Kastoria (regional Unit)
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Kastoria (, ''Perifereiakí Enótita Kastoriás'') is one of the 74
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 ...
and 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 ...
of
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 homonymous city of
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 ...
.


Geography

Kastoria is situated at the western end of
Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...
in the far north of the country. It borders the regional units of
Florina Florina (, ''Flórina''; known also by some alternative names) is a town and municipality in the mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. The town of Florina is the capital of the Florina regional uni ...
to the north,
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 southeast,
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 ...
to the south and
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 ...
to the southwest. The area of the regional unit roughly corresponds to the ancient Greek region of Orestis of
Upper Macedonia Upper Macedonia ( Greek: Ἄνω Μακεδονία, ''Ánō Makedonía'') is a geographical and tribal term to describe the upper/western of the two parts in which, together with Lower Macedonia, the ancient kingdom of Macedon was roughly divi ...
. The international border with the
Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
n district of
Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, eighth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population of the city is 51,152 and 75,994 of Korçë municipal ...
lies on the western edge of the regional unit. The main mountain ranges are Gramos and Voio in the west (both part of 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 ...
range) and
Verno Verno () or Vitsi () is a forested mountain range in the southern part of the Florina and the northeastern part of the Kastoria regional units in Western Macedonia, northern Greece. The elevation of its highest peak is . It stretches from the ...
in the northeast. The Haliacmon river flows through the area.
Lake Orestiada Lake Orestiada or Lake of Kastoria ({{langx, el, Λίμνη Ορεστιάδα) is a lake in the Kastoria regional unit of Macedonia, northwestern Greece. It spreads out in a natural basin, surrounded by mountains and is the remnant of a huge an ...
is the largest lake. The regional unit is mountainous with a pronounced continental climate, characterised by cold winters and hot summers.


Administration

The regional unit Kastoria is subdivided into 3 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox): *
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 ...
(1) *
Nestorio Nestorio (, ''Nestório''; and , ''Nestram'' or Нѐсрам, ''Nésram'') is a village and a municipality in the Kastoria (regional unit), Kastoria regional unit of Western Macedonia, Greece. Nestorio is approximately southwest of Kastoria, a ...
(2) *
Argos Orestiko Argos Orestiko (, before 1926: Χρούπιστα – ''Chroupista''; ) is a town and a municipality in the Kastoria regional unit of Macedonia, Greece. The Kastoria National Airport (also known as Aristotelis Airport) is located in Argos Oresti ...
(3)


Prefecture

Kastoria 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 1941. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Kastoria was created out of the former prefecture Kastoria. The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.


