Akrata, is a town and a former municipality

Communities and Municipalities of Greece

For the new municipalities of Greece see the Kallikratis ProgrammeThe municipalities and communities of Greece are one of several levels of government within the organizational structure of that country. Thirteen regions called peripheries form the largest unit of government beneath the State. ...

 in Achaea

Achaea

Achaea is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Greece. It is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. The capital is Patras. The population exceeds 300,000 since 2001.-Geography:...

, West Greece, Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Aigialeia

Aigialeia

Aigialeia is a municipality and a former province of the Achaea peripheral unit, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Aigio. The main towns are Aigio, Akrata and Diakopto. The mountains dominate the central, the southern and the western part, farmlands dominate the northern part...

, of which it is a municipal unit. The location is in a valley with two mountaintops. The river named Krathi

Krathi

Krathis is a river in the eastern part of Achaea, southern Greece. The river flows in the municipalities of Akrata and Diakopto.-Geography:...

 flows near the center of Akrata. The river empties east of Cape Akrata.

The urban area is on both mountains. Akrata Beach, where the hotels are located, is about 4 km northeast and Cape Akrata is also to the northeast. The nearby interchange for Gr-8A

Greek National Road 8A

Greek National Road 8A is a toll road running from Kifissou avenue, in Athens up to the northeast of Patras. It is a highway from Kifissou avenue up to Corinth, for about 85 km and the rest is an undivided highway with just one lane per direction. The total length is 215 km, but for the...

/E65

European route E65

European route E 65 is a north-south Class-A European route that begins in Malmö, Sweden and ends in Chaniá, Greece. The road is about in length.-Itinerary:* Sweden** E 65: Malmö – Ystad* Baltic sea, ferry Ystad-Świnoujście* Poland...

 is in Aigeira 4 km southwest and the old highway

Greek National Road 8

The National Road 8 in Greece is a single carriageway with at-grade intersections in the Attica and Peloponnese regions. It links the cities of Patras, Corinth and Athens. Until the 1960s when the National Road 8A, a toll road, replaced it as a major route, it was the only road linking Athens and...

 is to the northeast with two entrances. It is linked by a road to Kranidi and Galatas along with Poros

Poros

Poros is a small Greek island-pair in the southern part of the Saronic Gulf, at a distance about 58 km south from Piraeus and separated from the Peloponnese by a 200-metre wide sea channel, with the town of Galatas on the mainland across the strait. Its surface is about and it has 4,117...

. It is located 70 km southeast of Patras

Patras

Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...

, southeast of Aigio

Aigio

Aigio is a town and a former municipality in Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Aigialeia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. Its population is around 30,000. Aigio is surrounded by trees in the north and cliffs in the...

, west-northwest of Corinth

Corinth

Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...

, north of Tripoli

Tripoli, Greece

Tripoli is a city of about 25,000 inhabitants in the central part of the Peloponnese, in Greece. It is the capital of the prefecture of Arcadia and the centre of the municipality of Tripolis, pop...

 and northeast of Kalavryta

Kalavryta

Kalavryta is a town and a municipality in the eastcentral part of the peripheral unit of Achaea, Greece. It is the southern terminus of the Kalavryta - Diakopto Road and the eastern terminus of the Patras - Kalavryta Road. It is located approx...

.

The name is derived from the side of the Krathi. Next to the city are the ruins of the ancient city of Aigai

Aigai

Aigai or Aegae may refer to:*Aegae, first capital of ancient Macedon*Aegae, or Aigai, ancient settlement near Aigeira, in Achaea...

 and its ancient theatre.

The municipality was founded in 1879 but was dissolved in 1914. The municipality was refounded in 1986 along with Sylivainiotika, Porovitsa and Krathio. In 1998 under the Capodistrian Plan, the municipality was enlarged to include every village and town in the municipality.

Subdivisions

The municipal unit Akrata is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):

• Agia Varvara (Agia Varvara, Vounaki)
• Akrata (Akrata, Palaiostafida, Pyrgos, Fournoi)
• Ampelos
• Kalamias (Kalamias, Kato Potamia, Potamitikos Gialos)
• Krathio (Krathio, Goumaiika)
• Mesorrougi (Mesorrougi, Ano Mesorrougi, Solos)
• Paralia Platanou
• Peristera (Peristera, Agridi, Chalkianika)
• Platanos
  Platanos, Achaea
  Platanos is a Greek village in Achaea. Platanos is in the municipal unit of Akrata and had a population of 409 in 2001. Platanos is built on a mountain slope overlooking the Gulf of Corinth to the north...
  
