2310-35
Echedoros	2116	Sindos	570 08	2310-78
Efkarpia	2114		564	2310-68
Egnatia	2111	Profitis	573 00	23930-5
Eleftherio-Kordelio	2112		562	2310-70 through 77
Epanomi	2113		575 00	23920-4
Evosmos	2115		562	2310-57 and 70
Kalamaria	2120		551	2310-40 through 49
Kallindoia	2122	Zagkliveri	570 12	23930-3
Kallithea	2121		545	2310-78
Koroneia	2123	Gerakarou	570 12	23930-2
Koufalia	2124		571 00	23950-5
Lachanas	2126	Xylopoli	570 14	23940-9
Lagkadas	2125		572 00	23940-2
Madytos	2127	Nea Madytos	570 14	23970-4
Menemeni	2128		561	2310-70 through 79
Michaniona	2129	Nea Michaniona	570 04	23920-3
Mikra	2130	Trilofo	575 00	23920-6
Mygdonia	2131	Liti	545	23940-73
Neapoli	2132		562	2310-60 through 68
Oraiokastro	2145		570 13	2310-69
Panorama	2133		552	2310-34
Pefka	2134		570 10	2310-67
Polichni	2135		565	2310-60 through 68
Pylaia	2136		552	2310-30 through 39
Rentina	2137		570 10	23970-6
Sochos	2138		570 05	23950-
Stavroupoli	2139		564	2310-60 through 69
Sykies	2140		566	2310- 20 through 29 & 60 through 69
Thermaikos	2117	Peraia	570 19	23920-2
Thermi	2118		570 01	2310-41
Thessaloniki	2119		54x xx & 55x xx	2310-2 through 6
Triandria	2141		553	2310-90 through 99
Vasilika	2109		570 06	23960-2
Vertiskos	2110	Ossa	572 00	23940-9

See also: List of settlements in the Thessaloniki prefecture