Central Macedonia[4] is one of the thirteenadministrative regions ofGreece, consisting the central part of thegeographical and historical region ofMacedonia. With a population of almost 1.8 million, it is the second most populous region in Greece afterAttica. The capital and largest city of the region isThessaloniki.
Although geographically part of Central Macedonia,Mount Athos is not administratively part of the region, but an autonomous self-governing state under the sovereignty of Greece.
In 2011, theGDP 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.[7]
Central Macedonia is Greece'sfourth-most-popular tourist region and the most popular destination that is not anisland.[8] TheChalkidiki peninsula isMacedonia's most popular beach destination, combining 550 kilometres (340 mi) of sandy beaches with dense forests.[9] There were 116Blue Flag beaches in Macedonia in 2018, 85 of which were in Chalkidiki.[10] Chalkidiki 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 climbMount Olympus each year, most of them reaching only the Skolio summit. Most climbs of Mount Olympus start from the town ofLitochoro, which took the name City of Gods because of its location at the foot of the mountain. Central Macedonia is home to the ancient city ofAigai (modern dayVergina), one ofGreece's 18 UNESCO World Heritage sites, which was the first capital ofancient Greek kingdom ofMacedonia. In 336 BCPhilip 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 the burial sites of several kings of Macedon were found, including the tomb ofPhilip 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 asDion inPieria andAmphipolis. These are important destinations forcultural tourism.Thessaloniki is home to numerous notableByzantine monuments, including thePaleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki, aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site, as well as severalRoman, Ottoman andSephardic Jewish structures. Apart from being the cultural center of Macedonia,Thessaloniki is also a hub for urban tourism andgastronomy.[11]
