Elis or Ilia ( el, Ηλεία, ''Ileia'') is a historic region in the western part of the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridge which ...

peninsula of Greece. It is administered as a

regional unit The 74 regional units of Greece ( el, περιφερειακές ενότητες, ; sing. , ) are the country's Seventy-four second-level administrative units. They are divisions of the country's 13 regions, and are further divided into munici ...

of the modern region of

Western Greece Western Greece Region ( el, Περιφέρεια Δυτικής Ελλάδας, translit=Periféria Dhitikís Elládhas, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It comprises the western part of continental Greece and the northw ...

. Its capital is Pyrgos. Until

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

it was Elis Prefecture, covering the same territory. The modern regional unit is nearly coterminous with the

ancient Elis Elis () or Eleia ( el, Ήλιδα, Ilida, grc-att, Ἦλις, Ēlis ; Elean: , ethnonym: ) is an ancient district in Greece that corresponds to the modern regional unit of Elis. Elis is in southern Greece on the Peloponnese, bounded on t ...

of the classical period. Here lie the ancient ruins of cities of Elis, Epitalion and Olympia, known for the

ancient Olympic Games The ancient Olympic Games (Ὀλυμπιακοὶ ἀγῶνες; la, Olympia, neuter plural: "the Olympics") were a series of athletic competitions among representatives of city-states and were one of the Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece ...

which started in 776 BC.

Geography

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 , and from east-to-west is around . The modern regional unit is not completely congruent with

Lampeia Lampeia ( Greek: Λάμπεια, before 1928: Δίβρη - ''Divri'', between 1928 and 1929: Πρινόφυτον - ''Prinofyton'') is a mountain village, a community and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 loca ...

belonged to ancient Arcadia, and Kalogria is now part of

Achaea Achaea () or Achaia (), sometimes transliterated from Greek as Akhaia (, ''Akhaïa'' ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Western Greece and is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. T ...

. The longest river is the

Alfeios The Alfeiós or Alpheios ( el, Αλφειός, grc, Ἀλφειός, Latin Alpheus) is the main stream of the Alpheios Valley drainage system, a dendritic type, originating on the north slopes of Mount Taygetus, located in the center of the Pelo ...

. Other rivers are the Erymanthos, Pineios and Neda. Alfeios, Pineios and Neda flow into the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including ...

in Elis. Less than 1% of the prefecture is open water, most of it found in artificial reservoirs and dams, in the north and east. The

Pineios Dam Peneus is a river god in Greek mythology. Peneus or Pineios (Greek: Πηνειός) may also refer to: *Pineios (Thessaly), a river in Thessaly, Greece *Pineios (Peloponnese) The Pineiós ( el, Πηνειός, la, Peneus) is a river in Peloponne ...

supplies water for Northern Elis. The water is not safe for drinking, because it contains some

contaminant Contamination is the presence of a constituent, impurity, or some other undesirable element that spoils, corrupts, infects, makes unfit, or makes inferior a material, physical body, natural environment, workplace, etc. Types of contamination Wi ...

s. A second, smaller reservoir in the river Alfeios near Olympia and

Krestena Krestena ( el, Κρέστενα) is a town and a community in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andritsaina-Krestena, of which it is the seat of administration. Krestena is situated i ...

supplies water to Pyrgos. The eastern part of the regional unit is forested, with mostly pine trees in the south. There are forest preserves in

Foloi Foloi ( el, Φολόη, Latin: ''Pholoe'') is a village and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Archaia Olympia, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal ...

and the mountain ranges of Eastern Elis. In the north is the Strofylia forest which has pine trees. Mountain ranges include Movri (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 the

Samiko Samiko ( el, Σαμικό, before 1923: Αλή Τσελεπή - ''Ali Tselepi'') is a village in the municipality of Skillounta, Elis, Greece. In 2011 its population was 389. It is situated on a hill near the Ionian Sea, 2 km south of Kallikom ...

area. 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 of Elis, Epitalion and Olympia, known for the ancient Olympic Games which 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

Elis has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

, 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

Elis is located in a seismically active zone, and there are several

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

s each year. Some of the most significant earthquakes to have hit the area are: *1909: earthquake in

Chavari Chavari ( el, Χαβάρι) is a village and a community in the municipal unit of Amaliada, Elis, Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of ...

