Evros (regional unit)

Evros (Greek: Περιφερειακή ενότητα Έβρου) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Its name is derived from the river Evros, which appears to have been a Thracian hydronym. Evros is the northernmost regional unit. It borders Turkey to the east, across the river Evros, and it borders Bulgaria to the north and the northwest. Its capital is Alexandroupoli. Together with the regional units Rhodope and Xanthi, it forms the geographical region of Western Thrace.

Geography

Evros is one of the largest regional units of Greece. It forms the eastern part of the geographical region Western Thrace, and includes the island Samothrace in the northern Aegean Sea. Its length is about 150 km from north to south (excluding Samothrace). Its width ranges from 70 to 100 km from east to west. The most important rivers are the Evros and its tributary Arda.

The Rhodope Mountains lie in the west and the southwest. The Aegean Sea lies to the south. The Evros valley is flat. Samothrace is mountainous.

The coastal area has a predominantly Mediterranean climate, whereas the northern part and the mountains have a colder continental climate.

Administration

The Evros regional unit is subdivided into 5 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):^[1]

• Alexandroupoli (1)
• Didymoteicho (2)
• Orestiada (3)
• Samothrace (Samothraki, 4)
• Soufli (5)

Prefecture

Evros was established as a prefecture in 1930 (Greek: Νομός Έβρου), when the former Thrace Prefecture was divided into the Rhodope and Evros prefectures.^[2] As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the prefecture was transformed into a regional unit within the East Macedonia and Thrace region, with no change in its boundaries. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.^[1]

Provinces

• Province of Orestiada - Orestiada
• Province of Didymoteicho - Didymoteicho
• Province of Soufli - Soufli
• Province of Alexandroupoli - Alexandroupolis
• Province of Samothrace - Samothrace

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

History

Before it was annexed to the Kingdom of Macedonia, the area was ruled by the Thracians. Macedonian rule lasted until the revolution of the 310s BC, when it became a part of the Seleucid Dynasty that ruled until 90 and 80 BC. It joined the Roman Empire and the province of Thrace and was under its rule until 395 AD, at which time Rome split into the Western and the Eastern Roman Empire. Thrace was to be ruled with the Eastern Roman Empire, ending in the 15th century. The Goths invaded the area and shortly afterwards it was invaded by the Slavs. It became a part of the Ottoman Empire. The modern prefecture was invaded by Bulgaria during the Balkan Wars and affiliated to that country. The area did not became fully Greek until the war of 1920 ended non-Greek rule over the area. It became a part of the prefecture of Thrace which was not subdivided until 1947, one of these new areas being the modern Evros prefecture. During the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922), many Greek refugees relocated to the sporadic parts of the modern prefecture including towns and villages some areas formerly inhabited by the Turks and others , and with the new city of Orestiada, its economy slowly improved. After World War II and the Greek Civil War, one of the few areas of which to be spared Alexandroupoli, many structures were rebuilt. Its economy was reconstructed, but some of its inhabitants left for larger towns and cities in Greece, and abroad in the mid to late 20th century.

The river area was devastated by floods in the 1950s and the 1960s, devastating villages around Orestiada ; it was affected again with flooding of Lavara and Didymoteicho in late-1997, with a recurrence between February 17 to February 22, 2005, and again from March 1 to March 4, 2005.

Transport

• GR-2/E90, Via Egnatia, old and new, SW, S, SE
• GR-51/E85, SE, E, NE
• GR-53, SW, W, NW

Notable people

• Duke Ter Hachatrjan Aleksandr
• Todor Dinov (1919–2004), Bulgarian graphic artist and animator
• Hrysopiyi Devetzi (1976), Greek athlete
• Demis Nikolaidis (1973), Greek footballer
• Athanasios Tsigas (1982), Greek footballer
• Lefteris Hapsiadis (1953), Greek Lyrics Creator and Writer

References