Demographics

The Kastoria region was part of the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
for several centuries and following the
Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...
(1912–1913) became part of Greece. There were religious communities such as Christians, Muslims and
Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
and groups of Turcophones,
Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...
,
Aromanians The Aromanians () are an Ethnic groups in Europe, ethnic group native to the southern Balkans who speak Aromanian language, Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern Albania, south-western Bulgari ...
and Slavophones. The rural areas of Kastoria province were multi–ethnic, as the north was largely, though not entirely populated by Slavic speakers, while the south mainly had Grecophones. The demographics of the Kastoria region were affected by the population exchanges Greece had with Bulgaria (voluntary, 1919) and Turkey (compulsory, 1923). Numbers of Slavic speakers decreased. After 1913, a few Christian families from the new state of
Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
settled in several villages within Kastoria district.. The official and unpublished Greek census (1923) recorded 68,245 people in Kastoria district, with 29,598 Slav Macedonian Christians and 22,768 Greeks who also included Aromanian speakers and
Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
speakers. Muslims numbered either 13,767 people (or 2425 families) or 14,448 inhabitants and 1,794 Jews. Historian John Koliopoulos described the 1923 census as "the least unreliable" for its numbers of language groups in the area.. A quarter of all inhabitants in the Kastoria region were Muslims and they, including Muslim Albanophones were sent to
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
as part of the Greek–Turkish population exchange based on religious criteria.. "The Albanian claims on the Albanian speaking population of the areas of Kastoria ostur in Albanianand Florina ollorinë in Albaniandid not ensure the non-inclusion of this Albanian speaking Muslim population in the Greco-Turkish exchange of populations. Nevertheless, these claims and related struggles were far from leading to any major bilateral or international debate." A small number of Muslim
Albanians The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, ...
were excluded from the population exchange and remained in the Kastoria region. In 1924, Greek authorities compiled data of the ethnological composition of
Greek Macedonia Macedonia ( ; , ) is a geographic and former administrative region of Greece, in the southern Balkans. Macedonia is the largest and geographic region in Greece, with a population of 2.36 million (as of 2020). It is highly mountainous, wit ...
.. Kastoria district had a total of 68,340 inhabitants composed of 22,768 Greeks; 14,448 Muslims; 7,519 Slavophone former Patriarchists; 22,079 Slavophone former Exarchists; 220 Aromanian speakers (pro–Romanian); 1,211 Jews and 95 refugees.. Political categories from a nationalist perspective were used to describe ethnic groups or religious affiliations in the 1924 data by Greek authorities.
Greek refugees Greek refugees is a collective term used to refer to the more than one million Greek Orthodox natives of Asia Minor, Thrace and the Black Sea areas who fled during the Greek genocide (1914-1923) and Greece's later defeat in the Greco-Turkish W ...
arrived in the Kastoria area, while their settlement was limited by the lack of fertile land and the need for stable bilateral relations with
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
which also prevented mass Slavophone emigration. In Greek Macedonia, Kastoria province remained an area in the interwar period where Slavophones were a large part of the population.. A 1925 study by the Greek 10th Army Division of Western Macedonia recorded 1,866 refugee families were settled in 28 villages within the Kastoria region.. Greek refugee families in Kastoria prefecture were from
East Thrace East Thrace or Eastern Thrace, also known as Turkish Thrace or European Turkey, is the part of Turkey that is geographically in Southeast Europe. Turkish Thrace accounts for 3.03% of Turkey's land area and 15% of its population. The largest c ...
(41),
Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
(441),
Pontus Pontus or Pontos may refer to: * Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea) * Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology * Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...
(1,417), the
Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...
(23) and unidentified locations (9) in 1926. In 1928, there were 1,928 refugee families (7,554 people). In the Kastoria region, the number of refugees reached 8,370.. The official and unpublished Greek census (1925) for the Kastoria district recorded 17,737 native Greeks and 5,962 Greek refugees; 14,807 Slavophone former Exarchists; 7,339 Slavophone former Patriarchists; 2,195 Aromanian speakers (pro–Greek), 135 Aromanian speakers (pro–Romanian); 525 Jews, 213 Muslim Albanians and 29 foreigners.. A report (January 1925) by the Florina prefect stated the total Kastoria district population was 47,500. Slavophones (29,500) were the majority population and divided between Exarchists or "Schismatics" (22,000) who supported Bulgaria and Patriarchists (7,500) who supported Greece. Native Greeks numbered 10,500 and refugees were 7,500.. A refugee committee report (1942) from Bulgarian occupied northern Greece using
League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...
data covering 1913 to 1928 stated the numbers of Slav Macedonian emigrants from Kastoria district to Bulgaria were 4,070. Koliopoulos commented 4,200 emigrants was a figure reflecting nearer the realities of the period. The 1942 report wrote the combined number of Slav Macedonians of the interwar period in Kastoria and Florina districts was 37,000. Another estimate on the interwar period put the number of Slav Macedonians in Kastoria district at 12,000. A report in 1930 by Florina prefect P. Kalligas recorded the combined population of the Florina/Kastoria region as 125,722 and 58,882 had Greek sentiments and 61,950 were without a Greek national consciousness. Language groups: 76,370 Slavophones; 38,844 Grecophones (natives and refugees); 3,508 Turcophones (refugees); 4,500 Aromanians and 2,500 Albanians. Greek sentiments among language groups: 14,420 Slavophones; 38,854 Grecophones (natives and refugees); 3,508 Turcophones (refugees); 3,000 Aromanians and 1,800 Albanians. In 1940, Kastoria district had a population of 68,237.. The Greek ministers for Military Affairs, Justice and the Interior ordered a census (1945) of citizens with "Bulgarian sentiments" who numbered 11,380 in Kastoria Prefecture. Greek Foreign Minister Ioannis Politis ordered the compilation of demographic data by a committee from the Greek political establishment regarding the Prefecture of Kastoria in 1945.. The total prefecture population was 58,590, and Slavophones numbered 21,867 with 13,517 having a Bulgarian national consciousness. Colonel Anastasios Dalipis in 1945 stated Kastoria prefecture had a total of 110 villages with 75 populated by Slavophones.. During 1951, the Greek census recorded 1,009 Slavophones in Kastoria district. The Greek National Intelligence Service conducted a secret census in 1954 and Slavophones in Kastoria district numbered 17,229. Information supplied to diplomat Dimitrios Bitsios and academic Evangelos Kofos by local representatives in 1965 estimated Slavophones in Kastoria district numbered 40,000. In the 1990s, the
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
's Euromosaic project documenting minority languages recorded 77 (Slavo) Macedonian/Bulgarian villages in the Prefecture of Kastoria, spread among its subdivisions, Kastoria and Argos Orestiko. Slavophones were concentrated in certain areas within the prefecture and a significant small part of the population had knowledge of and used the
Macedonian language Macedonian ( ; , , ) is an Eastern South Slavic language. It is part of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family, and is one of the Slavic languages, which are part of a larger Balto-Slavic languages, Balto-Slavic branch. Sp ...
, being aware of its cultural value. A survey (1999–2005) conducted by linguist Christian Voss of Slavic speaking villages in Greece, counted 117 villages in the administrative region of Western Macedonia which included the prefecture of Kastoria.


Transport

* GR-15, S, Cen., NE * GR-20/ E90, S, only passes through Eptachori


See also

* List of settlements in the Kastoria regional unit * Dispilio Tablet


References

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