Arcadia

Arcadia Prefecture
Νομός Αρκαδίας
Location of Arcadia Prefecture in Greece
Location of Arcadia Prefecture municipalities
Country:  Greece
Capital: Tripoli
Periphery: Peloponnese
Population: 100,611 (2005) Ranked 38th
Area: 4,419 km² 
(1,706 sq.mi.) Ranked 5th
Density: 23 /km² 
(59 /sq.mi.) Ranked 52nd
Number of municipalities: 22
Number of communities: 1
Postal codes: 22x xx
Area codes: 2710, 275x0, 279x0
Licence plate code: ΤΡ
ISO 3166-2 code: GR-12
Website: www.arcadia.gr/

Arcadia, Arkadía (Greek: Αρκαδία) is a region of Greece in the Peloponnesus. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas.

Contents

Modern times

Arcadia has its present-day capital at Tripoli. It forms the largest prefecture on the Peloponnesian peninsula. It currently covers about 18% of the entire peninsula, although it once extended to between 20% or 25%.

The prefecture has a skiing resort on Mount Maenalus and Hubba, the Mainalon, located about 20 km NW of Tripoli. The other mountains include the Parnon in the southeast, the Artemisio, the Saita, the Skiathio, the Lykaia and Tsiberou.

The Greek National Road 7 (E65) highway, which was extended after 1997 and in 2003, runs through Arcadia on a north-west to south-east axis and nearly forms in the southwest the end of the highway. A thermoelectric power station which produces electricity for most of southern Greece, operates to the south of Megalopolis, along with a coal mine.

Arcadia has two tunnels. The Artemisio Tunnel opened first, followed by the tunnel east of Megalopolis; both serve traffic flowing between Messenia and Athens.

In agriculture, potato farms (dominant in central and northcentral Arcadia), mixed farming, olive groves, and pasture dominate the plains of Arcadia, especially in the area around Megalopolis and between Tripoli and Levidi. One of these cuisines were featured on Mega Channel's cooking show hosted by Mamalakis that was shown on prime time.

History

Ancient history

Medieval history

Les Bergers d’Arcadie by Nicolas Poussin.

After the collapse of the Roman power in the west, Arcadia became part of the Byzantine Empire. Arcadia remained a rustic, secluded area, and its inhabitants became proverbial as primitive herdsmen leading simple pastoral unsophisticated yet happy lives, to the point that Arcadia may refer to some imaginary idyllic paradise, immortalized by Virgil's Eclogues, and later by Jacopo Sannazaro in his pastoral masterpiece, Arcadia (1504); see also Arcadia (utopia).

After the fourth crusade, the area became a part of the Principality of Achaea. In the mid-15th century, the region fell into the hands of the Ottoman Turks with some exceptions in the 16th century for a couple of years.

The Latin phrase Et in Arcadia ego which is usually interpreted to mean "I am also in Arcadia" or "I am even in Arcadia" is an example of memento mori, a cautionary reminder of the transitory nature of life and the inevitability of death. The phrase is most often associated with a 1647 painting by Nicolas Poussin, also known as "The Arcadian Shepherds". In the painting the phrase appears as an inscription on a tomb discovered by youthful figures in classical garb.

Modern history

After 400 years of occupation by the Ottomans, Arcadia was the centre of the Greek War of Independence which saw victories in their battles including one in Tripoli. After a victorious revolutionary war, Arcadia was finally incorporated into a newly-created Greek state. Arcadia saw economic growth and small emigration.

In the 20th century, Arcadia experienced extensive population loss through emigration, mostly to the Americas. Many Arcadian villages lost almost half their inhabitants, and fears arose that they would turn into ghost towns. Arcadia now has a smaller population than Corinthia. Demographers expected that its population would halve between 1951 and the early 21st century. The prefectural population is in a range to a point that could fall below the 100,000 mark which could make it the next prefecture in Greece to have fewer than 100,000 people.

After World War II and the Greek Civil War, many villages and towns were rebuilt. An enormous earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale range shook Megalopoli and the surrounding area in 1965. Many buildings were destroyed, leaving people homeless. Within a couple of years, the buildings were rebuilt anti-seismically. In 1967, construction began on the Megalopoli Power Plant. It began operating in 1970, producing electricity for southern Greece. A mining area south of the plant is the largest mining area in the peninsula and continues to the present day with one settlement moved.

Water problems troubled local residents protesting over the rights of water usage with the Argolida and its new reservoir near Saga, on July 3, 2007. On July 27, a wildfire broke out in Gortynia in the western portion, threatening several nearby villages and burning a small portion of the forested area. Less than a month later, another minor forest fire occurred near Tropaia, on Thursday August 23. A day later, the minor fire became a major blaze beginning in the southwest of Arcadia Soulos. Arson-related fires spread and burned villages including Chrousa, Leontari, Vasta, Tourkoleka, Dirahi, near Megalopoli, Makryssi and Anavryto, and burned around 5% of the prefecture and the southwestern portion. The fire raging in the southern Ilia prefecture spread into Arcadia, and began to burn Atsicholos and the area around Karytaina. Residents prevented the fire from entering Megalopoli, Karytaina, and its surrounding area by chopping down trees, preventing it from entering the village; helicopters received water from Lake Taka and the sea. The fires continued from Friday August 24, with high winds and hot temperatures reported at 42°C; the outbreaks slowed three days later but progressed on Tuesday August 27. The blazes finally died down when temperatures dropped and a low pressure system from southern Europe brought rain into the area; roads had been closed and electricity cut off for several days. At the extinguishing of the fire, hundreds of mobile homes were sent to inhabitants who had lost houses. Trees and a number of groves are to be planted, but it is expected to take a few years to restore part of the area's natural beauty and forest. Less seriously for the area, Kynouria experienced weather problems in the winter, with a snowstorm affecting Leonidi and the village of Agios Petros on February 10, 2008.

