Antirrio (, pronounced , ) is a town and a former

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Aetolia-Acarnania Aetolia-Acarnania (, ''Aitoloakarnanía'', ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the geographic regions of Greece, geographic region of Central Greece (geographic region), Central Greece and the administrative regions of Greece, ...

West Greece Western Greece Region (, ) is one of the thirteen Modern regions of Greece, administrative regions of Greece. It comprises the western part of Central Greece (geographic region), continental Greece and the northwestern part of the Peloponnese pen ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nafpaktia, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 50.794 km². It is situated on the north side of the narrow (2.4 km) Strait of Rio, which separates the Gulf of Patras in the west from the

Gulf of Corinth The Gulf of Corinth or the Corinthian Gulf (, ) is a deep inlet of the Ionian Sea, separating the Peloponnese from western mainland Greece. It is bounded in the east by the Isthmus of Corinth which includes the shipping-designed Corinth Canal and ...

in the east. Since August 2004 the Rio–Antirrio bridge connects northwestern Greece with the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

. The name Antirrio means "opposite Rio".

Subdivisions

The municipal unit Antirrio is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets): *Antirrio (Antirrio, Karaoulia, Myrtia, Spartorachi) * Makyneia (Makyneia, Agios Polykarpos, Agrapidokampos, Riza) * Molykreio (Molykreio, Ano Platanitis, Fragkaiika)

Historical population

Geography

Antirrio is situated at the western entrance of the

. It is 3 km northwest of Rio, 10 km north of

Patras Patras (; ; Katharevousa and ; ) is Greece's List of cities in Greece, third-largest city and the regional capital and largest city of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese, west of Athens. The city is built at the foot of Mount Panachaiko ...

and 9 km southwest of

Naupactus Nafpaktos () or Naupactus, is a town and a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Nafpaktia, Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, situated on a bay on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, west of the mouth of the river Mor ...

. 8 km to the northwest is the 1,039 m high mountain Klokova (also known as ''Paliovouna''), rising steeply from the Gulf of Patras coast. The Rio–Antirrio bridge, carrying Motorway 5, connects it with the

peninsula. Greek National Road 5 connects it with Missolonghi and northwestern Greece, Greek National Road 48 with Naupactus and

Livadeia Livadeia ( ''Livadiá'', ; or , ''Lebadia'') is a town in central Greece. It is the capital of the Boeotia Regional units of Greece, regional district. Livadeia lies north-west of Athens, west of Chalkida, south-east of Lamia (city), Lamia, ...

The port of Antirrio

The Port of Antirrio is served by ferries that carry traffic between the Peloponnese and northwestern Greece. Its significance has decreased since the opening of the Rio-Antirrio bridge in 2004. It is still in use as a ferry port for hazardous cargo and by users attracted by the scenic route or the lower fare for crossing the Rio-Antirrio strait. Adjacent to the port there is a lighthouse and the Castle of Antirrio. On the eastern pier of Antirrio port there is the Antirrio RTS (Regional Traffic Service) which is part of the national

Vessel traffic service A vessel traffic service is a marine traffic monitoring system established by harbour or port authorities, similar to air traffic control for aircraft. The International Maritime Organization defines vessel traffic service as "a service implemente ...

system of Greece (Officially called Vessel Traffic Management and Information System). The RTS of Antirrio includes a building with the necessary electronics/communication equipment and a sensors/radar mast of 20m height. On top of the mast there is a remotely controlled CCTV camera, VHF antennas and the antenna of the coastal surveillance and navigation

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

GEM RT02-25D.Hellenic Coastguard, Modernization of Greek National VTMIS system
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References

External links

Lighthouse
{{Nafpaktia div Mediterranean port cities and towns in Greece Populated places in Aetolia-Acarnania Nafpaktia