Arta (regional unit)

Arta regional unit Περιφερειακή Ενότητα Άρτας (Άρτα)
Basic data
State :	Greece
Region :	Epirus
Area :	1,662 km²
Residents :	67,877 (2011)
Population density :	40.8 inhabitants / km²
NUTS 3 code no. :	-
Structure:	4 municipalities
Website:	www.peartas.gov.gr

Arta regional district ( Greek Περιφερειακή ενότητα Άρτας ) is one of the four regional districts of the Greek region of Epirus . It was ceded to Greece by the Ottoman Empire in 1881 and established as a prefecture. In 1915 the prefecture was expanded to include the areas west of the Arachthos . With the administrative reform in 2010 he  lost the prefectural status; since then, apart from the allocation of seats in the regional council and as a constituency for the Greek parliament, the area no longer has an independent political role. Name giver and capital is the city of Arta .

Location and geography

The area lies north of the Ambracian Gulf and is surrounded in the northeast by mountains, through which only a single road connection leads over the Pinios Valley to the Thessaly region . In the west and north Arta borders on the territories of the regional districts of Preveza and Ioannina , in the east on Thessaly and in the south on Aetolia-Acarnania . The river Acheloos forms the eastern border and the Louros river forms the western border .

The highest point in the area is the Athamanon on the northeast border with a height of 2393 m above sea level. NN. The Athamanon and the associated mountain range, which runs from north-northwest to south-southeast, belong to the southern Pindos Mountains . The Athamanon also represents the watershed between the catchment area of ​​the Arachthos in the west of the mountain range and the Acheloos in the east of the mountain range. The area Artas belongs to the water catchment area of ​​the Arachthos. This is also the largest and longest river, followed by the Louros River on the western border of the area.

structure

The Arta Regional Unit comprises the municipalities of Arta , Georgios Karaiskakis , Kendrika Tzoumerka and Nikolaos Skoufas .

traffic

The main mode of transport in both public and commercial and private transport is road transport. The area has a network of well-developed roads, especially in the flat part around the Ambracian Gulf. The main direction of traffic is from north ( Ioannina ) to south ( Agrinio , Messolongi ).

• Nationalstrasse 5 ( Europastrasse 951 )

The national road 5 leads from the north of Ioannina via Filippiada and Arta to Amfilochia , Agrinio and Messolongi. It is also a European route and is by far the most important road link in the prefecture. In the next five to ten years, national road 5 will be replaced by motorway 5 ( Ionia Odos ): this will essentially run on the same route. In the east of Arta a section has already been completed as a motorway bypass of the city and thus relieves the city of Arta from the through traffic that was connected to the national road 5.

• National road 42

The national road 21 branches off in Filippiada from the national road 5 and leads in a westerly direction to the island of Lefkada . It runs on the northern edge of the Ambracian Gulf.

• National road 30

The national road 30 leads from the south of Artas (connection to the national road 5) to the northeast and then to the east across the southern Pindus Mountains to Thessaly ( Trikala ). The condition of the road, especially in the mountainous sections, is not sufficient, both in terms of the alignment and in terms of passability in snowy winter.

The area has neither an international airport nor a seaport or rail link. As part of the planning of the rail section of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN), however, a rail connection via the Messolongi, Agrinio, Amfilochia, Arta, Ioannina, Igoumenitsa line is planned. The project is very controversial due to its high costs due to the topography and both its financing and implementation are not secured.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Results of the 2011 census at the National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΛ.ΣΤΑΤ) ( Memento from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (Excel document, 2.6 MB)