Grevena (, ''Perifereiakí Enótita Grevenón'') 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 ...

Western Macedonia Western Macedonia (, ) is one of the thirteen Regions of Greece, administrative regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia. Located in north-western Greece, it is divided into the regional units of Greece ...

. Its capital is the town of

Grevena Grevena (, ''Grevená'' ; ) is a town and Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Western Macedonia, northern Greece, capital of the Grevena (regional unit), Grevena regional unit. The town's current population is 12,515 citizen ...

Geography

Grevena borders the regional units of

Ioannina Ioannina ( ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus (region), Epirus, an Modern regions of Greece, administrative region in northwester ...

(

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

) to the west,

Kastoria Kastoria (, ''Kastoriá'' ) is a city in northern Greece in the modern regions of Greece, region of Western Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria (regional unit), Kastoria regional unit, in the Geographic regions of Greece, geographic region ...

to the northwest,

Kozani Kozani (, ) is a town in northern Greece, capital of Kozani (regional unit), Kozani regional unit and of Western Macedonia. It is located in the western part of Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmonas, Aliakmonas riv ...

to the north and east,

Larissa Larissa (; , , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 148,562 in the city proper, according to the 2021 census. It is also the capital of the Larissa ...

to the southeast and

Trikala Trikala () is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece, and the capital of the Trikala (regional unit), Trikala regional unit. The city straddles the Lithaios river, which is a tributary of Pineios (Thessaly), Pineios. According to the Greek Natio ...

to the south. The

Pindus The Pindus (also Pindos or Pindhos; ; ; ) is a mountain range located in Northern Greece and Southern Albania. It is roughly long, with a maximum elevation of (Smolikas, Mount Smolikas). Because it runs along the border of Thessaly and Epiru ...

mountains cover the western part of the regional unit. Other mountain ranges are

Chasia Chasia () is a forested mountain range in the northern Trikala (Thessaly) and the southern Grevena (Western Macedonia) regional units, northern Greece. It is an eastern extension of the Pindus mountain range. The elevation of its highest peak, ...

in the south and

Vourinos Vourinos () is a mountain range covering the eastern Grevena (regional unit), Grevena and southern Kozani (regional unit), Kozani regional units of Greece, regional units in Greece. Its highest elevation is . Its length is approximately from no ...

in the northeast. The longest river is

Aliakmon The Haliacmon (, ''Aliákmonas''; formerly: , ''Aliákmon'' or ''Haliákmōn'') is the longest river flowing entirely in Greece, with a total length of . In Greece there are three rivers longer than Haliacmon: Maritsa (), Struma (Strymónas), bot ...

which flows in the north and the east.

Administration

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

Deskati Deskati () is a mountainous municipality in the Grevena regional unit. The current municipality of Deskati was formed in 2011 by the merge of the former municipality of Deskati and the municipality of Chasia. The main economic activities in Deska ...

(2) *

(1)

Prefecture

Grevena was created as a

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''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 inter ...

() in 1964, out of parts of the prefectures of

and

. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Grevena was created out of the former prefecture Grevena. The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.

Economy

The region's economy relies on

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. Wheat and legume crops (mostly chickpeas) cover most of the cultivated areas. Livestock production (including goat and lamb) is also strong. An increasing portion of the farming output is produced under organic farming or low input practices. Other main sources of income include

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

and the

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...

of Vasilitsa, which is a popular destination for winter holidays.

Transport

* Greek National Road 15, S, Cen., N * Greek National Road 26, SE *

Via Egnatia The Via Egnatia was a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. It crossed Illyricum, Macedonia, and Thracia, running through territory that is now part of modern Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, and European Turkey as a contin ...

(motorway)/ E90, SW, Cen., NE

Demography

At the 2001 Greek census, Grevena was the least

densely populated Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

prefecture in Greece. Grevena has one of the highest rates of population decline in Greece. In 2006, there were 225 births (urban areas-160, semiurban-28 & rural -37) and 393 deaths (urban-96, semiurban-42 and rural-255). In rural areas, death rate was about 7 times the birth rate.
Live births Year 2000 in Greece during 2000 - 2006

Archaeology

The regional unit of Grevena is rich in archaeological sites that were discovered along the years.

References

{{Authority control Prefectures of Greece Regional units of Western Macedonia