| Foinikounta Φοινικούντα |
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| Location | |
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Foinikounta
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| Coordinates | |
| Government | |
| Country: | Greece |
| Region: | Peloponnese |
| Regional unit: | Messenia |
| Municipality: | Pylos-Nestoras |
| Municipal unit: | Methoni |
| Population statistics (as of 2001) | |
| City | |
| - Population: | 559 |
| Municipality | |
| - Population: | 626 |
| Other | |
| Time zone: | EET/EEST (UTC+2/3) |
| Elevation: | 20 m (66 ft) |
| Postal: | GR-240 06 |
| Telephone: | 11-(00)30-2 |
| Auto: | IN |
Foinikounta (Greek, Modern: Φοινικούντα, Ancient/Katharevoussa: Φοινικούς) is a small village in the southwest tip of the Peloponnese, Greece located 10 km east of Methoni and about 15 to 20 km west of Koroni off the main road. It is most notable for its beautiful beaches which attract mostly Greek and other European visitors during the summer months.
Contents |
| Year | Village | Municipal district |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 519 | - |
| 1991 | 588 | - |
| 2001 | 559 | 626 |
Foinikounta is mentioned for the first time in Pausanias' Messiniaka (4, 34, 12) as a port after Cape Akritas. It is believed that it was a small commercial port where the fishers of murex frunculus (a porphyry shell from where the known dye is produced) could trade their product. The origin of the name also has to do with the ancient Phoenicians whose trade routes came through this natural port.
The contemporary village appears at about 1840-1850, from the inhabitants of Lahanada, immigrants from Crete, who started building their houses on this location. It was also called Taverna, from a small tavern that someone kept there. Officially, it received its contemporary name in 1930, but the name Taverna remained in use until the 1980s.[1] Today it is part of the Municipality of Methoni. The main resources of the inhabitants are agriculture and tourism, which has flourished since the 1980s. Each of the three long sandy beaches in Finikounda has been rated a Blue Flag beach.
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