Arcadia
- This article discusses Arcadia, a region of Greece. :For other uses, see Arcadia (disambiguation).
Statistics Periphery: Peloponnese Capital: Tripoli Area: 4,419 km² Ranked 5th Elevation: Lowest: Myrtoan Sea
Highest: Mount MainaloInhabitants: 100,611 Ranked 35th Population density: 22.91/km² ISO 3166-2: GR-12 FIPS code: - Car designation: TP (Tripoli) Code for the municipalities: 05xx Number of provinces: 4 Number of municipalities: 22 Number of independent communes: 1 Area/distance code: 2710 (Tripoli)
275x0 (west)
279x0 (east)Postal code 223x xx Name of inhabitants: Arcadian sing.
-s pl.2-letter abbreviation/HASC: - Politics Head: Dimitris Konstantinopoulos (New Democracy) Map
Modern Arcadia
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 about 20 to 25% of the peninsula.The prefecture has a skiing resort on Mount Maenalus, 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 Greece Interstate 7 (E65) freeway, 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 freeway. 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.
The chief cities and communities in the prefecture include Tripoli, Astros, Vytina, Dimitsana, Lagkadia, Leonidio, Leontari, Levidi, Megalopolis and Stemnitsa.
In agriculture, potato farms, mixed farming, olive groves, and pasture dominate the plains of Arcadia, especially in the area around Megalopolis and between Tripoli and Levidi.
Theodoros Kolokotronis (1770 - 1843), a general in the Greek War of Independence (1821 - 1832), lived in Arcadia.
Persons
- Ancient Olympic victors:
- Androsthenes of Maenalus, won gold in 420 and 416 BC
- Euthymenes of Maenalus, won gold in 400 and 392 BC
- Mimis Fotopoulos (April 1913 in Zatouna Gortynias - 1986 in Athens)
- Kostas Karyotakis (October 30, 1896 – July 20, 1928 in Preveza)
Climate
Its climate has 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 mainly receives rain during fall and winter months for most of the time 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.History
Due to its remote, mountainous character, Arcadia has always been a classical refuge. So during the Dorian invasion, when Mycenaean Greek was replaced with Doric Greek along the coast of the Peloponnes, it survived in Arcadia, developing into the Arcadocypriot dialect of Classical antiquity. 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.One of the birth-places reported for Zeus is Mount Lycaeum in Arcadia. Lycaon, a cannibalistic Pelasgian king, was transformed into a Werewolf by Zeus. Lycaon's daughter was Callisto.
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 Vergil's Eclogues, set in Arcadia, see also Arcadia (paradise).
The phrase Et in Arcadia ego'' goes back to a 1647 painting by Nicolas Poussin, also known as "The Arcadian shepherds". where it appears as an inscription on a tomb.
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.
In the mid to late 20th century a power plant began operating.
Population
- 1951: 154,361 (density: 34.93/km²)
- 1961: 134,950
- 1971: 111,263 (density: 23.5/km²)
- 1991: 103,840
- 2001: 102,025
Transportation
- Greece Interstate 7
- Greece Interstate 33, N
- Greece Interstate 37, Cen, S
- Greece Interstate 74, NW, N
- Greece Interstate 76, W, SW
Communications
Television
- Arkadiki Radiophonia Teleorassi - ART
Provinces
Arcadia has 4 provinces:- Province of Gortynia - Dimitsana
- Province of Kynouria - Leonidi
- Province of Mantineia - Tripoli
- Province of Megalopoli - Megalopoli
Municipalities and communities
| Municipality \ | YPES code \ | Seat \ | Postal code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimitsana | 0506 | Dimitsana | 220 07 |
| Falanthos | 0523 | Davia | 221 00 |
| Falaisia | 0522 | Leontari | 220 21 |
| Gortyna | 0505 | Karytaina | 220 22 |
| Irea | 0507 | Paloumpa | 220 28 |
| Klitoros | 0508 | Amygdala | 220 14 |
| Kontovazena | 0509 | Kontovazena | 220 15 |
| Korynthos | 0510 | Korynthos | 221 00 |
| Lagkadia | 0512 | Lagkadia | 220 03 |
| Leonidi | 0514 | Leonidi | 223 00 |
| Levidi | 0513 | Levidi | 220 02 |
| Mantineia | 0515 | Nestani | 220 05 |
| Megalopoli | 0516 | Megalopoli | 222 00 |
| Skyritida | 0517 | Vlachokerasea | 220 16 |
| Tegea | 0518 | Stadio | 220 12 |
| Trikolones | 0519 | Stemnitsa | 220 24 |
| Tripoli | 0520 | Tripoli | 221 00 |
| Tyros (formerly Apollonas) | 0501 | Tyros | 220 29 |
| Tropaia | 0521 | Tropaia | 220 08 |
| Valtetsi | 0502 | Kato Asea | 220 27 |
| North Kynouria | 0503 | Astros | 220 01 |
| Vytina | 0504 | Vytina | 220 10 |
| Community \ | YPES code \ | Seat \ | Postal code |
| Kosmas | 0511 | Geraki | 230 58 |