Igoumenitsa, the capital of Thesprotia and one of Greece's
most important ports, lies 92 kilometres from Yanina. It is a modern town, one of the
country's gateways to Western Europe, and a major hub for Adriatic sea traffic. The marvellous beaches of Drepano and Makrigiali with their hospitable
resorts, plentiful sun and sea attract thousands of tourists, sports aficionados and
adventurers the year round.
Patras Iis the
capital of the region or prefecture. It owes its name to Patreas, chief of the Achaians.
The city is among the most important in Greece, and the largest in the Peloponnese. It is
also a major transportation center, linking the country with Italy and the Peloponnese
with the lonian islands. The city extends from the shore up to the Castle. It is divided
into two parts, the upper and the lower, whose layout, parks and plazas give it a definite
distinction. The old city, at the foot of the castle, still has quite a number of
attractive neoclassical houses, while the lower city has many mansions, such as those
housing the Municipal Theatre, the Odeon, etc. The Cathedral of St. Andrew (picture), the
city's patron, rises majestically above the lower city.
Corfu lies to
the north of the Ionian sea at the entrance of Adriatic. It is the second largest island
in the group known as the Seven Islands, or Eptanisa. Together with the small island of
Paxi and others that are still smaller (Antipaxi, Othoni, Erikoussa, Mathraki), Corfu
constitutes a separate prefecture. It has an area of 592 sq. km, a coastline of 217 km and
a population of over 100,000 making it the largest Ionian island in terms of population.
Approximately 65% of the surface of the island is under cultivation and 59% of this area
is covered with olives, cypress trees, citrus fruit trees, fruit trees and vineyards.
Cephalonia lies
at the center of the Ionian Sea and 53 nautical miles from Patras to which is connected by
ferry boat, both from the ports of Argostoli and Sami. The island has a surface area of
781 sq. km, with 254 km of coastline and a population of 27,000 inhabitants. The island is
connected also to Kyllini in the Peloponnese, from Poros, with Lefkada and with the coast
of Aitoloakarnania opposite. During summer, the island is connected by ferry boat with
Zakynthos. Besides the ferry boats the island is also connected by plane to Athens and
during the summer to Zakynthos and Corfu. |
