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35-513: The region of Western Macedonia is situated in north-western Greece, bordering with the regions of Central Macedonia (east), Thessaly (south), Epirus (west), and bounded to the north at the international borders of Greece with the Republic of North Macedonia ( Bitola , Resen and Novaci municipalities) and Albania ( Korçë County ). Although it covers a total surface of 9,451 km (3,649 sq mi) (7.2% of country's total), it has

70-518: A Slavic Macedonian identity. Other smaller communities include Aromanians and Arvanites . The region has shrunk by 28,633 people between 2011 and 2021, experiencing a highest percentage population loss in Greece of 10.1%. The biggest towns in each regional unit, according to the census of 2011 (only communities with population more than 2,000 recorded): The University of Western Macedonia provides technical education to stimulate growth throughout

105-415: A proportional system. Prefect became the president of the victorious electoral combination. Victorious is a combination which attains more than 42% in the first round of the prefectural elections. If no combination passes this threshold, a second round takes place between the two combinations that took the most votes in the first round. The State ultimately oversaw the actions of local governments, including

140-440: A total population of 283,689 inhabitants (2.6% of the country's total), thus it is a low-density populated region (30 per km, as compared to the country's 81.96 per km average). This is mainly due to the mountainous nature of the region, as 82% of the total surface are mountainous and semi-mountainous areas. This is also reflected in the population distribution, as a majority of the population (56%) lives in rural areas. The capital of

175-475: Is also home to Mount Athos, which is an important center of religious tourism. Pieria combines extensive plains, high mountains and sandy beaches and the region's beauty gives it a great potential for further tourist development. It is estimated that 10,000 people climb Mount Olympus each year, most of them reaching only the Skolio summit. Most climbs of Mount Olympus start from the town of Litochoro , which took

210-417: Is based at its capital city of Thessaloniki and is divided into seven regional units (pre-Kallikratis prefectures ), Chalkidiki , Imathia , Kilkis , Pella , Pieria , Serres and Thessaloniki . These are further subdivided into 38 municipalities . Although geographically part of Central Macedonia, Mount Athos is not administratively part of the region, but an autonomous self-governing state under

245-565: Is highly developed, both in the primary and the secondary sectors. The largest plain in Greece is situated in Central Macedonia. Thessaloniki , the metropolis of Macedonia , is Greece's second largest city. The highest mountains of the region of Central Macedonia are Mount Olympus (2,918 m.), Voras Mountains (2,524 m.), Pierian Mountains (2,193 m.), Vermio Mountains (2,065 m.) and Mount Athos (2,033 m.). The largest rivers are

280-568: Is home to numerous notable Byzantine monuments , including the Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki , a UNESCO World Heritage Site , as well as several Roman , Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish structures. Apart from being the cultural center of Macedonia, Thessaloniki is also a hub for urban tourism and gastronomy . Prefectures of Greece During the first administrative division of independent Greece in 1833–1836 and again from 1845 until their abolition with

315-557: Is located in Zone of Alternate Urban Planning (ZEP) in the city of Kozani. The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 4.0 billion € in 2018, accounting for 2.1% of Greek economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 17,700 € or 59% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 79% of the EU average. The unemployment rate stood at 19.7% in 2021, one of

350-515: Is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece , consisting of the central part of the geographical and historical region of Macedonia . With a population of almost 1.8 million, it is the second most populous region in Greece after Attica . The region of Central Macedonia is situated in Northern Greece , bordering the regions of Western Macedonia (west), Thessaly (south), Eastern Macedonia and Thrace (east), and bounded to

385-509: Is produced in the Region) and the fur-leather sector. However, "soft" structures have not followed the general improvement of heavy infrastructures, a situation that has to be remedied, in order to achieve an overall higher economic development of the Region. The R&D services are at a rather low level: only 3,5% of the country's total research foundations are situated in the Region. Among them,

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420-558: The Attica Prefecture , where more than a third of the country's population resided, was further subdivided into four prefecture-level administrations (νομαρχίες, sing. νομαρχία). In addition, there were three super-prefectures (υπερνομαρχίες, sing. υπερνομαρχία) controlling two or more prefectures. With the Kallikratis reform, which entered into force on 1 January 2011, the prefectures were abolished. Many, especially in

