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| Obsolete terms |
| 51 prefectural administrations Prefectural department, 2 hyper-prefectures 148 provinces Municipal/Communal/Local department |
Until theKallikratis reform in 2010, theprefectures (Greek:νομοί[noˈmi],sg.νομός[noˈmos̠]) were the second-level administrative regions ofGreece. They are now defunct, and have been approximately replaced byregional units.[1]
They are calleddepartments inISO 3166-2:GR and by theUnited Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names.[2]
The prefectures were the second-degree organization of local government, grouped into 13regions or (before 1987) 10geographical departments, and in turn divided intoprovinces and comprising a number ofcommunities and municipalities. The prefectures became self-governing entities in 1994, when the first prefectural-level elections took place. The prefects were previously appointed by the government. By 2010, their number had risen to 51, of which one, theAttica Prefecture, where more than a third of the country's population resided, was further subdivided into four prefecture-level administrations (νομαρχίες, sing. νομαρχία). In addition, there were threesuper-prefectures (υπερνομαρχίες, sing. υπερνομαρχία) controlling two or more prefectures.
With the Kallikratis reform, which entered into force on 1 January 2011, the prefectures were abolished. Many, especially in the mainland and in Crete, were retained in the form ofregional units (περιφερειακές ενότητες) within the empowered regions, which largely took over the prefectures' administrative role.[1]
The "Prefectural Self-Governments" were formed in 1994[3] and replaced the previous prefectures, whose councils and prefects were appointed by the government.
Prefectures were governed by a Prefectural Council (νομαρχιακό συμβούλιο) made up of 21 to 37 members,[4] led by the Prefect (νομάρχης) and presided by a Council President (πρόεδρος).
Other organs of the prefectures were:
Super-prefectures had their own organs (Council, Committee and Super-prefect).
Prefectural councillors were elected via public election every four years. Three-fifths of all seats went to the combination winning a majority and two-fifths of the seats going to remaining parties based on a proportional system. Prefect became the president of the victorious electoral combination. Victorious is a combination which attains more than 42% in the first round of the prefectural elections. If no combination passes this threshold, a second round takes place between the two combinations that took the most votes in the first round.[6]
The State ultimately oversaw the actions of local governments, including the prefectures, but theConstitution of Greece[7] and the Code of Prefectural Self-Government[8] still provided communities and municipalities with legal control over the administration of their designated areas.
The Code of Prefectural Self-Government did not include a non-restrictive list of prefectural duties, but a general rule, according to which the newly formed Prefectural Self-Governments had all the duties of the previous prefectures, which are related to their local affairs.[9] Nonetheless, the affairs of "(central) state administration" belonging to the prefects before 1994 are now exerted by the Presidents of the Regions (περιφερειάρχης).[10] The Prefectural Self-Governments kept the "local affairs of prefectureal level" not belonging to the "(central) state administration".[11]
With certain laws specific affairs of certain ministries were transferred to the Prefectural Self-Governments (sanitary committees, urban-planning services etc.).[12]
