Arta (regional unit)


Arta is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the Epirus region. Its capital is the town of Arta.

Geography

The regional unit of Arta is located north of the Ambracian Gulf. The main mountain ranges are the Athamanika in the northeast, the Pindus in the east, and Valtou in the southeast. Only one mountain road links Arta with the Pineios valley and Thessaly. There are low-lying agricultural plains in the west. Arta borders on the regional units of Preveza in the west, Ioannina to the north, Trikala in the east, Karditsa to the east and Aetolia-Acarnania to the south.
The main rivers are the Acheloos in the east, the Arachthos in the centre, and the Louros in the west. Most of the population lives in the west, in the Arachthos valley, south and east of Arta. The Athamanika and Valtou mountains are the least populated.

Administration

The regional unit Arta is subdivided into 4 municipalities. These are :
Arta was established as a prefecture in 1882. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Arta was created out of the former prefecture Arta. The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.
New municipalityOld municipalitiesSeat
ArtaArtaArta
ArtaAmvrakikosArta
ArtaVlachernaArta
ArtaXirovouniArta
ArtaFilotheiArta
Central Tzoumerka
AthamaniaVourgareli
Central Tzoumerka
AgnantaVourgareli
Central Tzoumerka
TheodorianaVourgareli
Central Tzoumerka
MelissourgoiVourgareli
Georgios KaraiskakisGeorgios KaraiskakisAno Kalentini
Georgios KaraiskakisIrakleiaAno Kalentini
Georgios KaraiskakisTetrafyliaAno Kalentini
Nikolaos SkoufasPetaPeta
Nikolaos SkoufasArachthosPeta
Nikolaos SkoufasKommenoPeta
Nikolaos SkoufasKompotiPeta

History

Arta was one of the capitals of the Despotate of Epirus in the late Middle Ages. The territory of the regional unit was ceded to Greece in 1881 by the Ottoman Empire, along with Thessaly, in accordance with the 1878 Congress of Berlin. A famous landmark of Arta is the Old Bridge over the Arachthos river.

Transport

As one of the first completed sections of the future Ionia Odos linking Ioannina with Patras and Kalamata, the motorway bypass of the GR-5 around Arta was opened in 1997. The main highways are: