Aetolia-Acarnania

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Aitoloakarnania, (Greek: Αιτωλοακαρνανία, Aitoloakarnanía, also Aetoloacarnania) is one of the fifty-one prefectures of Greece. It is located in the western part of Greece. The prefecture is a combination of the regions Aetolia and Acarnania. Its capital is Mesolonghi located in the south. The area is now connected with the Peloponnesus peninsula with Rio-Antirio bridge. The surrounding prefectures are Arta in Epirus, a narrow length bordering Karditsa of Thessaly, Evritania to the northeast and Phocis to the east. It is the largest prefecture in area in Greece.

Geography

Mountains dominate the north, northeast, west and southeast especially the Acarnanian Mountains. The longest and main river is the Acheloos which ends as a delta in a wetlands in the southwest. The prefecture excludes islands lying in the west which belongs to the Kefallinia prefecture. There is one reservoir and a lake in the central part. Its mountains includes the Panaitoliko in the northeast and the Acarnanian Mountains where a spring water company was founded.

Climate

Its climate varies from hot summers to mild winters in the low lying areas, cool winters dominate the mountain areas while in the highest elevations, summers are cool and snow and cold weather dominate the winter months in the Panaitoliko.

History

For the earlier history about Aetoloacarnania, see Aetolia or Acarnania.

Aetolia and Acarnania became a prefecture and merged to form Aetolia-Acarnania. In the 20th century, ferry services with Rio with the Peloponnesus began. In the 1950s and the 1960s, ferry services began to use vehicles. A drawbridge linking the island of Lefkada began in the 1960s. The following years, GR-5 bypassed Mesolonghi and Agrinio and GR-38 became connected with paved road with Evrytania and Fthiotida. In the late-1980s, the by-pass of Nafpaktos began construction but after paving the road, the signs did not appear and until 1998, left unopened, in 1999, the road was rerepaired and finally opened to traffic. In 2000, the construction of the Rio-Antirio or the Trikoupis Bridge connecting the Peloponnese began construction and was opened to traffic in August 2004. The superhighway, the Ioniki Odos (Ionian Highway/Route) which will run centrally bypassing communities and places at whole is in plan but the date of construction has yet set.

On July 29, 2005, a small forest fire burnt forests and grasslands in the area are Xiromeri, no damages were reported.

Population history

  • 1991: 230,688
  • 2001: 228,180

Transportation

Communications

Radio

Television

Newspapers

Provinces

Municipalities

Municipality YPES code Seat
Agrinio 0202 Agrinio
Aitoliko 0203 Aitoliko
Alyzia 0204 Kandyla
Amfilochia 0205 Amfilochia
Anaktorio 0206 Vonitsa
Angelokastro 0201 Angelokastro
Antirrio 0207 Antirrio
Apodotia 0208 Ano Chora
Arakynthos 0209 Mataraga
Astakos 0210 Astakos
Chalkeia 0229 Chalkeia
Fyteies 0228 Fyteies
Iera Poli Mesolongiou 0218 Messolonghi
Inachos 0213 Empessos
Kekropia 0214 Paleros
Makryneia 0215 Gavalou
Medeon 0216 Katouna
Menidi 0217 Menidi
Nafpaktos 0219 Nafpaktos
Neapoli 0220 Trianteika
Oiniades 0221 Neochori
Panaitoliko 0222 Skoutera
Parakampylia 0224 Agios Vlasios
Paravola 0223 Paravola
Platanos 0225 Platanos
Pyllini 0226 Simos
Stratos 0227 Stratos
Thermo 0211 Thermo
Thestieis 0212 Kainourgio

See also: List of settlements in the Aitoloakarnania prefecture

Persons

Sporting teams

External links