Magnesia Περιφερειακή ενότητα Μαγνησίας | |
|---|---|
 Municipalities of Magnesia | |
 Magnesia within Greece | |
  Magnesia | |
| Coordinates:39°25′N22°50′E / 39.417°N 22.833°E /39.417; 22.833 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Thessaly |
| Seat | Volos |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,367 km2 (914 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 177,448 |
| • Density | 74.97/km2 (194.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 37x xx, 38x xx |
| Area code | 242x0 |
| Vehicle registration | ΒΟ, BB |
| Website | www |
Magnesia (Greek:Μαγνησία,Magnisía,IPA:[maɣniˈsia],Ancient Greek:Magnēsía, deriving from the tribe nameMagnetes) is one of theregional units of Greece. It is part of theregion ofThessaly. Its capital is the city ofVolos. About 70% of the population of Magnesia live in the Greater Volos area, which is the second-largest city in Thessaly and the third busiest commercial port in Greece.
According to the most recent census (2021), the population stands at 177,448. The regional unit hosts 2,000,000 tourists annually.[2] Magnesia is represented in theGreek Parliament by six seats. Its main agricultural products are wheat, cotton, tomatoes, grapes, olives, apples and honey.
A prominent geographic feature of Magnesia is thePagasetic Gulf, a bay of theAegean Sea. ThePelion mountain range closes off the Gulf on the east and south side, leaving only a narrow channel nearTrikeri. The highest peak of the wooded Pelion isPourianos Stavros orXeforti, (altitude 1,624 metres or 5,328 feet). On the south edge of MagnesiapeninsulaTisaio mountain is found.
Mt.Maurovouni (1,054 metres or 3,458 feet) is the northeasternmost mountain of the regional unit and extends to the neighboring regional unit ofLarissa. The southwest border of Magnesia is formed by theOthrys, with its highest peakGerakovouni (1,726 metres or 5,663 feet). The interior of Magnesia has two plains. The plains southwest of the Pagasetic Gulf are called theAlmyros plains, while the plains northwest of the Gulf are called theVolos-Velestino plain. The hydrological network of Magnesia is not particularly rich and is characterized by the absence of bigrivers. The waters coming fromPelion shape the riversAnavros, Platanorema, and Xirias.
In the North section of Magnesia,Lake Karla was formerly found. Lake Karla was drained in 1962, but attempts have been made for its partial restoration. On the bight ofSourpi, next toAmaliapolis a coastalwetland is located, with various species ofmigratory birds. This wetland together with the forest ofKouri – an infrequentlowland ofoakforest close toAlmyros – is included in the list of the protected regions of theEuropean NetworkNatura 2000.
The averagetemperature is 17degrees Celsius and the average rainfall about 540 millimetres per year. Heat waves and intense cold periods are rare. During the summer the temperature rises up to about 37 to 38 °C (99 to 100 °F) in August. The climate varies in different parts of the prefecture; close to thePagasetic Gulf conditions are humid, inNea Ionia it is quite dry and inVelestino andAlmyros is the climate is continental. In winter there is significant snowfall in the mountains and often freezing temperatures.
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The regional unit Magnesia is subdivided into 5 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):[3]
Magnesia was created as aprefecture. In addition to the territory of the present regional unit of Magnesia, theMagnesia Prefecture included the NorthernSporades group of islands (Skiathos,Skopelos andAlonnisos). As a part of the2011 Kallikratis government reform, the prefecture was split into the Magnesia andSporades regional units. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.[3]
| New municipality | Old municipalities | Seat |
|---|---|---|
| Almyros | Almyros | Almyros |
| Anavra | ||
| Pteleos | ||
| Sourpi | ||
| Rigas Feraios | Feres | Velestino |
| Karla | ||
| Keramidi | ||
| South Pelion (Notio Pilio) | Argalasti | Argalasti |
| Afetes | ||
| Milies | ||
| Sipiada | ||
| Trikeri | ||
| Volos | Volos | Volos |
| Agria | ||
| Aisonia | ||
| Artemida | ||
| Iolkos | ||
| Makrinitsa | ||
| Nea Anchialos | ||
| Nea Ionia | ||
| Portaria | ||
| Zagora-Mouresi | Zagora | Zagora |
| Mouresi |
Note: Provinces no longer hold any legal status inGreece.
According toHesiod's (probably) "Eoiae" (Greek:Ηοίαι) or "Catalogue of Women"[4] on the origin of theGreeks, Pandora (named after her grandmotherPandora, sister ofHellen and daughter ofDeukalion andPyrrha) together with Zeus had one sonGraecus, while Zeus had two more withThyia, another of Deukalion's daughter:Magnes andMacedon. Magnes and Makednos together withHellen's three sonsDorus,Xuthus (with his sonsIon andAchaeus) andAeolus, comprised the set of progenitors of the ancient tribes that formed theGreek/Hellenic nation. Magnes ruled the area and people under his name. Magnesia is also homeland of the mythical heroesJason,Peleus and his sonAchilles.
The Magnetes contributed to theGreek colonization, with their main colonies being established before the 7th century BC, under the names ofMagnesia beside Sipylus inLydia andMagnesia on the Maeander inIonia.
The wordmagnet comes from the Greekmagnetes lithos (μαγνήτης λίθος), which means 'stone of Magnesia'. The names for the elementsmagnesium andmanganese are also derived from either this region or its colonyMagnesia ad Sipylum,[5] which in addition to the magnetic magnetite (an iron ore), produces certain ores of magnesium and manganese that were known to alchemists.
Written accounts and remains from the 5th century CE document the appearance of Christianity in Magnesia. The minutes of the 3rd Ecumenical Conference are co-signed by the Bishop of Dimitriada Cleonikos. Five basilicas have been revealed in Nea Anhialos, showing that the area was undergoing a spiritual growth in that era. Magnesias has churches, monasteries and chapels, many of which are architectural masterpieces in the style that is called "Pelioritica".
In the area of Pelion are the monasteries of Saint Gerasimos in Makrinitsa, The Holy Archangels in Agios Georgios Nilias, Osios Lavredios in Agios Lavrendis, Saint John the Baptist in Siki and Saint Spiridon in Promiri. The most famous is the Flamouriou Monastery, built in the 16th century by Osios Simeon, the so-called "barefoot and loin-clothed", located near Veneto.
In the Almyros area and on the mountain of Othris two other monasteries were built, one inhabited bymonks in Ano Panagia (Virgin Mary) Xenia and the other bynuns in Kato Panagia Xenia. This monastery holds historical monuments of the area from the 12th century, with of frescoes, treasuries and a library. In Kato Panagia Xenia monastery, an icon of the Virgin Mary, venerated by the people of the area, is kept. All the monasteries are of archeological, historical and artistic interest and are accessible (Flamouriou Monastery only by men).
The prefecture was linked to the National railway (ΟΣΕ) in the late 19th century. In 1964, the GR-1 North-South superhighway was opened to traffic. Theprefecture is directly linked to the rest ofEurope throughInternational Airport of Central Greece, located inNea Anchialo a short distance from Volos. The airport includes a terminal which can serve 1,500 passengers per hour.
The prefecture's roads include:
Administrative division of theThessaly Region | ||
|---|---|---|
| Regional unit ofKarditsa |  | |
| Regional unit ofLarissa | ||
| Regional unit ofMagnesia | ||
| Regional unit of theSporades | ||
| Regional unit ofTrikala | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
