Trikala, Imathia

Trikala (Greek: Τρίκαλα) is a town in the eastern part of Imathia, Greece. The town (2001 census population 1,710) is in the municipal unit of Platy. It is situated between the Aliakmon and Loudias rivers, southeast of Alexandreia.

Population

History

The origins of Trikala can be traced back to the late 18th century. The church of Agios Dimitrios (St.Demetrius) was built in 1750. The original name of the town, before the first refugees from Northern Thrace in Bulgaria arrived in 1925, was Karyes (meaning walnut trees), the current name, Trikala, means "thrice good".

Trikala was in Ottoman Empire until the Balkan Wars of 1913, afterwards, it became part of Greece. The majority of the population of Trikala to this day is made up by immigrants arriving from the Northern Thrace region of Bulgaria after a mutual population exchange between the two countries and their descendants. In 1935, Trikala saw an influx of Sarakatsani settlers. Some refugees from Pontus arrived before 1940.

Imathia

Imathia (Greek: Ημαθία [imaˈθia]) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Macedonia. The capital of Imathia is the city of Veroia.

Administration

The regional unit Imathia is subdivided into 3 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):

Prefecture

As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Imathia was created out of the former prefecture Imathia (Greek: Νομός Ημαθίας). The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.

Provinces

Note: Provinces no longer hold any legal status in Greece since 2006.

Geography

The northeastern part of Imathia, along the lower course of the river Aliakmonas, is a vast agricultural plain known as Kampania or Roumlouki. The area is known for the production of fruit crops such as peach and strawberry. Much of the population lives in this plain, where the towns Alexandreia and Veroia are situated. Imathia has a short shoreline on the Thermaic Gulf around the mouth of the Aliakmonas. The mountainous western part of Imathia is covered by the Vermio Mountains, reaching 2,052 m near Naousa. The Pierian Mountains reach into the southern part of Imathia, south of the Aliakmonas. The regional unit borders on Pieria to the south, Kozani to the west, Pella to the north and Thessaloniki to the east. Imathia has a mainly Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters.