| Tourkolekas Τουρκολέκας |
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Tourkolekas
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| Government | |
| Country: | Greece |
| Region: | Peloponnese |
| Regional unit: | Arcadia |
| Municipality: | Megalopoli |
| Municipal unit: | Falaisia |
| Population statistics (as of 2001) | |
| Community | |
| - Population: | 301 |
| Other | |
| Time zone: | EET/EEST (UTC+2/3) |
Tourkolekas (Greek: Τουρκολέκας) is a Greek settlement in the southwest of Arcadia, located 15 km south of Leontari around 26 km southeast of Megalopoli, about 30 km from Kalamata, about 55 km southwest of Tripoli and northwest of Sparta. Tourkolekas is in the municipal unit of Falaisia. Tourkolekas is connected with the road connecting the GR-7 along with the Oria Castle and the Leontari-Dyrrachi Road, it also has several rural roads especially one for Akovos. Tourkolekas had a 2001 population of 301 for the settlement. Messenia is 3 km to the southwest.
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Tourkolekas is situated in a mountainous area and are made up of forests and grasslands. The mountains cover the area and are made up of rocks with grasslands and bushes along with a couple of forests and grasses and bushes around the areas. Farmlands are within the village area. The mountaintop elevating 1,121 m lies 3 km south-west and one elevating 1,296 is approximately 2 km northwest. It offers panoramic views of the mountains to the north and the east including one elevating 1,197 m to the east. Its main production are olives, citrus, fruits, vegetables and other crops, several common crops are rarely common.
Its residential houses and buildings are within the main road and it is about 400 to 500 m long and 100 to 150 m wide. Much of the houses were stone built until the 1960s. Electricity arrived in the same year. Vehicles arrived in the 1970s, the pavement of the main road and television arrived in the 1980s and computer and internet are rarely known in the beginning of the 21st century and up to date technology are not seen.
| Year | Population |
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| 1991 | 312? |
| 2001 | 301 |
Tourkolekas is famous for its Nikitareia festival in honour of Nikitaras, a Greek Revolutionary leader. It even has a statue that are made out fo marble.
The village used to have a large population before the beginning of the 20th century. After World War II and the Greek Civil War, the population began to decline as residents moved to larger towns and cities and outside of Greece.
Tourkolekas was struck by the country's worst enormous fire that broke the 1950s record. The fire consumed much of the grasslands and forests around the area and burnt some houses. The fire spread from Chirades and Derveni on Saturday August 25, 2007 in the morning hours with winds that blew eastward at around 80 and 90 km/h and rapidly burned many pines, spruces and firs, the fire entered the town in the afternoon with residents and firefighters spraying out the fire. It took five helicopters and several choppers some that took from the artificial Lake Taka 5 km south of Tripoli. Water and power were cut off along with the outside world. The fire ended during the evening hours and were seen in slopes and hillsides.
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