*1910: earthquake in Vartholomio *1920: earthquake in Kyllini *1953: Ionian earthquake, minor damage in Elis *2008: 8 June Peloponnese earthquake, 2 deaths; hundreds of damaged homes and buildings were reported in Lechaina, Amaliada and Vartholomio 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 in Manolada,

Nea Manolada Nea Manolada (Greek: Νέα Μανολάδα) is a community in the municipal unit of Vouprasia, Elis, southwestern Greece. It is located in a vast, rural plain, It is 3 km southwest of Neo Vouprasio, 3 km northeast of Varda and 37 ...

and Kounoupeli. In August 2007, there were enormous forest fires which led to tens of deaths and a massive environmental and economic disaster. The final toll for the prefecture was: 45 dead, 100,000 affected 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.newspaper "TA NEA"; September 3, 2007 The archaeological site of Olympia was seriously threatened, but not damaged.

Administration

The regional unit Elis is subdivided into 7 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox): * Ancient Olympia (4) * Andravida-Kyllini (6) * Andritsaina-Krestena (3) * Ilida (2) * Pineios (7) * Pyrgos (1) * Zacharo (5)

2011 reform

As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Elis was created out of the former

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

Elis ( el, 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.

Provinces

Before 2006, Elis was divided into two

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

: Elis Province and

Olympia Province Olympia Province ( el, Επαρχία Ολυμπίας) was one of the provinces of the Elis Prefecture, Greece. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipalities Andritsaina-Krestena and Zacharo Zacharo ( el, Ζαχάρω) is a ...

. Elis Province contained Hollow or Lowland Elis and the northern part of Pisatis. It was the smallest, but most populous of the two provinces. The seat was Pyrgos. Olympia Province contained most of Pisatis and Triphylia. Its seat was

Andritsaina Andritsaina ( el, Ανδρίτσαινα) is a village and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andritsaina-Krestena, of which it is a municipal unit. The munic ...

, in the mountains;

and Zacharo were the largest towns in the province.

Population

Elis is the third most populous regional unit of the Peloponnese, after

and Messinia. Between 70% to 75% of the population live on fertile lands away from the mountains. 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. 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

Agriculture

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 :''The butterfly genus ''Cycnus'' is now synonymized with '' Panthiades. In Greek mythology, multiple characters were known as Cycnus ( Ancient Greek: Κύκνος) or Cygnus. The literal meaning of the name is "swan", and accordingly most of them e ...

), 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 towns

Amaliada Amaliada ( el, Αμαλιάδα, Katharevousa: Ἀμαλιάς, ''Amaliás'') is a town and a former municipality in northwestern Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Ilida, of which it i ...

and Pyrgos. Currently, one third of jobs in Elis is in the agricultural sector.

Fishing

Squid, and all types of fish are common in the waters of Elis. Fishing is mainly done in the southeastern

and in the

Bay of Patras A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...

. 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

classical antiquity Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...

, Elis was an independent state, centred on the town Elis and included the sanctuary at Olympia, where the

Ancient Olympic Games The ancient Olympic Games (Ὀλυμπιακοὶ ἀγῶνες; la, Olympia, neuter plural: "the Olympics") were a series of athletic competitions among representatives of city-states and were one of the Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece ...

were held between 776 BC and 394 AD. After 146 BC, Elis was part of the province

within the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

. In the

Migration Period The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roma ...

(3rd - 4th century AD) Vandals and Visigoths rampaged through the region. After the final partition of the Roman Empire in 395 Elis was ruled by the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

. In the aftermath of the

Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...

, crusaders from Western Europe (traditionally referred to as ''

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools ...

'' in southeastern Europe) established the principality of Achaea in territory of the defeated Byzantine Empire, including Elis. They built castles like Chlemoutsi. The principality lasted from 1204 until 1460, when it was conquered by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

. The Ottoman Empire ruled most of Greece until the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

of 1821. The

Venetian Republic The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia ...

controlled a few coastal towns in the 1490s, early 16th century and from 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 decennia after the war of independence. Houses were built, and Pyrgos became a regional centre. Like most of the

, the area was unaffected during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. As a result of the

Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) The Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, ota, گرب جابهاسی, Garb Cebhesi) in Turkey, and the Asia Minor Campaign ( el, Μικρασιατική Εκστρατεία, Mikrasiatikí Ekstrateía) or the Asia Minor Catastrophe ( el, Μικ ...

, Greek refugees from

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

settled into a.o. the area around Amaliada.

