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Elis

Coordinates:37°40′N21°30′E/ 37.667°N 21.500°E/37.667; 21.500
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(Redirected fromElis (regional unit))
For other uses, seeElis (disambiguation).
"Ileia" redirects here. For the agro-ecological organisation, seeILEIA.
Elis
Περιφερειακή ενότητα
Ηλείας
Regional unit
Municipalities of Elis
Municipalities of Elis
Elis is located in Greece
Elis
Elis
Elis within Greece
Coordinates:37°40′N21°30′E/ 37.667°N 21.500°E/37.667; 21.500
CountryGreece
Administrative regionWestern Greece
SeatPyrgos
Area
• Total2,618 km2(1,011 sq mi)
Population
(2021)[1]
• Total149,896
• Density57/km2(150/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2(EET)
• Summer (DST)UTC+3(EEST)
Postal code
27x xx
Area code(s)262x0
Vehicle registrationΗΑ
Websitewww.pde.gov.gr/gr/

ElisorIlia(Greek:Ηλεία,Ileia) is a historic region in the western part of thePeloponnesepeninsula ofGreece.It is administered as aregional unitof themodern regionofWestern Greece.Its capital isPyrgos.Until2011it was Elis Prefecture, covering the same territory.

The modern regional unit is nearly coterminous with theancient Elisof the classical period. Here lie the ancient ruins of cities ofElis,EpitalionandOlympia,known for theancient Olympic Gameswhich started in 776 BC.

Geography[edit]

The northernmost point of Elis is 38° 06'N, the westernmost is 22° 12′E, the southernmost is 37° 18′N, and the easternmost is 21° 54′E. The length from north to south is 100 km (62 mi), and from east-to-west is around 55 km (34 mi).

The modern regional unit is not completely congruent withancient Elis:Lampeiabelonged to ancientArcadia,andKalogriais now part ofAchaea.

The longest river is theAlfeios.Other rivers are theErymanthos,PineiosandNeda.Alfeios, Pineios and Neda flow into theIonian Seain Elis. Less than 1% of the prefecture is open water, most of it found in artificial reservoirs and dams, in the north and east. ThePineios Damsupplies water for Northern Elis. The water is not safe for drinking, because it contains somecontaminants.A second, smaller reservoir in the river Alfeios nearOlympiaandKrestenasupplies water to Pyrgos.

The eastern part of the regional unit is forested, with mostlypinetrees in the south. There are forest preserves inFoloiand the mountain ranges of Eastern Elis. In the north is theStrofyliaforest which has pine trees. Mountain ranges includeMovri(around 720 m or 2,400 ft),Divri(around 1500 m),Minthe(around 1100 m), and more.

About one-third of the land is fertile; the rest is mountainous and not suitable for crops. Swamplands used to cover 1–1.5% of the region, especially in theSamikoarea. Most of them have been drained for agricultural purposes; only 10 km² (4 sq miles) has been kept and is now protected.

Here lie the ancient ruins ofElis,EpitalionandOlympia,known for theancient Olympic Gameswhich started in 776 BC. There is a museum with statues that relate to the history of Olympia. Another museum is in Elis, but it is very small. Monasteries are scattered around the region.

Climate[edit]

Elis has aMediterranean climate,with hot, sunny summers. Temperatures over 40 °C have been recorded. The mountainous interior is colder, and snow covers the mountains in winter. Elis is more humid than the eastern Peloponnese.

Natural disasters[edit]

Elis is located in aseismicallyactive zone, and there are severalearthquakeseach year. Some of the most significant earthquakes to have hit the area are:

Rainy weather in 2002-2003 caused destruction of villages by mudslides, and some bridges and roads were also cut off. In February 2008, frost devastated many crops inManolada,Nea ManoladaandKounoupeli.

In August 2007, there were enormousforest fireswhich led to tens of deaths and a massive environmental and economic disaster. The final toll for the prefecture was: 45 dead, 100,000 affected[clarification needed]by the fire, 3,500 left homeless by the fire, 25,000 dead animals, 8,500 hectares of burnt forests, 2,300 hectares of burnt farmland.[3]The archaeological site ofOlympiawas seriously threatened, but not damaged.

