Chora (Samos)

Municipality of Chora Δημοτική Κοινότητα Χώρας (Χώρα)
Basic data
Country	Greece
region	North Aegean
Regional district	Samos
local community	Anatoliki Samos
Parish	Pythagorio
status	Borough
Geographic coordinates	37 ° 42 '  N , 26 ° 54'  E Coordinates: 37 ° 42 '  N , 26 ° 54'  E
Height above d. M.	58  m (average)
surface	10,953 km²
Residents	1340 (2011)
LAU-1 code no.	56010411
Local division	2
Post Code	83103
Telephone code	22730

The small town of Chora ( Greek Χώρα ( f. Sg. )) Is located in the southeast of the Greek island of Samos . Together with the coastal settlement of Potokaki , Chora forms the municipality (Δημοτική Κοινότητα) in the municipality of Pythagorio . The former capital of the island is now the fifth largest town on the island in terms of population.

location

Chora is located in the northeast of the plain of Chora (Κάμπος Χώρας Kambos Choras ) at the exit of the Kalathi valley (Καλάθι). The town center is northwest of the junction of the Vathy-Chora road (Επαρχιακή Οδός Βαθιού-Χώρας) from the Vathy-Karlovasi road (Επαρχιακή Οδός Βαθιού-Καρλοωάσο).

The closest places are Mytilinii 2.5 kilometers north and Pythagorio about 3.5 kilometers southeast. The coastal settlement of Potokaki is located around 2.3 kilometers southeast of the airport . The city of Samos is about 8 kilometers northeast.

The area of ​​the city district Chora borders in the south on the Bay of Tigani (Όρμος Τηγάνι). Neighboring boroughs and local communities are Pythagorio in the southeast, Mytilinii and Mavratzei in the north, Myli in the west and Pagondas in the southwest.

history

After Samos had been unsettled for nearly a century due to repeated pirate raids and looting, the repopulation from 1572 onwards led to significant changes. Most of the new foundations were on old settlements from the Byzantine era, none of these settlements were on the coast. Three contemporary traditions from the end of the 17th century consistently report that Chora is the largest of the 16 to 20 villages on Samos. The location inland of the ancient port at the foot of a range of hills was a key element in choosing the location. Invisible from the sea, the location of the nearby mountains northwest of the village offered the possibility of controlling the port of Tigani and the surrounding sea area.

In the second edition of the seafarers' book Kitab-ı Bahriye by Piri Reis from 1525, the chosen representation suggests the administrative importance of kale-i Susam cezire-i mezkur compared to the other villages. The first written mention in 1633 as sisam in an Ottoman poll tax register lists 215 families. The oldest traditional Greek name Megali Chora (Μεγάλη Χώρα 'Big City') by Iosif Georgirinis from 1677 is also used on Peter Schenk's map Insula Samos from 1700. According to Georgirinis, the Archbishop, the Qādī and the Agha had their seat in Megali Chora . The few Turkish law enforcement officers and their families also lived in the village. In 1702 Tournefort reported that Cora had consisted of 600 mostly abandoned houses since an attack by the Venetians under Francesco Morosini .

After the Greek Revolution in 1828, due to its unfavorable location , Chora lost its administrative importance compared to the new provisional island capital on the Gulf of Vathy . During the reign of Alexandros Kallimachis , Chora became the capital again from 1850. His successor Ion Ghikas finally relocated the seat of government and his residence to Limin Vatheos in 1854 . The city remained the seat of a district with 9722 inhabitants, which was divided into seven parishes.

After Samos was annexed to Greece in 1913, the island was subdivided administratively in 1918. Chora formed the rural community of the same name (Κοινότητα Χώρας Kinotita Choras ). The incorporation of the coastal town of Potokaki took place in 1961. Through the merger of eleven rural communities to form the newly founded municipality Pythagorio (Δήμος Πυθαγορείου) as part of the municipal reform in 1997 , Chora finally lost its administrative importance. With a few exceptions, the new municipality structure was based on that of the former principality. Since the administrative reform in 2010 , Chora has had the status of an urban district (Δημοτική Κοινότητα Dimotiki Kinotita ) in the municipality of Pythagorio of the municipality of Samos .

Population development of Chora

year	1666	1828	1864	1913	1920	1928	1940	1951	1961	1971	1981	1991	2001	2011
Chora	2600	1300	1398	1990	1895	2079	1962	1678	1271	1093	1100	1316	1448	1218
Potokaki									0062	0019th	0018th	0033	0049	0122
total	2600	1300	1398	1990	1895	2079	1962	1678	1333	1112	1118	1349	1497	1340

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Greek Statistical Office (ΕΛ.ΣΤΑΤ) ( Memento of the original from December 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ↑ ^{a b} Results of the 2011 census, Greek Statistical Office (ΕΛ.ΣΤΑΤ) ( Memento from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (Excel document, 2.6 MB)
3. ↑ Νίκος Μπελαβίλας (Nikos Belavilas): Λιμάνια και οικισμοί στο Αιγαίο της πειρατείας . Μετασχηματισμοί στον χώρο του ναυτικού και οικιστικού δικτύου των νησιών , κατά την περίοδο της πειρατικής ναυτιλίας, 1420-1815. Athens 1993, p. 450 . ; Diss. National Technical University of Athens Online p. 192ff (Greek)
4. ↑ Evangelia Balta: Açıl Susam, açıl . In: Osmanlı Araştırmaları . No. 19 , 1999, p. 87-164 . (English)
5. ^ Iosef Georgirinis: A description of the present state of Samos, Nicaria, Patmos, and Mount Athos . London 1678, p. 112 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
6. ^ Joseph Pitton de Tournefort: LETTRE X. Description des Isles de Samos de Patmos de Fourni & de Skyros . In: Relation d'un voyage du Levant: fait par ordre du Roi contenant . Paris 1717 ( online ). P. 104
7. ↑ Emmanouil kritisidis (Εμμανουήλ Κρητικίδης): Τοπογραφία αρχαία και σημερινή της Σάμου . 1869, p. 60 . (Greek)
8. ↑ Κεντρική Ένωση Δήμων και Κοινοτήτων Ελλάδας, Ελληνική Εταιρία Τοπικής Ανάπτυξης και Αυτοδιοίκησης (ed.): Sanakirja Διοικητικών Μεταβολών των Δή microns ων και Κοινοτήτων (1912-2001) . 2 (Τόμος Β, λ – ω). Athens 2002, ISBN 960-7509-47-1 , pp. 577 .
9. ↑ Population of Chora 1913–2001, Greek Statistical Office ELSTAT, Digital Library (Greek); Census 2011