455-699: The GDP per capita of Central Macedonia was € 14,400, marking a 9th place of the 13 regions of Greece, well below the national average of € 18,500. Central Macedonia is Greece's fourth-most-popular tourist region and the most popular destination that is not an island . The Chalkidiki peninsula is Macedonia 's most popular beach destination, combining 550 kilometres (340 mi) of sandy beaches with dense forests. There were 116 Blue Flag beaches in Macedonia in 2018, 85 of which were in Chalkidiki. Chalkidiki

490-787: The Haliacmon , the Axios , the Loudias and the Gallikos (Echedoros) , which all flow into the Thermaic Gulf , creating the Axios-Loudias-Aliakmonas National Park . Koroneia , Volvi , Doiran and Kerkini lakes are situated in Central Macedonia. The coasts are continuous, smooth, sandy and suitable for swimming (except the estuaries and the shores of the urban complex of Thessaloniki). The region

525-577: The Kallikratis reform in 2010, the prefectures ( Greek : νομοί, sing. νομός , romanized :  nomoi, sing. nomós ) were the country's main administrative unit. They are now defunct, and have been approximately replaced by regional units . They are called departments in ISO 3166-2:GR and by the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names . The prefectures were

560-545: The Seleucids from Orestis and the Antigonids from Elimiotis . The population of Western Macedonia was 283,689 according to the 2011 Greek census . Today, the region is predominantly ethnic Greek with Slavophone Greeks being a minority. The former are mainly concentrated in the towns Florina , Kastoria and Ptolemaida . There are also around 1,400 Slavophones—approximately 0.5% of the local population—who profess

595-665: The University of Western Macedonia plays an important role in supporting the regional research and educational efforts. However, an enhanced interaction with SME's will be a crucial factor, in order to improve the productivity and the added value of products and services generated in the Region of Western Macedonia. Some of its more famous products are marbles , Saffron ( krokos Kozanis), fruits, Florina peppers , local wines ( Kozani , Amyntaio ), furs ( Kastoria , Siatista ) and specialized arts and crafts industry. The A2 motorway (Egnatia Odos, Trans–European Network) that crosses

630-543: The ancient Greek regions of Orestis , Elimiotis , Eordaea , Tymphaea , part of Lynkestis , of Upper Macedonia . Miltiades Hatzopoulos and other scholars suggest that the Argead Macedonians wandered from Orestis to Lower Macedonia where they founded the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon . Three of the most important Hellenistic dynasties originated from Upper Macedonia : the Lagids from Eordaea ,

665-458: The Prefect (νομάρχης) and presided by a Council President (πρόεδρος). Other organs of the prefectures were: Super-prefectures had their own organs (Council, Committee and Super-prefect). Prefectural councillors were elected via public election every four years. Three-fifths of all seats went to the combination winning a majority and two-fifths of the seats going to remaining parties based on

700-589: The burial sites of several kings of Macedon were found, including the tomb of Philip II of Macedon . It is also the site of an extensive royal palace. The archaeological museum of Vergina was built to house all the artifacts found at the site and is one of the most important museums in Greece. Pella , which replaced Aigai as the capital of Macedon in the fourth century BC, is also located in Central Macedonia, as well as Dion in Pieria and Amphipolis . These are important destinations for cultural tourism . Thessaloniki

735-578: The duties of the previous prefectures, which are related to their local affairs. Nonetheless, the affairs of "(central) state administration" belonging to the prefects before 1994 are now exerted by the Presidents of the Regions (περιφερειάρχης). The Prefectural Self-Governments kept the "local affairs of prefectureal level" not belonging to the "(central) state administration". With certain laws specific affairs of certain ministries were transferred to

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770-636: The elections are held together with the European Parliament elections for a five-year period. The region is based at Kozani and is divided into four regional units (the pre-Kallikratis prefectures ). It comprises 12 municipalities (down from 61 pre-Kallikratis local administrative units). Along with the neighboring Epirus region it is supervised by the Ioannina -based Decentralized Administration of Epirus and Western Macedonia . The modern region of Western Macedonia roughly corresponds to

805-621: The highest regional unemployment rates in the European Union . As one of thirteen administrative regions , the Western Macedonia Region ( Greek : Περιφέρεια Δυτικής Μακεδονίας , Periféria Dytikís Makedonías ) was established in 1987, comprising the prefectures of Kastoria , Grevena , Kozani and Florina . In the absence of a working budget the administrative regions however remained unable to fulfill even their limited responsibilities, until in 1994 they assumed

840-566: The last decade, providing the regional population with adequate services and modern facilities. The last years the region is being developed in tourism mainly on winter. It is the only Greek region without sea coast, but there are a lot of lakes, mountains, villages and two big ski centers in Florina ( Vigla ) and Grevena ( Vasilitsa ) and one other under construction in Kozani ( Velvendos ). The administrative building of Western Macedonia region