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

struck parts of Elis, houses were damaged, leaving people homeless, and afterwards the

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος �όλεμος}, ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom and ...

caused more destruction and economic decline. The return to democracy after the

Greek military junta of 1967–1974 The Greek junta or Regime of the Colonels, . Also known within Greece as just the Junta ( el, η Χούντα, i Choúnta, links=no, ), the Dictatorship ( el, η Δικτατορία, i Diktatoría, links=no, ) or the Seven Years ( el, η Ε ...

, and Greece joining the

European Communities The European Communities (EC) were three international organizations that were governed by the same set of institutions. These were the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom), and the ...

in 1981 stimulated economic development and improvement of infrastructure.

Transport

Roads

Elis has 200 km of

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

s. There are no limited-access freeways in the prefecture, but a freeway (A9) is being built between

Patras ) , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 = , demographics1_info2 = , timezone1 = EET , utc_offset1 = +2 ...

and

Kyparissia Kyparissia ( el, Κυπαρισσία) is a town and a former municipality in northwestern Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Trifylia, of which it is the seat and a municipal uni ...

, planned opening 2012. The principal

s include: * E55 ( GR Highway 9), Patras- Pyrgos–Kyparissia, along the western coast of the Peloponnese * GR Highway 74, Pyrgos– Lagkadia, Tripoli * GR Highway 76, Pyrgos–

– Megalopolis

Railways

The total length of railway tracks in Elis is around 140 km. There is a railway line from Patras to

Kalamata Kalamáta ( el, Καλαμάτα ) is the second most populous city of the Peloponnese peninsula, after Patras, in southern Greece and the largest city of the homonymous administrative region. As the capital and chief port of the Messenia regi ...

via Pyrgos, and a branch line from Pyrgos to Olympia. 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

The port of Kyllini in the northwest is the busiest port in Elis, with car ferries to the islands of

Zakynthos Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; el, Ζάκυνθος, Zákynthos ; it, Zacinto ) or Zante (, , ; el, Τζάντε, Tzánte ; from the Venetian form) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. Z ...

and

Kefalonia Kefalonia or Cephalonia ( el, Κεφαλονιά), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallenia (), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and the 6th largest island in Greece after Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. It ...

. The port of Katakolo is an important stop for cruise ships, offering an opportunity for passengers to visit the site of Ancient Olympia. Other ports or harbors are small in size and fit only smaller boats.

Airports

Elis has a military airport near Andravida, north of Pyrgos. There are no public airports in the area. The nearest

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

on land is in

Communications

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 a

Polis ''Polis'' (, ; grc-gre, πόλις, ), plural ''poleis'' (, , ), literally means "city" in Greek. In Ancient Greece, it originally referred to an administrative and religious city center, as distinct from the rest of the city. Later, it also ...

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

Persons

Panagiotis Adraktas Panagiotis Adraktas (Greek: Παναγιώτης Αδράκτας, born September 28, 1948) is a Greek politician. He was born in Kardamas in northwestern Elis. He is a doctor and doctorate at the Medical Faculty of the University of Athens. H ...

(b. September 28, 1948 in Kardamas), a New Democracy politician * Hristodoulos Aholos or Acholos * Panagiotis Anagnostopoulos, revolutionary leader *

Astydameia In Greek mythology, Astydamea or Astydamia (; Ancient Greek: Ἀστυδάμεια ''Astudámeia'', derived from ἄστυ ''ástu'', "town", and δαμάω ''damáo'', "to tame") is a name attributed to several individuals: * Astydamea, also known ...

Atreus In Greek mythology, Atreus ( , ; from ἀ-, "no" and τρέω, "tremble", "fearless", gr, Ἀτρεύς ) was a king of Mycenae in the Peloponnese, the son of Pelops and Hippodamia, and the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus. Collectively ...

* Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou among the youngest politicians of the Greek Parliament and UN Award recipient * Avgerinos family: ** Agamemnon Avgerinos **

Andreas Avgerinos Andreas Avgerinos () (1820–1895) was a Greek politician from Elis. He was born in Pyrgos, now in Elis, one year before the start of the Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Gr ...

** Charalambos Avgerinos ** Dimitrios Avgerinos ** Nakis Avgerinos ** Petros Avgerinos * Dionyssios N. Bokos, writer of ''Myrsini'', ''Nihta Pepromenou'', etc. *Andreas Bratis, writer of ''To Vartholomo'' (''The Vartholonio'') *Christopoulos family: ** Agamemnon Christopoulos, politician, brother of Asimakis ** Anastasios Christopoulos, revolutionary leader ** Asimakis Christopoulos, politicians, brother of Tzannetos ** Charalampos Christopoulos, politician **Christos Christopoulos, father of Anastasios ** Tzannetos Christopoulos, politician, son of Anastasios * Christos Daralexis, journalist * Themistoklis Daralexis, politician *

Vyronas Davos Vyronas Davos (Greek: Βύρων Δάβος; born 1927), is a Greek historian, writer and poet. He was born in the village of Pelopio (now part of the municipality of Olympia) in Elis and moved to Athens as an employee of the fire department. ...