Language

When, during the Greek Dark Age, Doric Greek dialects were introduced to the Peloponnese, the older language apparently survived in Arcadia, and formed part of the Arcado-Cypriot group of Greek languages. Arcadocypriot never became a literary dialect, but it is known from inscriptions. Tsan is a letter of the Greek alphabet occurring only in Arcadia, shaped like Cyrillic И; it represents an affricate that developed from labiovelars in context where they became t in other dialects.

Tsakonian Greek, still spoken on the coast of the modern prefecture of Arcadia, in the Classical period considered the southern Argolid coast immediately adjoining Arcadia, is a descendant of Doric Greek, and as such is an extraordinary example of a surviving regional dialect of archaic Greek. The principal cities of Tsakonia are the Arcadian coastal towns of Leonidio and Tyros.

Provinces

Arcadia has four provinces:

Note: Provinces no longer hold any legal status in Greece.

Municipalities and communities

Municipality YPES code Seat (if different) Postal code
Dimitsana 0506 220 07
Falaisia 0522 Leontari 220 21
Falanthos 0523 Davia 221 00
Gortyna 0505 Karytaina 220 22
Iraia 0507 Paloumba 220 28
Kleitor 0507 Mygdalia 220 28
Kontovazaina 0509 220 15
Korythio 0510 Steno 221 00
Lagkadia 0512 220 03
Leonidio 0514 223 00
Levidi 0513 220 02
Mantineia 0515 Nestani 220 05
Megalopoli 0516 222 00
North Kynouria 0503 Astros 220 01
Skyritida 0517 Vlachokerasia 220 16
Tegea 0518 Stadio 220 12
Trikolonoi 0519 Stemnitsa 220 24
Tripoli 0520 221 00
Tropaia 0521 220 08
Tyros 0501 220 29
Valtetsi 0502 Asea 220 27
Vytina 0504 220 10
Community YPES code Seat (if different) Postal code
Kosmas 0511 230 58

Former municipalities

Ancient and modern towns and cities

The chief cities and communities in the prefecture include Tripoli, Astros, Vytina, Dimitsana, Lagkadia, Tyros, Leonidio, Leontari, Levidi, Megalopolis, Paloumba and Stemnitsa.

Ancient cities include Acacesium (founded by Acacus), Asea, Astros, Athinaio, Daseae, Falaisia (Phalesia), Gortys, Hypsus (Stemnitsa), Heraia, Lusi, Lykaio, Lykosoura, Mantineia, Megalopoli, Orchomenus (Orchomenos), Tegea, Thoknia, Trapezus, Trikolonoi, Tropaia, Tripoli, Tyros, other cities includes Basilis, Caphya or Kaphya, Charisia, Ellison, Enispe, Kaous, Karyes, Methydrio, Melangeia, Oryx, Paroria, Pelagos, Phoizon, Rhipi, Stratii, Teuthis and several more. Cities which once belonged in Arcadia include Alea (now in Argolis) and Amilos (now in Achaia).

Climate

The climate consists of hot summers and mild winters in the eastern part, the southern part, the low lying areas and the central area at altitudes lower than 1,000 m. The area primarily receives rain during fall and winter months in the rest of Arcadia. Winter snow occurs commonly in the mountainous areas for much of the west and the northern part, the Taygetus area, the Mainalon.

Transport

Television

Sports teams

Notable Arcadians

References in popular culture

Strika Entertainment, a South African comic publisher best known for their global Supa Strikas title, also produces a comic called Arcadia. The story follows three friends and their dog who, every week, are sucked into an arcade machine, and are taken on incredible adventures in the computer game world of Arcadia.

External links

Prefectures of Greece

Achaea · Aetolia-Acarnania · Arcadia · Argolis · Arta · Athens · East Attica · West Attica · Boeotia · Chalkidiki · Chania · Chios · Corfu · Corinthia · Cyclades · Dodecanese · Drama · Elis · Euboea · Evros · Evrytania · Florina · Grevena · Heraklion · Imathia · Ioannina · Karditsa · Kastoria · Kavala · Kefalonia and Ithaca · Kilkis · Kozani · Laconia · Larissa · Lasithi · Lefkada · Lesbos · Magnesia · Messenia · Pella · Phocis · Phthiotis · Pieria · Piraeus · Preveza · Rethymno · Rhodope · Samos · Serres · Thesprotia · Thessaloniki · Trikala · Xanthi · Zakynthos

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