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Alexandroupoli
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Country
Greece
Population
72,959 (2011)
Area
1,219.9 km2
Alexandroupoli (Greek: , ) is a city in Greece and the capital of the Evros regional unit in East Macedonia and Thrace. It is an important port and commercial center of northeastern Greece.
Alexandroupoli is one of the newest cities in Greece, as it was only a fishing village until the late 19th century. However, the modern city is located at the site of ancient Sale (Greek: ????), a Greek city of the classical era founded by colonists from the island of Samothrace that is mentioned by Herodotus.
Canadian ambassador visits alexandroupoliss mayor deltatv 03302012
Alexandroupoli benefits from its position at the centre of land and sea routes connecting Greece with Turkey. Landmarks in Alexandroupoli include the citys lighthouse in the port, the archaeological sites of Mesimvria Zone and Maroneia stretching out to the small port of Agios Charalambos, the citys waterfront (center of commercial activity) and the nearby Evros Delta.
Harlem shake alexandroupolis style official
Name
The modern city was founded in the middle of the 19th century (when what is now northeastern Greece was still under the rule of the Ottoman Empire) by fishermen from the villages of Makri and Maroneia and it became known as Dedeagach (Greek: , Turkish: , Bulgarian: ). According to the legend, the name was based on a wise old Turkish man or dede who spent much of his time in the shade of a local tree (in Turkish agac) and was eventually buried beside it. In 1920, the King of Greece, Alexander I, visited the city, and the local authorities decided to rename the city Alexandroupoli ("city of Alexander"), in the Greek Kings honour. The request was duly approved by the central Greek government, and Alexandroupoli has been the citys name ever since.
Geography
Alexandroupoli is about 14.5 km (9.0 mi) west of the delta of the river Evros, 40 km from the border with Turkey, 346 km (215 mi) from Thessaloniki on the newly constructed Egnatia highway, and 750 km (470 mi) from Athens. Around the city one finds small fishing villages like Makri and Dikella to the west, and suburban Maistros, Apalos, Antheia, Aristino, Nipsa, Loutra to the east, while north of the city are the ever closing Palagia, Abantas, Aissymi and Kirkas. At the 2001 census, the main city had a population of 48,885 and the municipal unit had a population of 52,720. The current metropolitan population is estimated at around 70,000 inhabitants, and its area covers the southern portion of the regional unit, running from the Rhodope regional unit to the Evros Delta. The municipality has a land area of 1,220 km² (468.73 sq mi). Besides Alexandroupolis, its other largest settlements are the villages of Makri (pop. 820), Avas (497), Sykorrachi (309), Aisymi (289), and Dikella (288).
History
The settlements history goes back to the 19th century, when the area was part of the Ottoman Empire. Long used as a landing ground for fishermen from the coast of Samothrace opposite, a hamlet developed in the area during the construction of a railway line connecting Constantinople to the major cities of Macedonia from Kuleliburgaz. The work was part of an effort to modernise the Empire, and was assigned to engineers from Austria-Hungary. The settlement soon grew into a fishing village known as Dedeagac.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, Dedeagac was part of the Adrianople Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire.
