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Macedonia
 
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My Favourite Planet > English > Europe > Greece > Macedonia
Macedonia Facts and figures for Macedonia, Greece page 3
 

Mount Pangaion, East Macedonia, Greece at My Favourite Planet

Mount Pangaion rises 1,956 metres above the hills of East Macedonia and the North Aegean Sea.
 
On this page:
facts & figures map of Macedonia regions of Macedonia cities & towns
 
Macedonia facts and figures
 
name:

Macedonia (Μακεδονία, Makedonia)

Since the 2011 reorganization of Greek administrative regions, the region of Macedonia has become the autonomous "decentralized administration" of Macedonia and Thrace, which includes the regions of Central Macedonia and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.

The region Western Macedonia is now part of the autonomous "decentralized administration" of Epirus and Western Macedonia.

For details see Regions and Regional Units of Macedonia below.

location:

Southern Europe, on the Balkan peninsula, bordering the Aegean Sea in the east and south, and Albania, the Republic of North Macedonia (formerly part of Yugoslavia) and Bulgaria in the north.

The region of East Macedonia and Thrace (see a list of
Regions of Macedonia below) borders with Turkey.

region:

The Greek semi-autonomous administrative region of
Macedonia and Thrace is divided into two smaller regions:

Central Macedonia
Eastern Macedonia and Thrace

The regions are divided into Regional Units, each further subdivided into Municipalities, Municipal Units and Communities.

Western Macedonia is now part of the region of Epirus and Western Macedonia.

See table below:
Regions and Regional Units of Macedonia

capital: Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη, Thessalonike),
also referred to as Thessalonica or Salonica

See table below:
Cities and towns of Macedonia

area: 34,177 square km (13,196 square miles)

highest point: The highest peak of Mount Olympus (Όρος Όλυμπος, Oros Olympos) is Mytikas, 2,918.8 metres (9,576 feet).
Olympus is also the highest mountain in Greece.

population: 2,424,765

language:

Greek

The Macedonian dialect of Greek is still spoken around the region.

Minority languages in Macedonia include: Pontic Greek (spoken by some descendants of Greeks from Pontus in northern Turkey), Ladino (spoken by some Jews in Thessaloniki), Macedonian Slavic dialects, Aromanian, Arvanitic, Megleno-Romanian, Turkish and Romani

local time: Eastern European Time (EET)
Daylight Saving Schedule:
Summer (from last Sunday in March) GMT/UTC +3 hours
Winter (from last Sunday in October) GMT/UTC +2 hours

climate: Mediterranean (temperate, with wet winters and hot, dry summers); continental (wetter, cooler) in the north.

currency: Euro (€)
Further information for Greece can be found
in our introduction to Greece pages.
national Greek flag at My Favourite Planet
 
Vergina Sun, flag symbol of Macedonia, Greece at My Favourite Planet
Macedonia
galleries
 

Photo gallery of Kavala, Macedonia, Greece at My Favourite Planet

Kavala
 

Photo gallery of Olympiada village, Halkidiki, Macedonia, Greece at My Favourite Planet

Olympiada
 

Photo gallery of Pella, Macedonia, Greece at My Favourite Planet

Pella
 

Polygyros photo gallery at My Favourite Planet

Polygyros
 

Photo gallery of Ancient Stageira, Halkidiki, Macedonia, Greece at My Favourite Planet

Ancient Stageira
 

Photo gallery of Veria, Macedonia, Greece at My Favourite Planet

Veria
 

Aerial photo of the delta of the rivers Axios, Loudias and Aliakmonas on the Thermaic Gulf, Macedonia, Greece at My Favourite Planet

Aerial photo of the mouths of the rivers Axios, Loudias and Aliakmonas
on the Thermaic Gulf, west of Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece.
 
Macedonia,
Greece
Area map  
Interactive map of Macedonia, Greece at My Favourite Planet

Interactive map of Macedonia and the North Aegean Sea.

See also our interactive map of Greece.
 
Macedonia,
Greece

Regions and Regional Units
of Macedonia

Following the 2011 reorganization of Greek administrative regions.
 

When we started this guide Macedonia was divided into three administrative regions:
Western Macedonia, Central Macedonia and Eastern Macedonia. Very simple.

