Attica

This article is about Attica in Greece. For other Atticas, see Attica (disambiguation)

Attica (in Greek: Αττική, Attikí) is a nomos (prefecture) in Greece, containing Athens, the capital of Greece.

Attica is located in what is today southern Greece, and covers about 3,800 square kilometers. In addition to Athens, it contains within its area the cities of Peiraeus, Eleusis, Megara, Laurium, and Marathon, as well as the islands of Salamis, Aegina, Poros, Hydra, Spetses, Kythira, and Antikythera. About 3,700,000 people live in the nomos, of which more than 95% are habitants of the Athens metropolitan area.

Athens was originally the capital of Central Greece.

Geography

Attica is a peninsula jutting into the Aegean Sea. Mountains divide the peninsula into the plains of Pedia, Mesogeia, and Thriasia. The mountains include Hymettus, the eastern portion of Geraneia, Parnitha, Aigaleo and the Penteli mountains. To the north it is bordered by the Boeotian plain and to the west it is bordered by Corinth. The Saronic Gulf lies to the south and the island of Euboea lies off the north coast. Athens' first and only large reservoir named Lake Marathon is about 35 km northeast and is called the Marathon Dam which first opened in the 1920s. Since that time, it is Attica's largest lake.

The Cephisus River is the longest river, and Parnetha or Parnitha is the tallest mountain in Attica.

The prefecture also has parklands in the Hymettus, Penteli and the Parnitha mountains and the southern part of the peninsula.

Climate

Its climate includes hot summers and cool to mild winters in low lying areas and its plains and most of the Saronic. Winter is very common in the mountains of Parintha and areas that lie 1,000 m above sea level as its lowesy

In the winters of 1999 and February 2004, recent snowstorms plundered the area especially blocking and closing much of its roads as snow accumulated to 2 m.

History

The process of how Attica was united by Athens is not entirely clear, but it concluded at some point in the first half of the 7th century BC when Eleusis and the surrounding plains were joined to the Athenian state, and its inhabitants became citizens. Even then, the boundaries were not fixed, as Athens struggled with Megara for control of Salamis, and with Boeotia over border towns like Oropus for centuries. See History of Athens.

Attica later became part of (successively) the Roman and Byzantine Empires, the crusader Duchy of Athens, and at last the Ottoman Empire.

Transportation

Roads and Highways

The area is connected by roads and highways

• Greece Interstate 1 (superhighway)
• Greece Interstate 3 (old higway of Athens-Thessaloniki)
• Greece Interstate 8 (old highway linking Patras, the Peloponnese and Athens)
• Greece Interstate 8A (superhighway)
• Greece Interstate 54, Marathonos Avenue
• Greece Interstate 79
• Greece Interstate 81
• Greece Interstate 83
• Greece Interstate 85 (rare)
• Greece Interstate 89
• Greece Interstate 91
• Attiki Odos, number 6 (private owned superhighways), first opened in 2001 in the eastern part
  • Hymettus Ring (number 64), opened in 2004, the southern section will open later.
  • Aigaleo Ring (number 65), opened in 2004
  • Ano Liosia Ring (opening soon)

Other

• Athens Mass Transit System
  • Athens Metro
  • Proastiakos
  • Transit System (Attica)