   (Platanos, Ano Potamia, Korinthiako Balkoni, Tsivlos
  Tsivlos
  Tsivlos is a small settlement in the municipality of Akrata, Achaea, Greece. It is part of the community Platanos. As of 2001, it had a population of 40...
  
  )
• Porovitsa (Porovitsa, Paralia Porovitsis)
• Sylivena
  Sylivena
  Sylivaina is a village in Achaea, Greece, near the city of Akrata.Recent archaeological discoveries have revealed that there was a civilization in the village even in the middle Neolithic era. A painted fruit stand was discovered in the region that was made during the 6th millennium BC...
  
   or Sylivainiotika
• Valimi
• Voutsimos
• Zarouchla

Historical population

Year	Population village	Population municipal district	Population municipality
1991	1,508	-	5,492
2001	1,737	1,778	6,871

Geography

Much of the area is grassy and forests are found to the north. Farmlands dominate the northeast near the Krathio area, while the buildings are to the northeast near the boundary with Aigeira. The municipality is also famous for its beaches, which lie near the Gulf of Corinth

Gulf of Corinth

The Gulf of Corinth or the Corinthian Gulf is a deep inlet of the Ionian Sea separating the Peloponnese from western mainland Greece...

, and overlooks the gulf.

The mountains lie to the south and are mainly grassy and bushy. The forests are within the Gulf of Corinth to the north.

Lake Tsivlos

Tsivlos

Tsivlos is a small settlement in the municipality of Akrata, Achaea, Greece. It is part of the community Platanos. As of 2001, it had a population of 40...

 is by the road linking Akrata and Zarouchla. In Peristera, it has the spring of Golfos which was filmed in Gkolfo.

History

In the mid-20th century, the roads were paved and the villages first received electricity.

Until the 1970s it was mostly a destination for the local population that had moved to Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

 or Patras

Patras

Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...

. Its took off as a tourist destination in the 1980s, especially for Greeks. Construction took off in the 1990s and the coast soon turned into a tightly built, concrete zone.
A wildfire that began in the midday hours of August 6, 2007 sparked a fire in the town's landfill, it extended to its beautiful pine

Pine

Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...

, Greek Fir

Greek Fir

Greek Fir is a fir native to the mountains of Greece, primarily in the Peloponnesos and the island of Kefallonia, intergrading with the closely related Bulgarian Fir further north in the Pindus mountains of northern Greece. It is a medium-size evergreen coniferous tree growing to – rarely – tall...

, and spruce

Spruce

A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...

 trees and spread into the town and burnt a couple of houses. It spread into the forests northwest of town and northward enough to spread by the GR-8A/E65 northwest of its nearest interchange that caused traffic delays and slowdowns for several kilometres. Firefighters battled the blaze from its curvy roads and helicopters and planes sprayed to stop the fire. The fire lasted for several hours.

External links

Official website Environmental Education Center of Akrata Akrata 1st Public School Data about the municipality and a map of Akrata The City of Akrata

Northwest: Diakopto Diakopto Diakopto is a town and a former municipality in Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Aigialeia, of which it is a municipal unit. Population app. 7,005 . The town of Diakopto is situated on the Gulf of Corinth, and at the lower end of...	North: Gulf of Corinth Gulf of Corinth The Gulf of Corinth or the Corinthian Gulf is a deep inlet of the Ionian Sea separating the Peloponnese from western mainland Greece...
West: Diakopto Diakopto Diakopto is a town and a former municipality in Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Aigialeia, of which it is a municipal unit. Population app. 7,005 . The town of Diakopto is situated on the Gulf of Corinth, and at the lower end of...	Akrata	East: Aigeira Aigeira Aigeira or Aegira is a former municipality in Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Aigialeia, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located about 500 m SW of the Gulf of Corinth in the northeastern part of Achaea. It is located on...  and Evrostyni
Southwest: Lefkasio Lefkasio Lefkasio is a village and a former municipality in Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kalavryta, of which it is a municipal unit. Its seat of administration was the village Kleitoria, near the site of the ancient village of Kleitor...	South: Arcadia Arcadia Arcadia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the central and eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan... prefecture