Ioannina (regional unit)

Ioannina Περιφερειακή ενότητα Ιωαννίνων
Regional unit
Municipalities of Ioannina
Ioannina within Greece
Coordinates: 39°45′N 20°50′E / 39.750°N 20.833°E / 39.750; 20.833Coordinates: 39°45′N 20°50′E / 39.750°N 20.833°E / 39.750; 20.833
Country	Greece
Region	Epirus
Capital	Ioannina
Area
• Total	4,990 km2 (1,930 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	167,901
• Density	34/km2 (87/sq mi)
Postal codes	44x xx, 45x xx
Area codes	265x0
ISO 3166 code	GR-33
Car plates	IN
Website	www.nomioan.gr

Ioannina (Greek: Περιφερειακή ενότητα Ιωαννίνων) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the Epirus region. Its capital is the city of Ioannina. It is the largest regional unit in Epirus, and one of the largest regional units of Greece.

Geography

Ioannina borders Albania in the north, and the regional units of Kastoria in the northeast, Grevena and Trikala in the east, Arta in the southeast, Preveza in the south and Thesprotia in the southwest and west.

Ioannina is a mountainous region, dominated by the Pindus mountains, that cover the eastern part of the regional unit. The main subranges of the Pindus are from north to south: Gramos, Smolikas (2,637 m, the highest of the Pindus), Tymfi, Lygkos, Lakmos and Athamanika. The lower Xerovounio mountains are situated in the south, and the Tomaros in the southwest.

Lake Ioannina is the largest lake of Epirus. Several major rivers have their source in the Ioannina regional unit, including Aoös, Arachthos and Acheron.

History

See also the history sections of the Epirus and Ioannina articles.

The area of the present regional unit of Ioannina joined Greece in 1913, after the First Balkan War.

Administration

The regional unit Ioannina is subdivided into 8 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):^[1]

• Dodoni (3)
• Ioannina (1)
• Konitsa (6)
• Metsovo (7)
• North Tzoumerka (Voreia Tzoumerka, 2)
• Pogoni (8)
• Zagori (4)
• Zitsa (5)

Prefecture

Ioannina was established as a prefecture in 1915 (Greek: Νομός Ιωαννίνων). As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Ioannina was created out of the former prefecture Ioannina. The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.^[1]

Provinces

• Province of Dodoni - Ioannina
• Province of Konitsa - Konitsa
• Province of Metsovo - Metsovo
• Province of Pogoni - Delvinaki

Note: Provinces no longer hold any legal status in Greece.

Transport

• Greek National Road 5/E55 S, Cen.
• Greek National Road 6, W, Cen., E
• Greek National Road 17, S, SW
• Greek National Road 20/E55, Cen., NW, N
• Greek National Road 26, NW
• Greece Egnatia Odos/E90, NW, Cen., NE
• Ioannina Airport

Tourism

The prefecture of Ioannina, like most of the Greek mainland, is not as popular as the islands among tourists. Yet the area, along with its natural beauty, has quite a few worthwhile and interesting historical attractions. Besides the city Ioannina, these are:

• A few kilometres south of the city is the Vrellis wax statue museum, displaying scenes from Greece's history. A small department in the city centre is free to the public.
• The Dodoni oracle and archaeological site with amphitheatre.
• The Vikos–Aoös National Park, including the Vikos gorge, through which the Voidomatis river flows.
• The Zagori villages, partly in the Vikos-Aoos National Park.
• Papingo, one of the Zagoria villages, a ski resort that is mainly popular with Greeks, and a popular starting point for hiking and mountaineering.
• Mount Smolikas, with 2637 meter Greece's second highest mountain.
• Metsovo, in winter a ski resort.
• The caves of Perama, a few kilometres northeast of Ioannina.
• The monument in Zalongo for the amazing women of Souli.
• The war museum in Kalpaki.
• Bourzani Bridge, near Melissoptera.
• Pavlos Vrellis Greek History Museum, the most amazing wax museums in all of the Hellenic Republic (Greece).
• Ioannina was in a sister city relationship with the City of Casey in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. But for some inexplicable reason they have turned their backs on that relationship. Yet many many thousands of Epirotes live in Melbourne

Persons

• Markos Avgeris (b. as Georgios Papadopoulos in 1884 - June 8, 1973)

Sports

Ioannina has a major football team, that is named PAS Giannina. There are minor sports teams throughout the prefecture:

• Averoff
• Dafnoula
• Eleousa
• Kefalovrysi
• Metsovo
• Mousiotitsa
• Velissario

Literature

• Franz X. Bogner & Georgios Pilidis. Lake of Ioannina. 128 pages. ISBN 978-960-233-199-6. Ioannina 2010.

See also

• List of settlements in the Ioannina regional unit

References

Administrative division of the Epirus Region
Area 9,203 km2 (3,553 sq mi) Population 336,856 (as of 2011) Municipalities 18 (since 2011) Capital Ioannina
Regional unit of Arta	Arta Central Tzoumerka Georgios Karaiskakis Nikolaos Skoufas
Regional unit of Ioannina	Dodoni Ioannina Konitsa Metsovo North Tzoumerka Pogoni Zagori Zitsa
Regional unit of Preveza	Parga Preveza Ziros
Regional unit of Thesprotia	Filiates Igoumenitsa Souli
Regional governor Alexandros Kachrimanis (since 2014) Decentralized Administration Epirus and Western Macedonia