Macedonia (Greece)

Macedonia is a historical geographical area in , occupying most of it. It extends from Pinda in the west, where it borders with Epirus , to the Nestos River ( Mesta ) in the east, where it borders with Thrace . Two thirds of the southern border pass along the coast of the Aegean Sea , a third - along the mountains of and Olympus , where the region borders on Thessaly . In the north, it extends to the state border with Albania , Northern Macedonia and Bulgaria .

This is the most extensive (25.9% of the country's territory) and the most densely populated geographical area after Attica. The area is 34,177.564 square kilometers ^[2] . The population of 2,402,532 is the 2011 census ^[1] .

Of the 100 thousand people who make up the Slavic-speaking minority of the Greek province of Macedonia (200 thousand according to some researchers), from 10 to 30 thousand people identify themselves not with the Greeks , but with the Macedonians (meaning the Greek Macedonians) ^[4] .

Macedonia compares favorably with the island part of Greece with its rich landscapes, a variety of natural conditions, a large number of species of flora and fauna, an abundance of holy places, monuments of archeology and antiquities.

According to the Kallikratis program, it is administratively divided into 3 peripheries, one of which also includes Thrace, 14 peripheral units and 1 special administrative unit Aion-Oros ( Athos ).

The periphery of Western Macedonia includes the following peripheral units: Grevena, Kastoria, Kozani and Florina, the administrative center is Kozani . The periphery of Central Macedonia includes the following peripheral units: Imatia, Kilkis, Pela, Pieria, Thessaloniki, Sere and Halkidiki, the administrative center is Thessaloniki . The periphery of East Macedonia and Thrace includes the following peripheral units related to Macedonia: Drama, Kavala and Thassos.

Geologically, Macedonia does not have a single structure. Western Macedonia includes the Pelagonian-Cycladic ( Pelagonian zone ) and Vardar ( Vardar zone ) zones. Shelf carbonate deposits, flysch and serpentinite are widespread in them. Late Triassic-Jurassic ophiolites , a relict of the crust of the deep-sea bay of the Tethys Ocean, were identified in the Vardar zone. The rocks of the Pelagon-Cycladic zone form the basis of the mountains of Western Macedonia: Baba , Vitsi , , Voras , Paikon , Vermion , Pieria and Olympus . The Vardar Zone extends from the Vermion Mountains, includes the entire valley of the Axios River ( Vardar ) and ends with the coast of Thermaikos Bay. Behind the Vardar zone are the Serbo-Macedonian ( Serbo-Macedonian Massif ) and the Rhodope ( Rhodope massif ) massifs. The Rhodope massif is composed of Proterozoic metamorphic rocks , granites, and Triassic-Lower Jurassic deposits. In the Late Eocene - Oligocene , a system of grabens arose, filled with molasses and acidic volcanics . The Serbian-Macedonian massif is formed by Upper Precambrian rocks ^[5] . The Rhodope massif includes the mountains of Belasitsa , Slavyanka , , Pangeon . The Serbian-Macedonian massif includes mountains in the eastern part of the Halkidiki peninsula ^[6] .

The geomorphology of Macedonia is complex. High mountains, deep valleys and large flowing rivers form three separate natural zones: Western Macedonia between Pindus and Axios, Central Macedonia between Axios and Strimon ( Struma ), expanding towards the Chalkidiki Peninsula to the south, Eastern Macedonia between Strimon and Nestos.

The relief of Western Macedonia is strongly pronounced: the western border with Albania and Epirus extends from north to southeast, includes the Pind mountain system with the peaks of Gramos (2522 m), Zmolikas (2637 m), m, Baba massif (2601 m) on the border with the Republic of Macedonia, in whose territory the bulk of the mountain range is located. To the east are Vitsi (2128 m) and Askio (2111 m), further east are Vermion (2052 m). A continuation of Vermion is Voras with a peak Kaimakchalan (2524 m), which defines part of the border with the Republic of Macedonia, a continuation of Voras is Paikon (1650 m). The border of western Macedonia in the south is from west to east: Hasia (1554 m), Andihasia (1424 m), Kamvuniya (1615 m), Pieria (2190 m) and the massif Olympus (2917 m), which separate Macedonia from Thessaly.

Among these mountains are hilly or flat areas such as the Florina , Ptolemais and Kozani region between Vitsi and Askio in the west, Kamvuniya and Pieria in the south and Vermion, Voras and the plain Almopia in the west. A vast semi-flat area that extends along the Thessaloniki Plain and is covered mainly with tree planting, extends from Vermion between the cities of Edes , Naousa and Veria .

The lowlands of Katerini and Litochorona extend from Pieria in the northwest and Olympus in the southwest to the coast of Thermaikos Gulf and also continue to the Thessaloniki Plain. Central Macedonia includes the Thessaloniki Plain, the second largest in the country and the second in economic importance after the Thessaly Plain . This plain has recently formed in a tectonic trough filled mainly with alluvial and marine sediments. The huge amount of alluvium carried by rivers (mainly the Aksios ( Vardar ) and Alyakmon rivers), as a result of long-term accumulation (accumulation) in the shallow Gulf of Thermaikos, formed an extensive alluvial plain west of Thessaloniki ^{[7] [8] [9]} . By the year 500 BC e. During the growth of the plain, , drained in 1928–1932.

