Kozani Περιφερειακή ενότητα Κοζάνης | |
|---|---|
 Municipalities of West Macedonia. 1-5: Kozani regional unit | |
 Kozani within Greece | |
  Kozani | |
| Coordinates:40°20′N21°40′E / 40.333°N 21.667°E /40.333; 21.667 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Geographic region | Macedonia |
| Administrative region | Western Macedonia |
| Seat | Kozani |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,516 km2 (1,358 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 137,210 |
| • Density | 39.02/km2 (101.1/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 50x xx |
| Area code | 246x0 |
| Vehicle registration | KZ |
| Website | www |
Kozani (Greek:Περιφερειακή Ενότητα Κοζάνης,romanized: Perifereiakí Enótita Kozánis) is one of theregional units of Greece. It is part of theregion ofWestern Macedonia, in thegeographic region ofMacedonia. Its capital is the city ofKozani.
Kozani borders the regional units ofKastoria to the west and northwest,Florina to the north,Pella to the northeast,Imathia andPieria to the east,Larissa (part ofThessaly) to the southeast, andGrevena to the south.
The main mountain ranges areAskio in the northwest,Voio in the west,Vermio in the northeast and thePierian Mountains in the southeast. The riverAliakmon flows through the southern part, and through the large reservoirLake Polyfytos.Lignite is mined in the north, aroundPtolemaida.
Its climate ranges from continental to mountainous. Kozani has warm to hot summers and cool winters, cooler than Thessaloniki, the mountainous, the western and the eastern portions receive cold winters and features snow. Its sunshine days are days shorter than the south and by the coastline, it is rainier than the south. Temperatures range from 25 to 30 °C (77 to 86 °F) during the summer months.
The regional unit Kozani is subdivided into 5 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):[2][3]
Kozani was created as aprefecture (Greek:Νομός Κοζάνης) in 1915. As a part of the2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Kozani was created out of the former prefecture Kozani. The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised.[2] The municipalityServia-Velventos was split into the municipalitiesServia andVelventos in 2019.[3]
| New municipality | Old municipalities | Seat |
|---|---|---|
| Eordaia | Ptolemaida | Ptolemaida |
| Agia Paraskevi | ||
| Vermio | ||
| Vlasti | ||
| Mouriki | ||
| Kozani | Kozani | Kozani |
| Aiani | ||
| Dimitrios Ypsilantis | ||
| Elimeia | ||
| Ellispontos | ||
| Servia | Servia | Servia |
| Kamvounia | ||
| Livadero | ||
| Velventos | Velventos | Velventos |
| Voio | Siatista | Siatista |
| Askio | ||
| Neapoli | ||
| Pentalofos | ||
| Tsotyli |
Kozani had threeprovinces:
The area was part of several kingdoms ofUpper Macedonia, including the ancientEordaia andElimiotis, and it was later part of thekingdom of Macedonia. After theThird Macedonian War it was ruled by theRoman Empire. It later became a part of theByzantine Empire after the breakup into theWest and theEast. In the early 14th to the 15th century, it was ruled by theOttoman Empire and lasted until theBalkan Wars of 1913. The Kozani Prefecture was created in 1915 and also included the presentFlorina,Grevena and theKastoria regional units.
Refugees fromAsia Minor andPontus during theGreco-Turkish War of 1919 to 1922 brought refugees to the area including Kozani and villages and towns that removed the Turkish population to the country which later became only known as Turkey. The economy boomed and was disrupted later on. AfterWorld War II and theGreek Civil War, most of the buildings were repaired. Kozani opened its airport and later its hospital.
Kozani has been a prosperous area in the course of its history. Its merchants are known to have dominated thecommerce of theBalkan peninsula, expanding their trade activities to the north and along theDanube. Nowadays, Kozani is still among the most prosperous areas of the Greek province, but for a different reason, its richminingindustry. Kozani produceslignite, which is the main source of theelectric power produced in Greece,nitrous salts which are processed intofertilizers, andchromium. There was also anasbestos mine that remained operational until the mid-1990s, which has now ceased its operation. In the regional unit of Kozani there is also theartificial lake andhydroelectric dam of Polyfytos, which further contributes to the electricity production of Greece. The region's vast industrial advancement in a short period of time has raisedenvironmentalist concerns.
The main newspapers of the region areChronos,Proinos Logos,Tharros, andGrammi.
Prominent television news channels in the region areWest Channel,Flash TV, andTOP Channel.
Notable broadcast radio areERT Kozani FM 100.2 and100.6,Siera FM 105.3,Erotiko 99.5 FM,Fresh Radio 92.9 FM,Diva FM 91.6, andNRG FM 89.5.[4]
Administrative division of theWestern Macedonia Region | ||
|---|---|---|
| Regional unit ofFlorina |  | |
| Regional unit ofGrevena | ||
| Regional unit ofKastoria | ||
| Regional unit ofKozani | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
