Dropull | ||
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Municipality | ||
Dawn near Jorgucat
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Coordinates: 39°59′N 20°14′E / 39.983°N 20.233°ECoordinates: 39°59′N 20°14′E / 39.983°N 20.233°E | ||
Country | Albania | |
County | Gjirokastër | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Ahilea Deçka (DP) | |
Area | ||
• Municipality | 448.25 km2 (173.07 sq mi) | |
Population (2011) | ||
• Municipality | 3,503 | |
• Municipality density | 7.8/km2 (20/sq mi) | |
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
Area Code | (0)884 | |
Vehicle registration | AL | |
Website | Official Website |
Dropull (Albanian: Dropulli; Greek: Δρόπολις, Dropolis) is a municipality and a predominantly Greek-inhabited region in Gjirokastër County, in southern Albania. The region stretches from south of the city of Gjirokastër to the Greek–Albanian border, along the Drinos river. The region's villages are part of the Greek "minority zone" recognized by the Albanian government, in which live majorities of ethnic Greeks.
The municipality Dropull was created in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities Dropull i Poshtëm, Dropull i Sipërm and Pogon. The seat of the municipality is the village Sofratikë. The total population is 3,503 (2011 census), in a total area of 448.25 km2.
During the Middle Helladic period (2100-1550 BC), a double tumulus was dug out in Vodhinë, with strong similarities to the grave circles at Mycenae, showing a common ancestral link with the Myceneans of southern Greece. In classical antiquity, the area was inhabited by the Greek tribe of the Chaonians.
From the Roman period there was a settlement named Hadrianopolis (of Epirus) in the region, one of several named after the great Roman emperor Hadrian. The settlement was built on a strategic spot in the valley of the river Drinos near the modern village of Sofratike, 11 kilometers south of Gjirokastër.