| Number in map | Prefecture | Area (km2) | Population (2001) | Population density (/km2) | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | Aetolia-Acarnania | 5460.888 | 224,429 | 41.10 | Western Greece |
| 42 | Larissa | 5380.943 | 279,305 | 51.91 | Thessaly |
| 24 | Ioannina | 4990.416 | 170,239 | 34.11 | Epirus |
| 5 | Phthiotis | 4440.765 | 178,771 | 40.26 | Central Greece |
| 34 | Arcadia | 4418.736 | 102,035 | 23.09 | Peloponnese |
| 19 | Evros | 4241.615 | 149,354 | 35.21 | Eastern Macedonia and Thrace |
| 2 | Euboea | 4167.449 | 215,136 | 51.62 | Central Greece |
| 12 | Serres | 3967.744 | 200,916 | 50.64 | Central Macedonia |
| 13 | Thessaloniki | 3682.736 | 1,057,825 | 287.24 | Central Macedonia |
| 37 | Laconia | 3636.058 | 99,637 | 27.40 | Peloponnese |
| 51 | Kozani | 3515.853 | 155,324 | 44.18 | Western Macedonia |
| 18 | Drama | 3468.293 | 103,975 | 29.98 | Eastern Macedonia and Thrace |
| 44 | Trikala | 3383.477 | 138,047 | 40.80 | Thessaly |
| 45 | Achaea | 3271.507 | 322,789 | 98.67 | Western Greece |
| 38 | Messenia | 2990.901 | 176,876 | 59.14 | Peloponnese |
| 6 | Boeotia | 2951.622 | 131,085 | 44.41 | Central Greece |
| 7 | Chalkidiki | 2917.877 | 104,894 | 35.95 | Central Macedonia |
| 40 | Dodecanese | 2714.295 | 190,071 | 70.03 | South Aegean |
| 15 | Heraklion | 2641.220 | 292,489 | 110.74 | Crete |
| 43 | Magnesia | 2636.272 | 206,995 | 78.52 | Thessaly |
| 41 | Karditsa | 2635.954 | 129,541 | 49.14 | Thessaly |
| 47 | Elis | 2617.776 | 193,288 | 73.84 | Western Greece |
| 39 | Cyclades | 2571.691 | 112,615 | 43.79 | South Aegean |
| 21 | Rhodope | 2543.145 | 110,828 | 43.58 | Eastern Macedonia and Thrace |
| 9 | Kilkis | 2518.880 | 89,056 | 35.36 | Central Macedonia |
| 10 | Pella | 2505.774 | 145,797 | 58.18 | Central Macedonia |
| 14 | Chania | 2375.849 | 150,387 | 63.30 | Crete |
| 49 | Grevena | 2290.856 | 37,947 | 16.56 | Western Macedonia |
| 36 | Corinthia | 2289.952 | 154,624 | 67.52 | Peloponnese |
| 35 | Argolis | 2154.309 | 105,770 | 49.10 | Peloponnese |
| 32 | Lesbos | 2153.727 | 109,118 | 50.66 | North Aegean |
| 4 | Phocis | 2120.564 | 48,284 | 22.77 | Central Greece |
| 20 | Kavala | 2111.705 | 144,850 | 68.59 | Eastern Macedonia and Thrace |
| 48 | Florina | 1924.564 | 54,768 | 28.46 | Western Macedonia |
| 3 | Evrytania | 1868.911 | 32,053 | 17.15 | Central Greece |
| 16 | Lasithi | 1822.764 | 76,319 | 41.87 | Crete |
| 22 | Xanthi | 1792.992 | 101,856 | 56.81 | Eastern Macedonia and Thrace |
| 50 | Kastoria | 1720.133 | 53,483 | 31.09 | Western Macedonia |
| 8 | Imathia | 1700.810 | 143,618 | 84.44 | Central Macedonia |
| 23 | Arta | 1662.210 | 78,134 | 47.01 | Epirus |
| 11 | Pieria | 1516.702 | 129,846 | 85.61 | Central Macedonia |
| 26 | Thesprotia | 1514.653 | 46,091 | 30.43 | Epirus |
| 1-2 | East Attica | 1512.993 | 403,918 | 266.97 | Attica |
| 17 | Rethymno | 1496.047 | 81,936 | 54.77 | Crete |
| 25 | Preveza | 1035.938 | 59,356 | 57.30 | Epirus |
| 1-4 | West Attica | 1004.007 | 151,612 | 151.01 | Attica |
| 1-3 | Piraeus | 929.382 | 541,504 | 582.65 | Attica |
| 28 | Cephalonia | 904.387 | 39,488 | 43.66 | Ionian Islands |
| 31 | Chios | 904.227 | 53,408 | 59.06 | North Aegean |
| 33 | Samos | 777.945 | 43,595 | 56.04 | North Aegean |
| 27 | Corfu (Kerkyra) | 641.057 | 111,975 | 174.67 | Ionian Islands |
| 30 | Zakynthos | 405.550 | 39,015 | 96.20 | Ionian Islands |
| 1-1 | Athens Prefecture | 361.719 | 2,664,776 | 7,366.98 | Attica |
| 29 | Lefkada | 355.936 | 22,506 | 63.23 | Ionian Islands |
| a | Mount Athos[13] | 335.637 | 2,262 | 6.74 | — |
The following prefectures have been part of the Greek state since independence:
Notes:
There were several short-lived prefectures in areas of presentAlbania andTurkey, during the Greek occupation of those areas duringWorld War I and theGreco-Turkish War (1919–1922) respectively:
