IPEIROS - Geography and history
Epirus is a mountainous region comprising the northwest corner of Greece between the country's largest mountain range, the Pindos, on the east and the Ionian Sea on the west; to the north the international border separates the region from northern Epirus, which is part of Albania but has a largely Greek population.
The region consists of the nomi of Arta, Thesprotia, loannina and Preveza. The capital and largest town is loannina and other urban centres are Arta, Preveza and Igoumenitsa. 24% of the population is urban, 9% semi-urban and 67% rural.
Epirus is the most mountainous region in Greece, with very little flat land, most of it being at the mouths of the rivers. The largest plains are those of Arta and loannina. Of the total area of Epirus only 10% is lowland, 13% is semi-mountainous and 77% is mountainous. Three-quarters of the land is unfit for cultivation and 23% of the region is covered by forests. Thanks to the abundant rainfall and snowfall the region has large rivers. Its climate is continental in the interior and mild and Mediterranean in the plains and along the coast.
In general Epirus is poor, infertile, sparsely populated and isolated.
The region's isolation
The mountainous terrain and poor soil have contributed to the region's economic backwardness, resulting in a flood of emigration to the major urban centres. Agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing employed 24 800 people in 1998, compared to 25 200 in industry. However, as agriculture does not provide sufficient income or a satisfactory quality of life, craft industries have developed, with goldsmiths, silversmiths, weavers, coppersmiths and wood carvers.
Epirus has not yet suffered from tourist development, but tourism is growing steadily thanks to the region's archaeological importance, its fine coastline, its traditional architecture and its open spaces.
The mountains or the sea?
Topographically Epirus is divided into mountains and coastal plains. On account of the mountainous terrain it is one of the most sparsely populated regions, with a large number of scattered settlements. The proportion of inhabitants living in rural settlements is more than twice the national figure. The rural areas have transport and communications problems and the quality of social services available is generally low.
This phenomenon is particularly marked in the mountain settlements, which had 38% of the population in 1981. The main activity in these areas is livestock rearing, and there is also a considerable amount of forestry. The major urban centres have developed in the plains and along the coast, where living conditions and the availability of services are much better. Because of the region's isolation, great importance attaches to its capital Ioannina, which is a notable cultural, intellectual and social centre.
The coastal areas have been opened up for tourism, whereas the mountains are largely lacking in tourist infrastructure, despite their inestimable natural beauty and folk heritage.
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