An Overview of Halkidiki, Greece
When most people think of Greece, they usually equate it to the numerous picturesque islands that are scattered around its shores or the contemporary city of Athens which boasts of a unique ancient heritage.
This image however, is just a fraction of the splendors that Greece has to offer as many are to be found in the little known mainland area of Halkidiki.
Location:Halkidiki, pronounced "Hal-key-thee-key," is situated in northern Greece, and forms part of the central region of Macedonia.
It is adjacent to Thessaloniki which is the second largest city in Greece and forms part of the Balkans.
Origins: The area was occupied by man as far back as the Middle Paleolithic Age some 50-75,000 years ago as the evidence found in the Petralona Caves and exhibited in the Petralona Museum illustrate.
It got its modern day name from ancient Chalkis in southern Greece, when there was a migration of Greeks around the 7th century BC.
It also has historical evidence of life during the Roman, early Christian, Byzantine and Turkish periods and there are several excavations and churches in the area well worth seeing.
In 1922, several areas in Halkidiki, were given to resettle the massive influx of refugees from Asia Minor.
Consequently, many of the resettlement villages have been given the name of the villages these destitute people left behind, thus the prefix Nea appears in front of many of the village names.
Coastal: This odd looking area has 500 kilometers of unbroken coastline and it is lapped by theshimmering, clean, turquoise blue Aegean Sea.
The beaches are flanked by emerald green pine tree forests which descend to the shoreline and emit heady aromas of oregano, thyme and pine resin.
Nowhere in the hinterland are you anymore than 40 kilometers from the sea so fishing and swimming play a large part in people's lives especially during the summer months.
Lowland: Halkidiki, is not just renowned for its coastal beauty as its terrain comprises of 26% low lying area, 51% semi-mountainous and 26% mountainous.
The flat areas form a border around the coastline and thus provide Halkidiki with its agricultural wealth.
The area produces olives, wheat, sunflowers, cotton and a host of fruit and vegetables.
Highland: The majority of the forest area covers the center of Halkidiki and the Holoman Mountain but it extends to each of the three peninsulas culminating in Mounts Kassandrinos, Itamos and Athos.
Within these areas you can find a multitude of wildlife, rare birds and dozens of endemic flowers and herbs.
The entire area is beautiful to say the least and is a haven for historians, nature lovers and fun lovers alike.
Whether you prefer to traipse around looking at the area's antiquities, frolic in the summer sea or become one with nature, the area is well worth getting to know as Halkidiki is a place of interest, entertainment and tranquility rolled into one.
This image however, is just a fraction of the splendors that Greece has to offer as many are to be found in the little known mainland area of Halkidiki.
Location:Halkidiki, pronounced "Hal-key-thee-key," is situated in northern Greece, and forms part of the central region of Macedonia.
It is adjacent to Thessaloniki which is the second largest city in Greece and forms part of the Balkans.
Origins: The area was occupied by man as far back as the Middle Paleolithic Age some 50-75,000 years ago as the evidence found in the Petralona Caves and exhibited in the Petralona Museum illustrate.
It got its modern day name from ancient Chalkis in southern Greece, when there was a migration of Greeks around the 7th century BC.
It also has historical evidence of life during the Roman, early Christian, Byzantine and Turkish periods and there are several excavations and churches in the area well worth seeing.
In 1922, several areas in Halkidiki, were given to resettle the massive influx of refugees from Asia Minor.
Consequently, many of the resettlement villages have been given the name of the villages these destitute people left behind, thus the prefix Nea appears in front of many of the village names.
Coastal: This odd looking area has 500 kilometers of unbroken coastline and it is lapped by theshimmering, clean, turquoise blue Aegean Sea.
The beaches are flanked by emerald green pine tree forests which descend to the shoreline and emit heady aromas of oregano, thyme and pine resin.
Nowhere in the hinterland are you anymore than 40 kilometers from the sea so fishing and swimming play a large part in people's lives especially during the summer months.
Lowland: Halkidiki, is not just renowned for its coastal beauty as its terrain comprises of 26% low lying area, 51% semi-mountainous and 26% mountainous.
The flat areas form a border around the coastline and thus provide Halkidiki with its agricultural wealth.
The area produces olives, wheat, sunflowers, cotton and a host of fruit and vegetables.
Highland: The majority of the forest area covers the center of Halkidiki and the Holoman Mountain but it extends to each of the three peninsulas culminating in Mounts Kassandrinos, Itamos and Athos.
Within these areas you can find a multitude of wildlife, rare birds and dozens of endemic flowers and herbs.
The entire area is beautiful to say the least and is a haven for historians, nature lovers and fun lovers alike.
Whether you prefer to traipse around looking at the area's antiquities, frolic in the summer sea or become one with nature, the area is well worth getting to know as Halkidiki is a place of interest, entertainment and tranquility rolled into one.
