Sithonia ( el, Σιθωνία), also known as Longos, is a peninsula of

Chalkidiki Chalkidiki (; el, Χαλκιδική , also spelled Halkidiki, is a peninsula and regional unit of Greece, part of the region of Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia in Northern Greece. The autonomous Mount Athos region co ...

, which itself is located on a larger peninsula within

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

. The Kassandra Peninsula lies to the west of Sithonia and the Mount Athos peninsula to the east. Sithonia is also a municipality, covering the Sithonia peninsula. The seat of the municipality is the town Nikiti.

Geography

Gulfs that surround the peninsula are the

Singitic Gulf The Singitic Gulf (), also known as the Mount Athos Gulf or the Holy Mountain Gulf () is a gulf of the Thracian Sea, part of the northern Aegean Sea, in Chalkidiki, Greece. It is bounded by Sithonia in the west, and Mount Athos in the east. The is ...

to the east and the

Toronean Gulf The Toronean Gulf or Toroneos Gulf () and Toronaic Gulf (), also known as the Kassandra Gulf (), is a gulf of the Thracian Sea, part of the northern Aegean Sea, in Chalkidiki, Greece. It lies between the Kassandra peninsula in the west, and Sit ...

to the west. The peaks of Itamos and Dragoudelis are in the center of the peninsula. The landscape is covered with vineyards, forests, grasslands, shrubland and mountains. Amongst the many historic places in Sithonia is the ancient city, the castle and the church of Agios Athanasios in Toroni, the windmills in Sykia and the 16th century church in Nikiti. In the northern part of the peninsula are the popular beaches of Ai Giannis, Kalogria,

Elia Elia is a name which may be a variant of the names Elias, Elijah, Eli or Eliahu, and may refer to: People * Aelia (gens) or Elia, a ''gens'' of Ancient Rome Mononymic * Elia or Elijah, a biblical prophet * Elia, a pen-name of Charles Lamb First ...

and Lagomandra on the west coast and Livrochios, Karidi, Kavourotripes and Platanitsi on the east coast. The beaches in the southern part include Azapiko, Tristinika, Kalamitsi and Kriaritsi. Porto Koufo, is the largest natural harbor in

, which is mentioned by

Thucydides Thucydides (; grc, , }; BC) was an Athenian historian and general. His '' History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of " scienti ...

as "hollow harbor"; it appears to be the fishing spot in the area. South, from the harbour's exit there is Kartalia, the most southern part of Sithonia, a very impressive area which puts its visitors under a spell with its rocky secluded beaches. The main villages in the peninsula are Nikiti, Neos Marmaras, Parthenonas, Sarti, Sykia, Vourvourou and Agios Nikolaos. In the middle of Sithonia peninsula, near the village of Neos Marmaras, is the holiday resort of Porto Carras; the place of the 2003

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

leaders Summit. In summer the waterfront areas of Neos Maramaras, Nikiti and Sarti are especially busy.

Municipality

The municipality Sithonia was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 2 former municipalities, that became municipal units: *Sithonia * Toroni The municipality has an area of 516.848 km², the municipal unit 322.875 km².

Places

* Agios Nikolaos * Armenistis (camping) * Elia Akti or Elia, or Olive Beach * Kalamitsi * Metamorfosi * Neos Marmaras * Nikiti * Ormos Panagias * Partenonas * Platanitsi * Porto Carras (popular resort town) * Porto Koufos or Porto Koufo * Pyrgaditika or Pyrgadikia * Salonikiou * Sarti * Sykia * Toroni * Vourvourou

References

External links

Visit SithoniaSithonia GuideSithonia in ChalkidikiSithonia Greece travel guide and informationVisitor guide of Sithonia
{{Sithonia div Peninsulas of Greece Municipalities of Central Macedonia Populated places in Chalkidiki Geography of ancient Chalcidice

Geography

Municipality

Places

See also

References

External links