Administration[edit]

The regional unit Elis is subdivided into 7 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):[4]

2011 reform[edit]

As a part of the 2011Kallikratis government reform,the regional unit Elis was created out of the formerprefectureElis (Greek:Νομός Ηλείας). The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.[4]

New municipality Old municipalities Seat
Ancient Olympia
(Archaia Olympia)		 Archaia Olympia Archaia Olympia
Lampeia
Lasiona
Foloi
Andravida-Kyllini Andravida Lechaina
Vouprasia
Kastro-Kyllini
Lechaina
Andritsaina-Krestena Andritsaina Krestena
Alifeira
Skillounta
Ilida Amaliada Amaliada
Pineia
Pineios Gastouni Gastouni
Kavasila
Vartholomio
Tragano
Pyrgos Pyrgos Pyrgos
Volakas
Iardanos
Oleni
Zacharo Zacharo Zacharo
Figaleia

Provinces[edit]

Before 2006, Elis was divided into twoprovinces:Elis ProvinceandOlympia Province.Elis Province containedHollowor Lowland Elis and the northern part ofPisatis.It was the smallest, but most populous of the two provinces. The seat wasPyrgos.Olympia Province contained most of Pisatis andTriphylia.Its seat wasAndritsaina,in the mountains;KrestenaandZacharowere the largest towns in the province.

Population[edit]

Elis is the third most populous regional unit of the Peloponnese, afterAchaeaandMessenia.Between 70% and 75% of the population live on fertile lands away from the mountains.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1940[5]186,945—
1961[6]188,861+1.0%
1981[7]217,371+15.1%
1991[8]174,287−19.8%
2001[8]183,521+5.3%
2011[8]159,300−13.2%
2021[1]149,896−5.9%

The population of ancient Elis (from 1000–1 BC) was in the range of 5,000 to 10,000 and reached 10,000 or 20,000 by 1 BC.[citation needed]The population reached 217,000 around 1981, but has been declining since. Pyrgos became the largest city having the population over the 10,000 mark in the mid-20th century, and above 20,000 in the late 1980s. The population in the northwest is growing while the population is declining in the southeast and east.

Economy[edit]

Agriculture[edit]

The primary source of agriculture is corn, tomatoes, potatoes, green peppers, livestock, watermelon, melon and some vegetables. There are 3 major operating tomato factories in Savalia (Kyknos), Gastouni (Pelargos), and north of Andravida (Asteris). The most fertile land in Peloponnese is the plain that covers the northern part of Elis and the adjacent part of Achaea.

Textiles used to be dominant in business from antiquity until the Middle Ages. In the 1950s, agriculture was the dominant occupation, except in the townsAmaliadaandPyrgos.Currently, one third of jobs in Elis is in the agricultural sector.

Fishing[edit]

Squid,and all types of fish are common in the waters of Elis. Fishing is mainly done in the southeasternIonian Seaand in theBay of Patras.Most of the production is sent into Patras, some into Athens, some elsewhere in the world (with small production) and some into the local markets of Elis from Kyllini and Katakolo. Overfishing is a problem north of Lechaina.

History[edit]

Inclassical antiquity,Elis was an independent state, centred on the town Elis and included the sanctuary atOlympia,where theAncient Olympic Gameswere held between 776 BC and 394 AD. After 146 BC, Elis was part of the provinceAchaeawithin theRoman Empire.In theMigration Period(3rd - 4th century AD)VandalsandVisigothsrampaged through the region. After thefinal partition of the Roman Empirein 395, Elis was ruled by theByzantine Empire.

In the aftermath of theFourth Crusade,crusaders from Western Europe (traditionally referred to asFranksin southeastern Europe) established theprincipality of Achaeain the territory of the defeated Byzantine Empire. The region of Elis was the Principality's heartland, containing its capital,Andravida,the port town and mint ofGlarentza,the fortress ofChlemoutsi,and the extensiveBarony of Akova.The Principality lasted from 1204 until 1432, when it was conquered by the ByzantineDespotate of the Morea,which in turn fell in 1460 to theOttoman Empire.

The Ottoman Empire ruled most of Greece until theGreek War of Independenceof 1821. TheVenetian Republiccontrolled a few coastal towns in the 1490s, early 16th century andfrom 1686 until 1715.Battlegrounds of the Greek War of Independence in Elis include Chlemoutsi, Gastouni, Lala, Lampeia, Pyrgos and Andritsaina.

