Pieria Περιφερειακή ενότητα Πιερίας | |
|---|---|
 Municipalities of Pieria | |
 Pieria within Greece | |
  Pieria | |
| Coordinates:40°15′N22°25′E / 40.250°N 22.417°E /40.250; 22.417 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Geographic region | Macedonia |
| Administrative region | Central Macedonia |
| Seat | Katerini |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,516 km2 (585 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 119,384 |
| • Density | 78.75/km2 (204.0/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 60x xx |
| Area code | 235x0 |
| Vehicle registration | ΚΝ |
| Website | www |
Pieria (Greek:Πιερία)[2][3] is one of theregional units of Greece located in the southern part of theRegion of Central Macedonia, within the historical province ofMacedonia. Its capital is the town ofKaterini. The name Pieria originates from the ancientPieres tribe. In Pieria, there are many sites of archeological interest, such asDion,Pydna,Leivithra andPlatamonas. Pieria contains MountPierus, from whichHermes takes flight in order to visitCalypso,[4] and is the home ofOrpheus,[5] theMuses,[6] and contains thePierian Spring.Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece and throne of the ancient Greek gods, is located in the southern part of Pieria. Other ancient cities includedLeibethra andPimpleia.[7]
The Pieria regional unit is bordered byImathia to the north,Kozani to the west, and to the south and west by theregion ofThessaly's Regional Unit ofLarissa. ThePierian Mountains lie to the west; theThermaic Gulf lies to the east. It also has a valley by the GR-13. Most of the population live within the Olympian Riviera. The lowest point is the Thermaic Gulf and the highest point isMount Olympus.
It combines extensive plains, high mountains and sandy beaches. The region's beauty gives it a great potential for further tourist development.[8][9]
The main beaches areParalia,Olympiaki Akti,Korinos,Neoi Poroi,Methoni,Leptokarya,Platamonas,Skotina,Kalyvia Varikou,Limenas Litochorou (also known as Gritsa). Many of the Pieria's beaches have been awarded the Blue Flag certification by theFoundation for Environmental Education (FEE).
Its climate is mainly of Mediterranean type with hot summers and cool winters. Severe winter weather is common in the central and western parts of Pieria, especially in the Pierian Mountains and on Mount Olympus.
On June 8, 2007, a low pressure weather system from Southern and Central Europe resulted in heavy rainfall that ravaged the prefecture and caused great damage in fruit and vegetable production. The worst hit area wasKorinos.
The Regional Unit of Pieria is divided into 3municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):[10][11][12]
As a part of the2011 Kallikratis government reform, the Regional Unit of Pieria was created out of the former prefecture Pieria (Greek:Νομός Πιερίας). The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganized, according to the table below (list of municipalities of Greece - 2011).[10][11][12]
| New municipality | Old municipalities | Seat |
|---|---|---|
| Dion-Olympos | Dion | Litochoro |
| East Olympos | ||
| Litochoro | ||
| Katerini | Katerini | Katerini |
| Elafina | ||
| Korinos | ||
| Paralia | ||
| Petra | ||
| Pierioi | ||
| Pydna-Kolindros | Aiginio | Aiginio |
| Kolindros | ||
| Methoni | ||
| Pydna |
The region, known as Pieria (Ancient Greek:Πιερία) in Antiquity, took its name from the Pieres (Πίερες), a Thracian[13] tribe that was expelled[14] by theMacedonians in the 8th century BC[15] from their original seats, and driven to the North beyond theStrymon river andMount Pangaeus,[14] where they formed a new settlement inEdonis, known as Pieris (Ancient Greek:Πιερίς) near modernPiereis. The name Pieria has been connected to Homericπῖαρ "fat",πίειραν ἄρουραν "fertile land" in a metaphorical sense.[16]
At some time before thearchaic period Pieria was incorporated in theKingdom of Macedon (808 BC, see below) when it became the second province of the ancient kingdom, following its fate through the rule of theAntipatrid dynasty (302 BC - 277 BC) and theAntigonid dynasty (306 BC - 168 BC). It became part of theRoman Republic after theFourth Macedonian War, and remained part of theRoman Empire and its successor, theByzantine Empire.
It was later invaded and became a part of theOttoman Empire. During theGreek War of Independence in 1821, Pieria took up arms along with the rest of Greece,[17][18] but their struggle failed and Pieria did not join the rest ofGreece until theBalkan Wars in 1913. Until 1947, Pieria was part of theThessaloniki Prefecture (at that time the largest Greek prefecture), as aprovince. Pieria saw an economic boom in agriculture and business. During theGreco-Turkish War, it saw an influx of refugees fromAsia Minor, now a part ofTurkey, and several places were named after their former homelands includingNea Trapezounta from Trebizond (nowTrabzon) andNea Efesos fromEphesus (now Efes). The village ofElafos in the municipal unitElafina, formerly a community in the Imathia prefecture, was attached to Pieria in 1974.[19]
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On to Pieria he stepped from the upper air, and swooped down upon the sea, and then sped over the wave like a bird, the cormorant, which in quest of fish over the dread gulfs of the unresting sea wets its thick plumage in the brine. In such wise did Hermes ride upon the multitudinous waves.
between Mount Olympus and the Thermaic Gulf, the original home of the Muses and birth-place of Orpheus
Digital Platform for Strengthening Accessibility of Tourist Destinations in the Regional Unit of Pieria
... assigned, Pieria, was originally inhabited by a Thracian tribe, the Pieres, who according to Thucydides (ii. ...
... 498-54)12' had incorporated coastal Pieria into Macedonia and expelled the 'Pieres', who afterwards took up their abode in areas at Mt.Pangaion...
Administrative division of theCentral Macedonia Region | ||
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| 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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| Geographic | |
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| Other | |
