Western Macedonia
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Western Macedonia Περιφέρεια Δυτικής Μακεδονίας |
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| Administrative region of Greece | ||
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| Coordinates: 40°24′N 21°30′E / 40.4°N 21.5°ECoordinates: 40°24′N 21°30′E / 40.4°N 21.5°E | ||
| Country |
 Greece
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| Decentralized Administration | Epirus and Western Macedonia | |
| Capital | Kozani | |
| Regional units | ||
| Government | ||
| • Regional governor | Theodoros Karypidis (independent) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 9,451 km2 (3,649 sq mi) | |
| Population (2011) | ||
| • Total | 283,689 | |
| • Density | 30/km2 (78/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | |
| ISO 3166 code | GR-C | |
| Website | www |
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Western Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Greek Macedonia. It is divided into the regional units of Florina, Grevena, Kastoria, and Kozani.
The region of Western Macedonia is situated in north-western Greece, bordering with the regions of Central Macedonia (east), Thessaly (south), Epirus (west), and bounded to the north at the international borders of Greece with the Republic of Macedonia (Bitola region) and Albania (Korçë County).
Although it covers a total surface of 9,451 km2 (3,649 sq mi) (7,2% of country’s total), it has a total population of 283,689 inhabitants (2.6% of the country’s total), thus it is a low-density populated region (30 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 a majority of the population (56%) lives in rural areas. The capital of the region is Kozani with 53,880 inhabitants. Other main towns are Ptolemaida (37,289), Grevena (17,610), Florina (19,985) and Kastoria (16,958).
The Region has one operational Industrial Area in Florina and another one under construction in Kozani. The secondary sector is very important for the Regional economy, mainly due to the mining activities, the production of electric power (70% of country’s total power is produced in the Region) and the fur-leather sector. 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: only 3,5% of the country’s total research foundations are situated in the Region. Among them, the Technological Educational Institute 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. Some of its more famous products are marbles, Saffron (krokos Kozanis), fruits, Florina peppers, local wines (Kozani, Amyntaio), furs (Kastoria, Siatista) and specialized arts and crafts industry.
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Wikipedia