Drama (, ''Perifereiakí Enótita Drámas'') is one of the

regional units of Greece The 74 regional units of Greece (, ; singular , ) are the country's third-level administrative units (counting decentralized administrations as first-level). They are subdivisions of the country's 13 regions, and are further divided into munici ...

. It is part of the

Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

East Macedonia and Thrace Eastern Macedonia and Thrace ( ; , ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It consists of the northeastern parts of the country, comprising the eastern part of the region of Macedonia along with the region of Western Thr ...

. Its capital is the town of

Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

. The regional unit is the northernmost within the

geographical region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

of Macedonia and the westernmost in the administrative region of East Macedonia and Thrace. The northern border with

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

is formed by the

Rhodope Mountains The Rhodopes (; , ; , ''Rodopi''; ) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, and the largest by area in Bulgaria, with over 83% of its area in the southern part of the country and the remainder in Greece. Golyam Perelik is its highest peak ...

Geography

The northern part of the regional unit, bordering Bulgaria, is very mountainous. The main mountain ranges are Orvilos ( - Slavyanka) in the northwest, Falakro in the north (at 2232m the highest point of the regional unit), the western

in the northeast (including mounts Frakto, Elatia, Koula etc.) and Menoikio in the southwest. The Nestos is the longest river, flowing in the northeast. The northern portion holds a unique treasure known as Karantere (or Forest of Elatia). Drama is surrounded by the regional units of

Xanthi Xanthi is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi regional unit of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Amphitheatrically built on the foot of Rhodope mountain chain, the city is divided ...

to the east,

Kavala Kavala (, ''Kavála'' ) is a city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos and on the A2 motorway, a one-and ...

to the south,

Serres Serres ( ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki. Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northern Greece. The c ...

to the southwest and to the west, and the

n provinces of

Blagoevgrad Blagoevgrad ( ) is List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, а town in Southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Municipality and of Blagoevgrad Province. With a population of almost inhabitants, it is the economic and cultura ...

and

Smolyan Smolyan () is a List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, town and ski resort in the south of Bulgaria near the border with Greece. It is the administrative and industrial centre of the Smolyan Province. The town is built along the narrow valley of t ...

to the north. Arable lands are located in the southern and the west-central portion of Drama. The southern part mainly has a

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

climate. The climate is more continental with cold winters in higher elevations and in the northern part.

Administration

The Drama regional unit is subdivided into 5 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox): * Doxato (2) *

(1) * Kato Nevrokopi (3) * Paranesti (4) * Prosotsani (5)

Prefecture

As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the former Drama Prefecture () was transformed into a regional unit within the East Macedonia and Thrace region. The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below. According to the 2011 census, the Drama regional unit had a population of 98,287, 11,666 more inhabitants than in the 2021 census.

Transport

The main roads of Drama regional unit are

Greek National Road 12 National Road 12 (, abbreviated as EO12) is a single carriageway road in northern Greece. It connects Thessaloniki with Kavala, passing through Serres and Drama. It also serves traffic heading towards the north, to the Greek/Bulgarian border. ...

(Thessaloniki - Serres - Drama - Kavala), Greek National Road 14 (Drama - Xanthi) and Greek National Road 57 (Drama - Kato Nevrokopi - Bulgaria). The Thessaloniki–Alexandroupoli railway passes through Drama and Paranesti.

References

{{Authority control Regional units of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Prefectures of Greece

Geography

Administration

Prefecture

Transport

See also

References