Mastichochoria (, , lit. "the mastic villages" in English) is a former municipality on the island of
Chios
Chios (; , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greece, Greek list of islands of Greece, island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, tenth largest island in the Medi ...
(Χίος),
North Aegean,
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality
Chios
Chios (; , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greece, Greek list of islands of Greece, island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, tenth largest island in the Medi ...
, of which it is a municipal unit.
It is located in the southwestern and extreme southern part of the island. It is the largest municipal unit in land area on Chios at 211.687 km
2.
Its population was 3,384 at the 2021 census. The seat of the municipality was
Pyrgi (Πυργί). The next largest villages are Kalamotí (Καλαμωτń), Armólia (Αρμόλια),
Mestá (Μεστά), and Lithí (Λιθί). The small coastal village of Emporeios (Εμπορειός) boasts an archaeological site.
This area is well known for the production of
mastic, from which it derives its name. Mastic is the hardened resin of the
mastic tree and is only harvested on Chios, being a major part of the local economy. In the village of Pyrgi, there is even a small Museum of Mastic.
Within the European Union, Chios
mastika, a mastic-flavoured liqueur has a
protected designation of origin
The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designat ...
. The island's mastic production is controlled by a co-operative of medieval villages. The local producers are united under the Chios Gum Mastic Growers Association.
Chios Gum Mastic Growers Association
Founded in 1938, the
Chios Gum Mastic Growers Association (), abbreviated ''CGMGA'', is a cooperative organisation and acts as the collective representative organ of twenty primary cooperatives totalling nearly 5000 members in the twenty-four villages of southern Chios. It has the exclusive management of Chios mastika in Greece and abroad. Its international equivalent in French is the ''Union des Producteurs de Gomme Mastic de Chios''.
The organisation is mainly involved with the management of the agricultural production, supporting local growers, stimulating research, and providing legal assistance.
The CGMGA has a Board of Directors consists of nine members. Three members are permanent: these are the Director of the Agricultural Service, the technical supervisor of the ATE bank and the Commissioner of NCGAC. The other six board positions are elected.
List of mastic villages
*
Mesta
* Olimpi
*
Pyrgi
* Armolia
* Kalamoti
* Patrika
* Kini
* Vouno
* Nenita
* Katarraktis
* Kallimassia
* Messa Didima
* Ekso Didima
* Mirmigi
* Tholopotami
* Agios Georgios
* Vessa
* Elata
* Lithi
* Neochorio
Museum of Mastic
On 11 June 2016, the Chios Mastic Museum opened its doors in Rachi, on the southern part of Chios in the region of the Mastichochoria. It offers a permanent exhibition about mastiha production on the island, explaining its history and cultivation techniques as well as demonstrating its different uses today.
Historical events
In the
Chios Massacre of 1822, during the
Ottoman rule of Chios, the people of Mastichochoria were spared as their survival was the foundation of the island's continued prosperity (and the tax proceeds it remitted to Constantinople). .
In 2012 the Mastichochoria and its trees were threatened by a
wildfire
A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...
that broke out in the southern part of the island.
References
External links
Mastichochoria- official website
pictures from Mastichochoriain
Panoramio website
{{Landmarks of Chios
Populated places in Chios
Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
bg:Мастихохория (дем)