Communications

Television

• 902 TV
• High TV – Athens
• Magic Peiraia – Piraeus

Radio

• 87.7 En Lefko – Athens – 87.7 FM – http://www.877.gr
• 88.3 Village FM – Agios Ioannis Rentis (Athens) – 88.3 FM – http://www.villagefm.com
• 90.2 Aristera sta FM – Athens – 90.1 FM – http://www.902.gr
• Antenna Radio – Athens – 97.2 FM – http://www.antenna.gr
• Athena 9,84 FM – Athens – 98.3 FM – http://www.984fm.gr – Municipal Radio of the City of Athens
• Atlantis FM – Athens – 105.2 FM – http://www.atlantisfm.gr
• Athens Radio Deejay – Athens – 95.2 FM – http://www.radiodeejay.fm – Broadcasts nationally
• Best Radio – Athens – 92.6 FM – http://www.bestradio.gr
• Diesi 101.3 – Athens – 101.3 FM – http://www.diesifm.gr
• Diva FM – Athens – 106.2 FM – http://www.divafm.gr
• Epikinonia FM – Athens – 94.0 FM – http://www.94fm.gr – Municipal Radio of Neo Iraklio
• ERT Radio – public – Athens – http://www.ert.gr
• Filia 107 FM – public – Athens – 107.0 FM/665 AM – http://www.ert.gr
• Flash 96 – Athens – 96.0 FM – http://www.flash.gr – Broadcasts nationally
• Galaxy 92 – Athens – 92.0 FM – http://www.galaxy92.gr
• Jeronimo Groovy FM – Athens – 88.9 FM – http://www.jeronimogroovy.com
• Kosmos 93.6 – Athens – public – 93.6 FM – http://www.kosmos936.gr
• Melodia FM – Athens – 99.2 FM – http://www.melodia.gr
• NET 105.8 – Athens – 105.8/91.6 FM/729 MW – http://www.ert.gr – Broadcasts Nationally
• Nitro Radio – Athens – 102.5 FM – http://www.nitroradio.gr
• Oasis FM – Athens – 88.0 FM – http://www.oasisfm.gr
• Orange 93.2 FM – Athens – 93.2 FM – http://www.orange932.gr
• Planet FM – Athens – 99.5 FM
• Polis 88.6 FM – Athens – 88.6 FM – http://www.polisfm.gr
• Profit FM – Athens – 96.6 FM
• Radio 98 FM – Athens – 98.0 FM – http://www.radio98fm.gr – Free pirate radio of Athens
• Radio Gold – Athens – 103.3 FM – http://www.radiogold.com
• Radio Greece – Athens – via satellite – http://www.radiogreece.gr
• Radio Sfera – Athens – 102.2 FM – http://www.sfera.gr – Broadcasts nationally
• Red FM – Athens – 96.3 FM – http://www.redfm.gr
• Rhythmos FM – Athens – 94.9 FM – http://www.rythmosfm.gr
• Rock FM 96.9 – Athens – 96.9 FM – http://www.rockfm.gr
• Skai Radio – Athens – 100.3/100.6 FM – http://www.skairadio.gr – Broadcasts Nationally
• Soho Radio – Athens – 89.8 FM – http://www.sohoradio.gr
• Sportime FM – Athens – 89.2 FM
• Supersport FM – Athens – 94.6 FM – http://www.sport-fm.gr – Broadcasts nationally
• Superstar FM – Athens – 98.6 FM
• Xenios FM – Athens – 94.3 and 97.4 FM – http://www.xenios943.gr – Municipal Radio of Ano Liosia

In March, 2001, the Greek government shut down approximately 60 of the 90+ FM radio stations in the Athens area, citing interference to frequencies to be used by the new Athens International Airport, though it is largely believed (and much evidence supporting this exists) that the government shut down these stations as a political favor to powerful publishing and media groups, whose stations, for the most part, remained on the air. In 2002, 8 of these stations reopened, and in 2004, a few more stations reopened.

Sporting teams

Basketball teams

• Peristeri

Football/Soccer teams

Primary division A' Ethniki

• Aegaleo (or Egaleo) – Aegaleo
• AEK (Athlitiki Enosi Konstantinoupoliton) – Athens
• Akratitos – Ano Liosia (Attica), founded in 1963
• Apollon Kalamarias
• Chalkidona – Chalkidona
• Ionikos – Nikaia, founded in 1965
• Kallithea – Kallithea (Athens), founded in 1966 —
• Olympiakos (Olympiakos Syndesmos Filathlon Pireos, OSFP) – Piraeus
• Panathinaikos (Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos, PAO) – Athens
• Panionios NFC – Nea Smyrni (Athens)
• Proodeutiki – Nikaia (Athens)

Junior division

• Aris Petroupoli – Petroupoli
• Aspropyrgos
• Gkyziakos – Gkyzi
• Ilioupoli
• Koropi
• Olympiakos Papagou – Papagou
• Panelefsiniakos – Eleusis

Hospitals

• Agios Panteleimonas Hospital – Nikaia
• Eleusis Hospital – Eleusis
• Hospital near Zografou

Municipalities

• List of municipalities of Attica

Provinces

• Province of Attica – Athens
• Province of Kythera
• Province of Megara (Megaris) – Megara
• Province of Salamis – Salamis, now part of Piraeus

The former provinces in italics are no longer exists

Prefectural sects of Attica (agglomeration)

• Athens
• East Attica
• Piraeus
• West Attica

Communities and Subdivisions

• See Communities of Attica