Kastoria - A city in northern Greece in the region of West Macedonia
Kastoria is a city in northern Greece in the region of West Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria regional unit. It is situated on a promontory on the western shore of Lake Orestiada, in a valley surrounded by limestone mountains. The town is known for its many Byzantine churches, Ottoman-era domestic architecture, fur clothing industry, and trout.
Name
The name Kastoria first appears at the end of the 10th century, though a town existed on the site since at least the sixth century. There are several theories about the origin of the name Kastoria. The dominant of these is that the name derives from the Greek word κάστορας (kástoras, meaning beaver). Trade in the animal's fur, sourced from nearby Lake Orestiada, has traditionally been an important element of the city's economy. Other theories propose that the name derives from the Greek word κάστρο (kástro, meaning castle; from the Latin word castra) or from the mythical hero Κάστωρ (Kástōr), who may have been honoured in the area. The word is sometimes written with a C, Castoria, especially in older works.
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Macedonia today is a geographical region of Greece, and the largest of the Greek territory.
It constitutes most of the geographic and historical region of ancient Macedon, a Greek kingdom ruled by the Argeads whose most celebrated members were Alexander the Great and his father Philip II.
In 336 B.C., Alexander the Great became the leader of the Greek kingdom of Macedonia. By the time he died 13 years later, Alexander had built an empire that stretched from Greece all the way to India. That brief but thorough empire-building campaign changed the world: It spread Greek ideas and culture from the Eastern Mediterranean to Asia. Historians call this era the Hellenistic period.
The name Macedonia was later applied to identify various administrative areas in the Roman and Byzantine Empires with widely differing borders.
Travel in Greece
Travel in Greece
Greece (Ελλάς, Hellas) [1] is a country in Southern Europe, on the southernmost tip of the Balkan peninsula, with extensive coastlines and islands in the Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean Seas. It shares borders in the north with Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Turkey. It has an ancient culture that has had a significant influence on the arts, language, philosophy, politics, and sports of western society, including the genres of comedy and drama, western alphabets, Platonic ideals and the Socratic method, democracies and republics, and the Olympics. Furthermore it's a geographically appealing place to visit, with a mountainous mainland and idyllic island beaches.
Regions[edit]
Roughly counterclockwise from the northeast:
Thrace (Θράκη) (Alexandroupoli, Komotini, Xanthi)
East Macedonia (Ανατολική Μακεδονία) (Kavala, Drama)
Central Macedonia (Κεντρική Μακεδονία) (Thessaloniki, Serres, Chalkidiki, Vergina, Katerini, Edessa, Veroia, Naousa)
West Macedonia (Δυτική Μακεδονία) (Kastoria, Kozani)
Thessaly (Θεσσαλία) (Larissa, Magnesia, Volos, Karditsa, Trikala, Mount Pelion, Meteora)
Sporades Islands (Σποράδες) (Skiathos, Skopelos, Alonnisos, Skyros)
Epirus (Ήπειρος) (Ioannina, Igoumenitsa, Preveza, Arta)
Ionian Islands (Ιόνια νησιά) (Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Ithaca)
West Greece (Δυτική Ελλάδα) (Patra, Agrinio, Messolonghi)
Central Greece (Στερεά Ελλάδα) (Lamia, Thebae (also spelled as Thiva or Thebes), Livadia, Chalkis, Amfissa, Delphi)
Peloponnese (Πελοπόννησος) (Corinth, Sparta, Nafplion, Argos, Kalamata, Tripolis, Monemvasia)
Attica (Αττική) (Athens, Sounion, Kithira)
Crete (Κρήτη) (Heraklion, Rethymno, Knossos, Chania, Gramvousa, Agios Nikolaos, Lassithi, Sitia, Ierapetra)
South Aegean Islands (Νότιο Αιγαίο), has two main group: Cyclades: (Anafi, Andros, Amorgos, Folegandros, Ios, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Santorini, Sifnos, Koufonisi), and Dodecanese: (Kastelorizo, Astipalea, Kalymnos, Kassos, Karpathos, Kos, Leros, Nisyros, Patmos, Symi, Rhodes, Tilos)
North Aegean Islands (Βόρειο Αιγαίο) (Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Lemnos, Aghios Efstratios, Psara, Thassos, Samothrace)
Cities[edit]
Map of Greece
Major cities include:
Athens (Αθήνα) - the capital
Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη) - the country's second largest city
Patra (Πάτρα) - third largest city and gateway to Italy
Heraklion (Ηράκλειο) - Crete's largest city
Larissa (Λάρισα) - largest city of central Greece
Volos (Βόλος) - main port
Other destinations[edit]
Delphi - site of the famous oracle of Apollo
Meteora - monastery
Mount Athos - monastery
Olympia - sanctuary dedicated to Zeus, site of the ancient Olympics
Parnassos National Park
Parnitha National Park
Olympos National Park
Greece is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, ranking in the world's top 20 countries. According to the greek Ministry of Tourism, the nation received about 17 million visitors from January to mid August 2007, a large number for a small country of 11 million. Visitors are drawn to the country's beaches and reliable sunny summer weather, its nightlife, historical sites and natural beauty.
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