As a part of independent Greece, Elis experienced an economic and agricultural upswing in the first decades after the war of independence. Houses were built, and Pyrgos became a regional centre. Like most of thePeloponnese,the area was unaffected duringWorld War I.As a result of theGreco-Turkish War (1919–1922),Greek refugeesfromAsia Minorsettled in the area around Amaliada.

World War IIstruck parts of Elis, houses were damaged, leaving people homeless, and afterwards theGreek Civil Warcaused more destruction and economic decline. Thereturn to democracyafter theGreek military junta of 1967–1974,and Greece joining theEuropean Communitiesin 1981 stimulated economic development and improvement of infrastructure.

Transport[edit]

Roads[edit]

Elis has 200 km ofhighways.There are no limited-access freeways in the prefecture, but a freeway (A9) is being built betweenPatrasandKyparissia,planned opening 2012.[needs update]

The principalhighwaysinclude:

Railways[edit]

The total length of railway tracks in Elis is around 140 km. There is a railway line from Patras toKalamatavia Pyrgos, and a branch line from Pyrgos toOlympia.Since January 2011, traffic is suspended on the line from Patras to Kalamata, and only the branch line from Pyrgos to Olympia has regular passenger trains.

Ports[edit]

The port of Kyllini in the northwest is the busiest port in Elis, with car ferries to the islands ofZakynthosandKefalonia.The port ofKatakolois an important stop for cruise ships, offering an opportunity for passengers to visit the site ofAncient Olympia.Other ports or harbors are small in size and fit only smaller boats.

Airports[edit]

Elis has a military airport nearAndravida,north of Pyrgos. There are no public airports in the area. The nearestairporton land is inKalamata.

Communications[edit]

Telephones became more common after the 1960s when the Hellenic Telecommunication Organization (ΟΤΕ) created hundreds of kilometres of phone lines in the region. Now nearly every household has a telephone. The ΟΤΕ built tens of towers to connect more lines for the internet, telephones, and cell phones to increase the service. Lines began around the mid-20th century to enable more people to communicate by phones in the whole of Greece. There are also several communication towers throughout the prefecture.

  • ORT(Olympiaki Radiofonia Tileorasi) serves the whole of Elis. ORT is aPolisaffiliate.

There are several local radio stations, for instance RSA (Radio Station of Amalias) from Amalias andEleftheri Radiofonas Krestenasfrom Krestena. There are hundreds of transmitter towers scattered over Elis.

Persons[edit]

Sporting teams[edit]

In popular culture[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ab"Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό"[Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
  2. ^"Two killed by large Greek quake".BBC.2008-06-08.Retrieved2008-06-08.
  3. ^newspaper "TA NEA"; September 3, 2007
  4. ^ab"ΦΕΚ A 87/2010, Kallikratis reform law text"(in Greek).Government Gazette.
  5. ^"Detailed census results 1940"(PDF).(47 MB)(in Greek and French)
  6. ^"Detailed census results 1961"(PDF).(35 MB)(in Greek and French)
  7. ^"Detailed census results 1981"(PDF).(13 MB)(in Greek)
  8. ^abc"Απογραφές πληθυσμού 1991,2001,2011 σύμφωνα με την κωδικοποίηση της Απογραφής 2011"(in Greek).Hellenic Statistical Authority.Retrieved17 April2024.

References[edit]

  • I Ileia Dia Meson ton Aionon(Ilia In The Middle Of The Age)Georgios Papandreou
  • Ston Pyrgo kai stin Ileia tou 1821-1930(Στον Πύργο και στην Ηλεία του 1821-1930=In Pyrgos And In Ilia (1821–1930))Vyronas Davos1996
  • Ilia Before The Revolution of 1821(η Ηλεία πρίν την επανάσταση του 1821=I Ileia prin tin epanastasi tou 1821) Vyronas Davos 1997
  • The Life Of The Inhabitants Of Ilia During The Turkish Rule(η ζωή των κατοίκων της Ηλείας κατα την τουρκοκρατία=I zoi ton katoikon tis Ileias kata ton tourkokratia) Vyronas Davos 1997
  • Toponmia tis Ileias(Τοπονύμια της Ηλείας=Toponym of Elis) Vyronas Davos

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toElis Regional Unit.
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