, a writer, historian and a poet, he published works on Ilia during the Frankish, Ottoman, Venetian periods, the Greek War of Independence and the Modern period * Dionyssis Diakos, revolutionary leader * Ioannis Diakos, revolutionary leader * Takis Doxas, writer *Epeus, ancient mythological legend * Ioannis Giannopoulos, politician *

Kostis Gontikas Kostis Gontikas or Gondikas (Greek: Κωστής Γόντικας, born 1934 in Athens, Greece) is a Greek politician. He was born in 1934 in Athens and was the son of Dimitrios Gontikas, a politician and president of the Greek parliament. He ...

(b. 1934), politician * Dimitrios Gontikas, (1888–1967) a politician and former president of the

Greek parliament The Hellenic Parliament ( el, Ελληνικό Κοινοβούλιο, Elliniko Kinovoulio; formally titled el, Βουλή των Ελλήνων, Voulí ton Ellínon, Boule of the Hellenes, label=none), also known as the Parliament of the He ...

* Aristeidis Griboutis, journalist *

Miltiadis Iatridis Miltiadis Iatridis ( el, Μιλτιάδης Ιατρίδης; 1906–1960) was a Greek naval officer active during World War II. He was born in the village Sofiko in the Peloponnese. He entered the Hellenic Naval Academy in 1921 and graduated ...

, revolutionary leader *

Nikos Kahtitsis Nikos ( el, Νίκος, ''Níkos'') is a Greek people, Greek given name. It originates from Greek language, Greek ''Nikolaos'', which means "victory of the people".Liddell & Scott, Abridged Greek Lexicon Although used as a proper first name, Nikos i ...

, writer * Antonios Kalogeropoulos, a revolutionary leader from Myrsini (then Souleimanaga) * Athanassios Kanellopoulos, politician * Simon Karas, music historian *

Andreas Karkavitsas Andreas Karkavitsas or Carcavitsas (Greek: Ανδρέας Καρκαβίτσας; Lechaina, 1866 – Marousi, October 10, 1922) was a Greek novelist. He was a naturalist, like Alexandros Papadiamantis. Biography He was born in 1866 in the nort ...

Kostas Kazakos Kostas Kazakos ( el, Κώστας Καζάκος, alt. sp. Costas Kazakos; 29 May 1935 – 13 September 2022) was a Greek actor, television director, and politician. He was married to the famous actress Tzeni Karezi for 24 years until her dea ...

, actor * Dimitrios Kioussopoulos, former

Prime Minister of Greece The prime minister of the Hellenic Republic ( el, Πρωθυπουργός της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας, Prothypourgós tis Ellinikís Dimokratías), colloquially referred to as the prime minister of Greece ( el, Πρωθυ� ...

Dionyssos Kokkinos Dionysios Kokkinos (Greek: Διονύσιος Κόκκινος; 1884–1967) was a Greek historian, journalist, academic and writer. Early life and education Kokkinos was born in Pyrgos in Elis, Greece. His father, Antonios Kokkinos, was a ...

, writer * Dimitrios Korkolis, politician and mayor of Pyrgos * Krestenitis family: ** Aristeidis Krestenitis ** Georgios Krestenitis, two politicians ** Ioannis Krestenis (elder) ** Ioannis Krestenitis (younger), politician ** Lykourgos Krestenitis (1793–1873), president of the Greek parliament ** Stamatis Krestenitis, a Greek revolutionary leader *

Christos Laskaris Christos Laskaris (Greek: Χρίστος Λάσκαρης, 1931 – December 11, 2008) was a Greek poet. Laskaris was born in the village of Chavari in Elis, but moved to Patras as a child. He studied at the Pedagogical Academy of Tripoli, but d ...