However, since the 2011 reorganization of Greek administrative regions Western Macedonia has become part of the "Decentralized Administration" of Epirus and Western Macedonia; Eastern Macedonia has become the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace which is part of the "Decentralized Administration" of Macedonia and Thrace. Not so simple.

These changes presumably make sense to some politicians and civil servants, and perhaps it even works for the inhabitants. It means that the Greek part of Macedonia has been politically split up and that Western Thrace has been swallowed up by the new Macedonian administration.

For the present the My Favourite Planet guides to Macedonia and Thrace will not be altered to reflect these political changes. One of the main reasons being that for travellers and tourists much remains the same. For example, public transport to places in Western Macedonia are still centered on Thessaloniki and not on the new administrative centre Ioannina in Epirus (see How to get to Macedonia, Greece). There are very few buses and no trains between Epirus and Western Macedonian towns and villages.

In the table of regions and regional units below the essential information remains the same.

The Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace, capital Thessaloniki, is divided into two regions: Central Macedonia and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. Each region is divided into regional units, which are further subdivided into Municipalities, Municipal Units and Communities. Also not so simple.

Although Thrace (the part of Thrace in Greece, also known as Western Thrace) is now administratively part of Macedonia, My Favourite Planet has a separate section for this area:

The My Favourite Planet travel guide to Thrace.

 
 
  Regions and Regional Units Capital Area Population  
 
 

West Macedonia

Δυτική Μακεδονία

Now part of Epirus & Western Macedonia
Kozani 9,451 km² 301,522  
  Kastoria (Καστοριά) Kastoria 1,720 km² 53,483  
  Florina (Φλώρινα) Florina 1,924 km² 54,768  
  Kozani (Κοζάνη) Kozani 3,516 km² 155,324  
  Grevena (Γρεβενά) Grevena 2,291 km² 37,947  
 
 

Central Macedonia

Κεντρική Μακεδονία
Thessaloniki 18,811 km² 1,871,952  
  Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη) Thessaloniki 3,683 km² 1,057,825  
  Pella (Πέλλα) Edessa (Έδεσσα) 2,506 km² 145,797  
  Imathia (Ημαθία) Veria (Βέροια) 1,701 km² 143,618  
  Pieria (Πιερία) Katerini (Κατερίνη) 1,516 km² 129,846  
  Kilkis (Κιλκίς) Kilkis 2,519 km² 89,056  
  Serres (Σέρρες) Serres 3.968 km² 200,916  
  Chalkidiki (Χαλκιδική) Polygyros (Πολύγυρος) 2,918 km² 104,894  
 

Mount Athos (Όρος Άθως, Oros Athos)

(autonomous community * )
Karyes 336 km² 2,262  
 
 

East Macedonia and Thrace

Ανατολική Μακεδονία και Θράκη
Kavala 5,579 km² 249,029  
  East Macedonia - Ανατολική Μακεδονία        
  Drama (Δράμα) Drama 3,468 km² 103,975  
  Kavala (Καβάλα) Kavala 1,728 km² 131,289  
  Thasos (Θάσος), Thasos island Thasos 379 km² 13,765  
  Thrace - Θράκη ** Komotini (Κομοτηνή)      
  Xanthi (Ξάνθη) Xanthi 1,793 km² 111,222  
  Rhodope (Ροδόπη) Komotini 2,543 km² 112,039  
  Evros (Έβρος) Alexandroupoli
(Αλεξανδρούπολη)
4,242 km² 147,947  
 

* Mount Athos, the so-called theocratic republic or "monk's republic", also known as "Holy Mountain" (Άγιον Όρος, Agion Oros), was granted its status as an autonomous monastic state under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople by a legislative decree in 1926.

Consisting of 20 Orthodox monasteries on the eastern-most peninsula in southern Chalkidiki, it can only be accessed by special permission, and remains inaccessible to women.
 
** Since 2011 Thrace (also known as Western Thrace; Eastern Thrace is now the European part of Turkey) has been incorporated into the region of Macedonia and Thrace.
 
