Phocis

Phocis
Περιφερειακή ενότητα
Φωκίδας
—  Regional unit  —
Municipalities of Phocis
Phocis within Greece
Coordinates:
Country Greece
Region Central Greece
Capital Amfissa
Area
 • Total 2,120 km2 (818.5 sq mi)
Population (2005)
 • Total 49,576
 • Density 23.4/km2 (60.6/sq mi)
Postal codes 33x xx
Area codes 226x0, 26340
ISO 3166 code GR-07
Car plates ΑΜ
Website www.fokida.gr

Phocis (Greek: Φωκίδα, pronounced [foˈciða], Ancient Greek: Φωκίς [pʰɔːkís]) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece. It stretches from the western mountainsides of Parnassus on the east to the mountain range of Vardousia on the west, upon the Gulf of Corinth. It is named after the ancient region of Phocis, but the modern regional unit also includes parts of ancient Locris and Doris.

Contents

Geography

Modern Phocis has an area of 2120 km² (819 mi²), of which 560 km² (216 mi²) are forested, 36 km² (14 mi²) are plains, and the remainder is mountainous.[1] The massive ridge of Parnassus (2,459 m/8,068 ft), which traverses the heart of the country, divides it into two distinct portions. The neighboring prefectures are Aetolia-Acarnania to the west, Phthiotis to the north and Boeotia to the east. Much of the south and east are deforested and rocky and mountainous while the valley runs from Itea up to Amfissa. Forests and greenspaces are to the west, the central part and the north.

Its reservoir is the Mornos Dam on the Mornos river. It covers nearly 1 km to 3 km². It was completed in the 1960s, and GR-48 was extended to pass through the dam.

Administration

The regional unit Phocis is subdivided into 2 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):[2]

Prefecture

Phocis was created as a prefecture in 1947 out of the Phthiotis and Phocis Prefecture. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Phocis was created out of the former prefecture Phocis (Greek: Νομός Φωκίδας). The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.[2]

New municipality Old municipalities Seat
Delphi (Delfoi) Delphi Amfissa
Amfissa
Desfina
Galaxidi
Gravia
Itea
Kallieis
Parnassos
Dorida Efpalio Lidoriki
Lidoriki
Tolofon
Vardousia

Provinces

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

History

Population

With a population of 48,284 (2001), it is one of Greece's least populous regional units, and has a population density of less than 23 persons per km² (59/mi²).[3] In the summer months, the population nearly doubles due to the influx of tourists.[1]

Most of the villages are in the south, the southwest and the west, especially in the areas between Amfissa and Itea. The north and the east are the least populated.

Transport

People

Modern Phocis was inhabited by several Greek tribes since antiquity, mainly by Phocians, Locrians and Dorians, which were intermingled and formed the present-day Phocian population, with a unique linguistic and cultural heritage, frequently mentioned as Roumeliotes.

Persons

Sporting teams

Here are the most popular sporting teams in the prefecture. All of the teams are under the Phocis Football Clubs Association in which it existed since 1985 after the separation and dissolution of the Phocis-Phtiotis Football Guild Union.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "History". Prefecture of Fokida. 2001-2002. Archived from the original on 2007-04-04. http://web.archive.org/web/20070404091123/http://www.fokida.gr/en/istoria.html. Retrieved 2007-05-03. 
  2. ^ a b Kallikratis reform law textPDF
  3. ^ "Information about Fokida". ellada.net. Archived from the original on 2007-04-04. http://web.archive.org/web/20070404091123/http://www.fokida.gr/en/istoria.html. Retrieved 2007-05-03. 

External links

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.