875-451: The mainland, were retained in the form of regional units (περιφερειακές ενότητες) within the empowered regions, which largely took over the prefectures' administrative role. The "Prefectural Self-Governments" were formed in 1994 and replaced the previous prefectures, whose councils and prefects were appointed by the government. Prefectures were governed by a Prefectural Council (νομαρχιακό συμβούλιο) made up of 21 to 37 members, led by

910-546: The name City of Gods because of its location at the foot of the mountain. Central Macedonia is home to the ancient city of Aigai (modern day Vergina ), one of Greece's 18 UNESCO World Heritage sites , which was the first capital of ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon . In 336 BC Philip II was assassinated in Aigai's theatre and his son, Alexander the Great , was proclaimed king. The most important recent finds were made in 1977 when

945-480: The north at the international borders of Greece by the Republic of North Macedonia and Bulgaria . The southern part is coastal and is bathed by the Thermaic , Toroneos , Singitic and Strymonic gulfs. The largest city and capital of the region is Thessaloniki . Serres is the second most populous city, followed by Katerini , Veria and Giannitsa . Central Macedonia is basically lowland and, with many rivers,

980-461: The prefectures' competences in regard to tax collection , European structural funding and treasury . Resulting from the 2010 Kallikratis Programme , prefectures were abolished and instead, the regions became self-governing bodies in their own right with powers and authority being redefined and largely extended. Starting with the 2010 local elections , both the regional governor and the regional council have been popularly elected. From 2014 on,

1015-519: The prefectures, but the Constitution of Greece and the Code of Prefectural Self-Government still provided communities and municipalities with legal control over the administration of their designated areas. The Code of Prefectural Self-Government did not include a non-restrictive list of prefectural duties, but a general rule, according to which the newly formed Prefectural Self-Governments had all

1050-483: The region is Kozani with 53,880 inhabitants. Other main towns are Ptolemaida (37,289), Grevena (17,610), Florina (19,985) and Kastoria (16,958). The region has one operational Industrial Area in Florina and another one under construction in Kozani. The secondary sector is very important for the Regional economy, mainly due to the mining activities, the production of electric power (70% of country's total power

1085-422: The region, along with its two vertical National Roads, form a network that dramatically improves the transport conditions in the Region and alter its traditional "isolation" image, mainly due to its mountainous landscape. On the other hand, the railroad network is insufficient and the two airports (Kozani and Kastoria) can only serve small passenger planes. The telecommunication network has dramatically improved over

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1120-1012: The region, and is located in Kozani , Florina and Kastoria . Programs at the university in Florina include courses of study in the Pedagogic Department and the Department of Balkan studies. The Technological Educational Institute of Western Macedonia (TEIWM) provides undergraduate degrees in Engineering, Business and Finance, Agriculture, Health and Welfare. Based in Kozani, it operates satellite campuses in Kastoria, Florina, Grevena and Ptolemaida . Central Macedonia Central Macedonia ( / ˌ m æ s ə ˈ d oʊ n i ə / MASS -ə- DOH -nee-ə ; Greek : Κεντρική Μακεδονία , romanized :  Kentrikí Makedonía , IPA: [ce(n)driˈci maceðoˈni.a] )

1155-445: The second-degree organization of local government, grouped into 13 regions or (before 1987) 10 geographical departments , and in turn divided into provinces and comprising a number of communities and municipalities . The prefectures became self-governing entities in 1994, when the first prefectural-level elections took place. The prefects were previously appointed by the government. By 2010, their number had risen to 51, of which one,

1190-420: The sovereignty of Greece. The region has shrunk by 90,039 people between 2011 and 2021 , experiencing a population loss of 4.8%. The modern Greek region of Central Macedonia roughly corresponds to the ancient Greek region of Lower Macedonia , which included the center and two capitals, Aigai (Vergina) and Pella , of ancient Macedonia . Pella was the birthplace of Alexander the Great . In 2011,

1225-653: Was established in the 1987 administrative reform as the Central Macedonia Region ( Greek : Περιφέρεια Κεντρικής Μακεδονίας , romanized :  Periféria Kentrikís Makedonías ). With the 2010 Kallikratis plan , its powers and authority were redefined and extended. Along with Eastern Macedonia and Thrace , it is supervised by the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace , based in Thessaloniki . The region

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