West Macedonia
From Freepedia
West Macedonia is one of the thirteen peripheries of Greece, consisting of the western part of Greek Macedonia. It is divided into the prefectures of Florina, Grevena, Kastoria and Kozani. The Region of Western Macedonia is situated in the North-West part of Greece, bordering with the Greek Regions of Central Macedonia (East), Thessaly (South), Epirus (West), as well as with the regions of Bitola (F.Y.R.O.M.) and Korce (Albania) to the North.
Although it covers a total surface of 9.451 km2 (7,2% of country’s total), it has a total population of 302.892 inhabitants (2,9% of the country’s total), thus it is a low-density populated Region (32 inh. per km2, as compared to the country’s 79,7 relevant figure). This is mainly due to the mountainous nature of the Region, as 82% of the total surface are mountainous and semi-mountainous areas. This is also reflected in the population distribution, as the major part of the population (56%) lives in rural areas.
The Region has one operational Industrial Area (Florina) and another one under construction (Kozani). However, “soft” structures have not followed the general improvement of heavy infrastructures, a situation that has to be remedied, in order to achieve an overall higher economic development of the Region. The R&D services are at a rather low level, due to the lack of Universities: only 3,5% of the country’s total research foundations are situated in the Region. Among them, the Technological Educational Insitute plays an important role in supporting the regional research and educational efforts. However, an enhanced interaction with SME’s will be a crucial factor, in order to improve the productivity and the added value of products and services generated in the Region of Western Macedonia.
| Image:Peripheries of Greece.png | Peripheries of Greece | Image:Greece flag large.png |
|---|---|---|
| Attica | Central Greece | Central Macedonia | Crete | East Macedonia and Thrace | Epirus | Ionian Islands | North Aegean | Peloponnese | South Aegean | Thessaly | West Greece | West Macedonia | ||
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