Kilkis Περιφερειακή ενότητα Κιλκίς | |
|---|---|
 Municipalities of Kilkis | |
 Kilkis within Greece | |
  Kilkis | |
| Coordinates:41°0′N22°50′E / 41.000°N 22.833°E /41.000; 22.833 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Central Macedonia |
| Seat | Kilkis |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,519 km2 (973 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 70,477 |
| • Density | 27.98/km2 (72.46/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 61x xx |
| Area code | 234x0 |
| Vehicle registration | ΚΙ |
| Website | www |
Kilkis (Greek:Περιφερειακή ενότητα Κιλκίς) is one of theregional units of Greece, in thegeographic region ofMacedonia. It is part of theregion ofCentral Macedonia. Its capital is the city ofKilkis.
The geography of the regional unit of Kilkis is characterized by the wide and flatAxios river valley in the westcentral part, and mountain ranges on its western and northeastern edges. The mountain range in the west, on the border withPella regional unit, isMount Paiko (highest peak 1,650 m or 5,413 ft). In the north, theKerkini range straddles the border withNorth Macedonia. At 1,874 m or 6,148 ft the highest peak in Kilkis regional unit is located here. The border withSerres regional unit to the northeast is formed by the lowerKroussia range (highest peak 1,179 m or 3,868 ft).Lake Doirani is situated in the north, shared with North Macedonia. Kilkis borders theThessaloniki regional unit to the south.
The climate of the Kilkis regional unit ishumid continental in the north, andhumid subtropical in the lower regions.
The area of the modern regional unit was part of theKingdom of Macedonia from the 8th century BC until theThird Macedonian War (171 BC - 168 BC), when it became a part of theRoman Empire. At the division of the Roman Empire in 395 AD, the area joined the eastern part, later known as theByzantine Empire. Between the 7th century and the 11th century, it changed hands between the Byzantine Empire and theBulgarian Empire repeatedly. In the 13th and 14th centuryWestern Europeans andSerbs briefly ruled the area. TheOttoman Empire conquered the area in 1371, and ruled it until theFirst Balkan War of 1912. In theSecond Balkan War of 1913, the Greek army captured the area, which became part of Greece. It absorbed many of the Greeks from what is now the Republic of North Macedonia, especially fromGevgeli,Vogdantsa,Polyane andStromnitsa.[2]
In the aftermath of theBalkan Wars,World War I and theGreco-Turkish War (1919-1922) most of the Turkish and Bulgarian population of Kilkis emigrated, and many Greeks fromBulgaria,North Macedonia andTurkey settled in the area, as prescribed by theTreaty of Lausanne (1923). In fact, a very large segment of the population of Kilkis regional unit are in originCaucasus Greeks (that is, EasternPontic Greeks) from the former Russian Imperial province ofKars Oblast in theSouth Caucasus. They left their homeland in theSouth Caucasus for Kilkis and other parts ofGreek Macedonia, as well as southernRussia andGeorgia, between 1919 and 1921, that is, between the main Greece-Turkey population exchange and Russia's cession of the Kars region back toTurkey as part of theTreaty of Brest Litovsk.
Until 1939, when created into a separate prefecture, the area was part of theThessaloniki Prefecture.[3] At the 2011 Kallikratis reform, the Kilkis Prefecture became a regional unit.
TheA1 motorway (E75, Skopje - Polykastro - Thessaloniki - Athens) runs through the regional unit from north to south. Two railways pass through the regional unit: from Thessaloniki to Skopje via Polykastro andIdomeni, and from Thessaloniki to Sofia, Istanbul and Alexandroupoli via Kilkis andMouries.
The regional unit Kilkis is subdivided into 2 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):[4]
As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the former Kilkis Prefecture (Greek:Νομός Κιλκίς) was transformed into a regional unit within the Central Macedonia region, without any change in boundaries. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.[4]
| New municipality | Old municipalities | Seat |
|---|---|---|
| Kilkis | Kilkis | Kilkis |
| Gallikos | ||
| Doirani | ||
| Kroussa | ||
| Mouries | ||
| Pikrolimni | ||
| Cherso | ||
| Paionia | Axioupoli | Polykastro |
| Goumenissa | ||
| Evropos | ||
| Livadia | ||
| Polykastro |
The former prefecture of Kilkis was subdivided into the followingprovinces:[5]
| Provinces of Kilkis Prefecture | Seat |
|---|---|
| Province ofKilkis | Kilkis |
| Province ofPaionia | Goumenissa |
Note: Provinces no longer hold any legal status inGreece.
Administrative division of theCentral Macedonia Region | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Regional unit ofChalkidiki |  | |
| Regional unit ofImathia | ||
| Regional unit ofKilkis | ||
| Regional unit ofPella | ||
| Regional unit ofPieria | ||
| Regional unit ofSerres | ||
| Regional unit ofThessaloniki | ||
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