Mountains of Central Macedonia below. In the north of Central Macedonia, on the border with Bulgaria, the mountains of Belasitsa (2029 m) extend from west to east. They continue southward with the low mountains of Dysoron ( Mavrovuni , 860 m) in the direction from the northwest to the southeast, and then with the mountains of Mavrovuni (1178 m) in the direction from the northeast to the southwest. To the south are the Hortiatis Mountains (1201 m), which rise above Thessaloniki and extend in the direction from the north-west to the southeast and go to the Halkidiki peninsula. To the south-west of Hortiatis, from the south-west to the north-east extends another mountain of Halkidiki - Holomondas (1164 m), and Mount Athos (2030 m) rises at the tip of the Aion-Oros peninsula. In the southeastern part of Central Macedonia, near the Gulf of Orfanos (Strimonikos), there are Mount (1092 m), from which a plain stretches with Lake Volvi . Another small semi-flat area extends in the western part of Halkidiki.

The relief of Eastern Macedonia is strongly pronounced: in the north rise the Slavyanka mountains, most of which are in Bulgaria, and (1849 m), in the center from the north-east to the south-west extend the mountains of (1963 m), the Falakron mountains stretch northeast (2232 m), which rise above Drama , to the east - the mountains (1298 m), and in the south is Mount Pangeon (1955 m), the continuation of which can be considered the low mountain range that reaches the bay of Kavala.

To the east of the Kerdilia Mountains lies the Serian Plain and the small plain of Drama and the ancient city of Philippa , which extends south to the Simbol mountain range. To the northwest of the Drama Valley and the Falacron Mountains lies the Neurocopion Mountain Plateau, and the plain of the city of Chrysoupolis extends east of Kavala and is formed by sediments of Nestos near its mouth.

• Aristotle , ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, teacher of Alexander the Great.
• Philip II of Macedon , Basileus of Macedonia.
• Alexander of Macedon , Basileus of Macedonia.
• Konstantin-Cyril the Philosopher and Methodius , authors of the Glagolitic alphabet.
• Vasily Macedonian (830–886), Byzantine emperor of Armenian descent. The founder of the Macedonian (Armenian) dynasty .
• Demetrius Kidonis (1324–1398) is a Greek humanist and Latinist.
• Filofei Kokkin , a Greek theologian and philosopher, was twice a Patriarch of Constantinople (1353-1354 and 1364-1376).
• Isidore of Kiev (Isidore the Greek) - Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia (1437-1442), who signed the Union of Florence. From 1439 until his death - Cardinal of the Roman Church.
• Kottunios, Ioannis ( Greek Ἰωάννης Κωττούνιος ) ( 1577 - 1658 ) - an outstanding Greek scholar, philosopher and humanist of the Renaissance.
• Meydanis, Panos - the legendary 17th century Greek craft .
• Papazolis, Georgios (1725-1775) - officer of the Russian army, leader of the Greek uprising of 1770.
• Pappas, Emmanuel , hero of the Greek Revolution of 1821, leader of the uprising on the Chalkidiki Peninsula.
• Kasomoulis, Nikolaos (1795–1872) - historian writer and participant in the Greek Revolution of 1821.
• Anastasios Karatasos (1766-1830) - the hero of the Greek revolution of 1821, the leader of the rebellion and defense of the city of Naousa in 1822.
• Gatsos, Angelis (1771-1839) - the hero of the Greek revolution of 1821, the leader of the rebellion and defense of the city of Naousa in 1822.
• Lassanis, Georgios (1793-1870) - Greek revolutionary and theater writer, lived in Odessa in 1818-1820, where he became one of the leaders of Filiki Eteria
• Gotse Delchev , Bulgarian revolutionary.
• Hadzis, Vasilios (1870-1915) - marine painter , representative of the Munich school of Greek painting.
• Demetrius Vikelas (1835–1908) is the first president of the IOC International Olympic Committee.
• Dimitar Blagoev , Bulgarian politician.
• Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938) - Prime Minister (1920-1921) and President of Turkey (1923-1938).
• Konstantinos Karamanlis (1907-1998) - Prime Minister (1955-1963, with interruptions, as well as 1974-1980) and President of Greece (1980-1985 and 1990-1995).
• Dimitris Vitsoris (1902-1945) - Greek expressionist artist.
• Anton Yugov (1904-1991) - politician, Prime Minister of Bulgaria in 1956-1962.
• Sardzetakis, Christ , President of Greece.
• Georgios Zorbas (1867-1942) is a prototype of the world famous Greek Zorba (a novel by N. Kazantzakis and a film by M. Kakoyanis based on this novel).

• Macedonians
• Macedonia (area)
• Macedonia TV - Local TV Channel
• Macedonia Airport - Thessaloniki State Airport
• Macedonia is a Greek newspaper published in Thessaloniki
• Slavs in Greece

• Giza, Antoni. Państwa bałkańskie wobec kwestii macedońskiej w latach 1878-1918. - Szczecin: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Szczecińskiego, 1998 .-- 205 p. - (Rozprawy i Studia / Uniwersytet Szczeciński, 287). - ISBN 978-8387341756 .
• Giza, Anthony. The Balkans and the Macedonian question / transfer from the strip Dimitar Dimitrov. - Sofia: Macedonian Scientific Institute, 2001. - 135 p. - (Macedonian library). - ISBN 954-81-87-523 -1.

• Macedonia on the Web
• History . Macedonian Heritage. - History of Macedonia. Date of treatment June 29, 2018.
• Greece Macedonia (eng.) (Link unavailable) Retrieved June 29, 2018.
• Museums of Macedonia
• History-of-Macedonia (English)