, poet *Liourdis family: ** Ioannis Liourdis, politician ** Spyros Liourdis, Greek revolutionary leader **

Georgios Georgios (, , ) is a Greek name derived from the word ''georgos'' (, , "farmer" lit. "earth-worker"). The word ''georgos'' (, ) is a compound of ''ge'' (, , "earth", "soil") and ''ergon'' (, , "task", "undertaking", "work"). It is one of the mo ...

and Petros Mitzos, revolutionary leaders * Georgios Nikoloutsopoulos, a revolutionary leader from Myrsini (then Souleimanaga) * Alexandros Panagoulis * Georgios Papandreou, an unrelated historian * Theodoros Papasimakopoulos, revolutionary leader * Ioannis Pesmazoglou *

Takis Sinopoulos Takis Sinopoulos ( el, Τάκης Σινόπουλος; Pyrgos, Elis, March 17, 1917 – Athens, April 25, 1981) was a Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic gr ...

, poet * Sisinis family: **

Chrysanthos Sisinis (died 1845) Chrysanthos Sisinis (Greek: Χρύσανθος Σισίνης, died 1845) was a Greek revolutionary leader and a politician. He was born in Gastouni and was the son of Georgios Sisinis. He fought at the battles of Patras, Athens, Messolongi ...

, a Greek revolutionary leader and a politician * Georgios Sisinis, a Greek revolutionary leader * Christos Stefanopoulos, politician *Theodoridis family: ** Thallis Theodoridis (elder), a Greek revolutionary leader ** Thallis Theodoridis (younger), a politician ** Vasileios Theodoridis, journalist *

Konstantinos Varouxis Konstantinos Varouxis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Βαρουξής) was a Greek journalist and a publisher. Varouxis was born in Pyrgos and was descended from a family of journalists. The family had familial ties with the Spilotopoulos fam ...

, journalist, ''Patris'' writer * Leonidas Varouxis, journalist, ''Patris'' writer * Alexis Vilaetis, a 19th-century politician who was elected in 1868 * Charalambos Vilaetis, a Greek revolutionary leader *

Lysandros Vilaetis Lysandros Vilaetis (Greek: Λύσανδρος Βιλαέτης) was a chief of Pyrgos and a Greek politician elected from 1823 until 1864. He descended from a noted family of Pyrgos in which he was one of the first who inhabited the area. He ...

, a chief of Pyrgos and a politician * Nikolaos Vilaetis * Panagis Vourloumis * Panagiotis Kondylis, philosopher, writer and editor * Dimitris Eleas, writer living in London *

Panos Karnezis Panagiotis Karnezis ( el, Παναγιώτης (Πάνος) Καρνέζης; born 1967 in Amaliada), known as Panos Karnezis, is a Greek writer. Born in Greece, he moved to England in 1992 to study Engineering. He was later awarded a M.A. in Crea ...

, writer living in London *For the kings of Elis (now Ilia), see

section Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...

Pyrrho Pyrrho of Elis (; grc, Πύρρων ὁ Ἠλεῖος, Pyrrhо̄n ho Ēleios; ), born in Elis, Greece, was a Greek philosopher of Classical antiquity, credited as being the first Greek skeptic philosopher and founder of Pyrrhonism. Life ...

, father of Skepticism

Sporting teams

* Aias - Gastouni * Asteras - Amaliada * Dafni - Andravida * Iliakos - Lechaina * Olympiacos Zacharos - Zacharo * Panileiakos - Pyrgos *

PAO Varda Pamvouprasiakos Athlitikos Omilos Vardas ( el, Παμβουπρασιακός Α.Ο. Βάρδας), aka PAO Vardas, is a association football, football club founded in 1948 in Varda, Greece, Varda. The team colors are green and white and the headq ...

- Varda

In popular culture

* The central action of Maeve Binchy's romance novel, '' Nights of Rain and Stars'' (2004), is set in Agia Anna, Elis. * Elis is known within the Greek internet community for the strange or tragicomic news stories that are reported from the region, similar to the "

Florida Man Florida Man is an Internet meme first popularized in 2013, referring to an alleged prevalence of male persons performing irrational, maniacal, or absurd actions in the U.S. state of Florida. Internet users typically submit links to news storie ...

" meme.

Notes

References

*''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)'')

1996 *''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

Amaliada City Web Portal- Η Διαδικτυακή Πύλη της Αμαλιάδας (''I Diadiktyaki Pyli tis Amaliadas'') - www.amaliada.netThe Prefectural administration of Ilia
(in Greek)

(in Greek)
Structurae: Structural engineering and architecture Guide to Ilia Prefecture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elis (Regional Unit) Prefectures of Greece 1899 establishments in Greece Regional units of Western Greece Peloponnese