About regions in Greece

Under the 1997 law on decentralised government in Greece, the country is divided into 13 regions forming devolved units of state administration. They have their own budget, civil service and are run by a general secretary (genikos grammateas), appointed by the president on the prime minister's recommendation and with the consent of the government.

The general secretary is the head of all the region's services and can be considered the executive body of the regional administration as well as being the representative of the central government in the region. The general secretary presides over a regional council (periferiako simvoulio) which is the decision-making body of the region. It is composed of the prefects in the region, a representative of each urban municipality and rural community in the region, and representatives of the regional branches of various organisations

Region of Thessaly

Thessaly is one of the thirteen regions of the country. The origin of its name is connected with the mythical hero Thettalos, son of Aimona. In general the region is tied with a large portion of mythology, as well as, the history of Hellas and plays an important role in the formation of national life on a political, social, economic and spiritual level. Ancient Alos (Hellenistic city), Dimitriada, Dimini, Ferai (prehistoric settlements of the Neolithic Age) and the fortresses, caves and monasteries of the region are all monuments of Hellenic culture with a huge interest for strangers.

The region of Thessaly, is characterized by a highly variable landscape which includes some of the most interesting and unique formations of Greece. In the mountain range of Olympus, the home of the twelve Gods of ancient mythology, lies the highest mountain peek of Greece, the "Mitikas" (2,917 meters). Other travel destinations of interest include, the Southern portion of the mountain range of Pindos, the Meteora which is the largest monastery cluster and climbing range of Greece and Mt. Pelion which is one the most traditional mountainous areas.

The plain of Thessaly is crossed by the river Pinios and the mountain range of Nevropolis Agrafon houses the artificial lake Tauropou within a wooded alpine landscape. The mountains, lakes, forests, the sea with its islands, the plains and the rivers all serve to attract many visitors, servicing as much special thematic tourism as simple sightseers. Most of these locations, including all of the important ones, belong to the "Nature 2000" network. In the past few years, the growth of ecotourism and agro-tourism has created a new wave of visitors which center their visit on coming in contact with the natural environment and local cultural tradition.

Geography

The region of Thessaly occupies the central-eastern part of continental Greece and is comprised of the following prefectures: Karditsa (capital is Karditsa), Larisa (capital is Larisa), Magnesia (capital is Volos) and Trikala (capital is Trikala). It has a total area of 14,036 square kilometres which is roughly 10.6% of the area of the entire country.

It borders on the north with the districts of West and Central Macedonia, on the south with the region of Sterea Hellas, on the west with the Ipirou district and on the east with the Aegean Sea. 36% of the land is flat, 17.1% is semi-mountainous while the remaining 44.9% is mountainous.

The terrain in Thessaly is such that tall mountains surround the plain, which is the biggest in the country. These mountains are Olympus, the south side of the Pindos mountain range, Itamos, Pelion and Othris.

Population

According to the census conducted by ESYE in 2001, the population of the region of Thessaly is 753,888 and represents 6.9% of the total population of the country.

It has noted a 1.5% increase in the population since 1991 and remains the third largest region in the country population-wise, even though its growth rate is less than the national average for the period 1991-2001 (2.7% vs. 6.7%).

The population break-down is 44% urban, 40% agrarian and 16% semi-urban with the agrarian population having noted a decline which has been paralleled with an increase in the semi-urban.

Regional GDP

According to the most recently available figures (1999), at the end of the previous period the GDP per capita in Thessaly was equal to 60.4% of the average for the 15 country members of the European Union. After the European Union expands to include the 10 new entrants, communal estimates place Thessaly, in the year 2000, at 67.7% of the average GDP per capita for the 25 member countries. On a national level, GDP per capita in the region of Thessaly covers 91% of the average GDP per capita in the country for the year 2001.

The region produces 6.3% (1998) of the total GDP of the country (4th largest participation after the region of Attica, Central Macedonia and Sterea Hellas). In 1998, 17% of the regional GDP was produced from the primary sector, 22% from the secondary and 61% from the tertiary. The corresponding percentages for the country are 8% from the primary sector, 24% for the secondary and 69% for the tertiary. Over the past years, there has been a notable turn toward the tertiary sector in the regional economy. The increased participation of this sector in the total regional GDP has come hand in hand with a notable decrease in participation from the primary sector and a little less from the secondary.

Employment

The population which could have been potentially employed in Thessaly in 2001 was 298,900 people. According to the 2001 Census, those employed in Thessaly were 266,600 people. Their breakdown into the three sectors was as follows: 28.1% in the primary sector, 19.2% in the secondary sector and 49% in the tertiary sector. The corresponding national percentages were 14.7%, 21.5% and 58.6%. The region of Thessaly has headquarters in Larissa were the General Secretariat and all Managerial Services that have local responsibilities in the region are located.