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Patras, Greece

Patra
Πάτρα
View of Patras from the fortress
View of Patras from the fortress
Official seal of Patra
Seal
Patra is located in Greece
Patra
Patra
Coordinates: 38°15′N 21°44′E / 38.250°N 21.733°E / 38.250; 21.733Coordinates: 38°15′N 21°44′E / 38.250°N 21.733°E / 38.250; 21.733
Country Greece
Geographic region Peloponnese
Administrative region Western Greece
Regional unit Achaea
Districts 11
Government
 • Mayor Kostas Peletidis (KKE)
Area
 • Metro 738.9 km2 (285.3 sq mi)
 • Municipality 334.9 km2 (129.3 sq mi)
 • Municipal unit 125.4 km2 (48.4 sq mi)
Highest elevation 10 m (30 ft)
Lowest elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Metro 260,308
 • Metro density 350/km2 (910/sq mi)
 • Municipality 213,984
 • Municipality density 640/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
 • Municipal unit 171,484
 • Municipal unit density 1,400/km2 (3,500/sq mi)
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code 26x xx
Area code(s) 261
Vehicle registration ΑΧ,AZ
Website www.e-patras.gr

Patras (Modern Greek: Πάτρα, Greek pronunciation: [ˈpatra], Classical Greek and Katharevousa: Πάτραι (pl.), Greek pronunciation: [pátrai̯], Latin: Patrae (pl.)) is Greece's third-largest city and the regional capital of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese, 215 km (134 mi) west of Athens. The city is built at the foothills of Mount Panachaikon, overlooking the Gulf of Patras.

Patras has a population of 213,984 (in 2011). The core settlement has a history spanning four millennia; in the Roman period it had become a cosmopolitan center of the eastern Mediterranean whilst, according to Christian tradition, it was also the place of Saint Andrew's martyrdom. According to the results of 2011 census, the metropolitan area has a population of 260,308 and extends over an area of 738.87 km2.

Dubbed as Greece's Gate to the West, Patras is a commercial hub, while its busy port is a nodal point for trade and communication with Italy and the rest of Western Europe. The city has two public universities and one Technological Institute, hosting a large student population and rendering Patras a major scientific centre with a field of excellence in technological education. The Rio-Antirio bridge connects Patras' easternmost suburb of Rio to the town of Antirrio, connecting the Peloponnese peninsula with mainland Greece.


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