 
Macedonia,
Greece
The largest cities and towns
of Macedonia
 
    Town or city Greek name Population  
1   Thessaloniki (municipality) Δήμος Θεσσαλονίκης 363,987  
2   Kavala Καβάλα 63,293  
3   Katerini Κατερίνη 56,434  
4   Serres Σέρρες 56,145  
5   Drama Δράμα 55,632  
6   Kozani Κοζάνη 47,451  
7   Veria Βέροια 47,411  
8   Ptolemaida Πτολεμαΐδα 35,539  
9   Giannitsa Γιαννιτσά 26,296  
10   Kilkis Κιλκίς 24,812  
11   Naoussa Νάουσα 22,288  
12   Aridaia Αριδαία 20,213  
13   Alexandreia (or Alexandria) Αλεξάνδρεια 19,283  
14   Edessa Έδεσσα 18,253  
15   Nea Moudania Νέα Μουδανιά 17,032  
16   Florina Φλώρινα 16,771  
17   Kastoria Καστοριά 16,218  
18   Grevena Γρεβενά 15,481  
19   Polygyros Πολύγυρος 10,721  
20   Skydra Σκύδρα 5,081  
The Imaret, Kavala, Macedonia at My Favourite Planet
Mosaic of Dionysos ridng a panther, Pella, Macedonia, Greece at My Favourite Planet
The town hall, Kavala, Macedonia at My Favourite Planet
The Kamares aqueduct, Kavala, Macedonia, Greece at My Favourite Planet
Traditional old house in Veria, Macedonia at My Favourite Planet
The House of Dionysos, Pella, Macedonia, Greece at My Favourite Planet
Equestrian statue of Mehmet Ali, Kavala, Macedonia at My Favourite Planet
Macedonian goat, Stavros, Macedonia, Greece at My Favourite Planet
Articles, maps and photos: © David John,
except where otherwise specified.

Some of the information and photos in this guide to Macedonia
originally appeared in 2004-2005 on davidjohnberlin.de.

All photos and articles are copyright protected.

Images and materials by other authors
have been attributed where applicable.

Please do not use these photos or articles without permission.

If you are interested in using any of the photos for your website,
project or publication, please get in contact.

Higher resolution versions are available on request.

My Favourite Planet makes great efforts to provide comprehensive and accurate information across this website. However, we can take no responsibility for inaccuracies or changes made by providers of services mentioned on these pages.
 
 
See also
The Cheshire Cat Blog
photo essays about Greece:

Athens (street life)

Athens (Aristotle's Lyceum)

Dion

Meteora

Pella

Thessaloniki

Polygyros

Kastellorizo (Megisti)
 
My Favourite Planet Group page on Facebook

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< page 2: history of Macedonia page 4: how to get to Macedonia >
 
 
 
 
Hotel Orestias Kastorias Thessaloniki, Greece - The heart of hospitality beats at the heart of the city
 
Hotel Liotopi, Olympiada, Halkidiki, Macedonia, Greece
 
Hotel Germany, Olympiada, Halkidiki, Macedonia, Greece
 
Hotel Okeanis, Kavala, Macedonia, Greece
 

George Alvanos

rooms in
Kavala's historic Panagia District

Anthemiou 35,
Kavala, Greece

kavalarooms.gr

 
Vyzantino Greek Restaurant, Plaka, Athens, Greece
 
NEWGEN Travel Agency, Athens, Greece
 

Olive Garden Restaurant

Kastellorizo,
Greece

+30 22460 49 109

kastellorizo.de

 

Papoutsis
Travel Agency

Kastellorizo,
Greece

+30 22460 49 286

greeklodgings.gr

 
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My Favourite Planet travel guide to Pella, Macedonia, Greece My Favourite Planet travel guide to Veria, Macedonia, Greece My Favourite Planet travel guide to Kavala, Macedonia, Greece Guide to Alexandroupoli, Thrace, Greece at My Favourite Planet My Favourite Planet travel guide to Samothraki island, Greece My Favourite Planet travel guide to Agios Efstratios island, Greece My Favourite Planet travel guide to Psara island, Greece My Favourite Planet travel guide to Athens, Greece My Favourite Planet travel guide to Polygyros, Halkidiki, Macedonia, Greece My Favourite Planet travel guide to Stageira and Olympiada, Halkidiki, Macedonia, Greece