Chalkidiki

Chalkidiki, also Halkidiki or Chalcidice, less often Khalkidiki and rarely the inconsistent Chalkidice (Χαλκιδική, ), is one of the prefectures of Greece. It is located in the southeastern portion of Central Macedonia. The Cholomontas mountains lie in the northcentral part. It consists of a large peninsula in the northwestern Aegean Sea, resembling a hand with three "fingers" (though in Greek these peninsulas are often referred to as "legs") – Pallene (now Kassandra), Sithonia, and Agion Oros (the ancient Acte), which contains Mount Athos and its monasteries.

In ancient times, Chalkidiki was part of Thrace. The first Greek settlers in this area came from Chalcis (Halkis) and Eretria, cities in Euboea, around the eighth century BC who founded cities such as Mende, Toroni and Scioni; a second wave came from Andros in the sixth century BC. The ancient city of Stageira was the birthplace of the great philosopher Aristotle.

The capital of Chalkidiki is the main town of Polygyros, located in the center of the peninsula. Its most populous municipalities are Moudania, Kallikrateia, Polygyros, and Kassandra. Its largest towns are Nea Moudania,(Νέα Μουδανιά) Nea Kallikrateia, (Νέα Καλλικράτεια) and the main town of Polygyros.

There are many summer resorts on the beaches of all three fingers where other minor towns and villages are located, such as at Yerakini (Gerakina Beach), Neos Marmaras (Porto Carras) Ouranoupolis, Nikiti, Psakoudia, Kallithea (Pallene/Pallini, Athos), Sani Resort and more.

In June 2003, at the holiday resort Porto Carras located in Neos Marmaras, Sithonia, European Union leaders presented the first draft of the European constitution. See History of the European Constitution for developments after this point.

The only prefectural boundary is with the Thessaloniki prefecture located to the north.



Television

 * Chalkidiki TV - Nea Moudania
 * Super TV - Nea Moudania

Transport

 * GR-18, NW, W, SW, Cen., NE
 * Chalkidiki has no railroads or airports.
 * A bus system, KTEL, serves major municipalities.

Ancient sites



 * Acanthus
 * Acrothoi
 * Aege
 * Alapta
 * Aphytis
 * Apollonia (Chalcidice)
 * Charadrus
 * Cleonae (Chalcidice)
 * Galepsus
 * Mekyberna
 * Mende
 * Neapolis, Chalcidice
 * Olophyxus
 * Olynthus
 * Palaiochori "Neposi" castle
 * Polichne
 * Potidaea
 * Scione
 * Scolus
 * Sermylia
 * Stageira
 * Spartolus
 * Thyssus
 * Torone

Municipalities


See also: list of settlements in the Chalkidiki prefecture

Provinces


Note: Provinces no longer hold any legal status in Greece.
 * Province of Chalkidiki - Polygyros
 * Province of Arnaia

Notable Chalkidikians



 * Paeonius of Mende (late 5th c. BC) sculptor
 * Philippus of Mende, student of Plato, astronomer
 * Nicomachus, Aristotle's father
 * Aristobulus of Cassandreia (375 - 301 BC), historian, architect
 * Aristotle (384 BC in Stageira-322 BC), philosopher
 * Callisthenes (360-328 BC), historian
 * Crates of Olynthus, Alexander's hydraulic engineer
 * Andronicus the Olynthian (c.370 BC) Phrourarchus of Tyre,appointed by Antigonus
 * Bubalus of Cassandreia 304 BC keles(horse) flat race Lykaia
 * Poseidippus of Cassandreia 3rd c.BC comic poet
 * Erginus (son of Simylus) from Cassandreia, citharede winner in Soteria c.260 BC
 * Athanasios Stageiritis, Professor of Greek language at the Royal Academy in Vienna. Publisher of the fortnightly literary journal "Kalliope" in Vienna from 1819 to 1821
 * Kyrkos Papageorgakis -Revolutionary of 1821
 * Sokratis Malamas (1957 in Sykia), singer
 * Manolis Mitsias (1944 in Doumpia), singer