Orfeas (Greek: Ορφέας), named after the mythical musician Orpheus, is a former municipality in the Evros regional unit, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Soufli, of which it is a municipal unit.[2] Its land area is 643.266 km2 (248.366 sq mi).[3] It is located in the north-central part of Evros, and borders both southeastern Bulgaria and northwestern Turkey. The seat of the municipality was in Lavara (pop. 747 in 2021). Much of the land is mountainous and forested to the west, extending up to the Rhodope regional unit. It is linked with GR-51 (Alexandroupoli – Orestiada – Edirne in Turkey and Svilengrad in Bulgaria). The town of Lávara sits on a plain. It is located SE of Svilengrad, S of Edirne, Turkey and Orestiada, and 13 km N of Soufli and 78 km N of Alexandroupoli. The municipality's next largest towns are Agriani, Mega Dereio and Amorio.
Orfeas
Ορφέας | |
|---|---|
  Orfeas Location within the regional unit  | |
| Coordinates: 41°16′N 26°01′E / 41.267°N 26.017°E | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | East Macedonia and Thrace |
| Regional unit | Evros |
| Municipality | Soufli |
| Districts | 7 |
| Area | |
| • Municipal unit | 643.266 km2 (248.366 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 20 m (70 ft) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
| • Municipal unit | 4,054 |
| • Municipal unit density | 6.3/km2 (16/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 680 04 |
| Area code(s) | 25530 |
| Vehicle registration | OP |
History
editThe municipality was affected by flooding of the Evros river in February and March 2005. 50 houses were damaged. The rail south of Lavara and near the station were also flooded and was closed that time.[citation needed]
Geography
editForests dominate the river banks and parts of the plain. Much of the area are used for farming. The main production are cattle, fruits and vegetables and some flowers. The mountains dominate further west.
Subdivisions
editThe municipal unit Orfeas is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):
- Lavara
- Amorio
- Kyriaki
- Mandra
- Mavrokklisi (Mavrokklisi, Korymvos)
- Mikro Dereio (Mikro Dereio, Geriko, Goniko, Mega Dereio, Petrolofos, Roussa, Sidirochori)
- Protokklisi (Protokklisi, Agriani)
Historical population
edit| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 6,905 |
| 2001 | 6,146 |
| 2011 | 4,761 |
| 2021 | 4,054 |
References
edit- ^ "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. March 29, 2024.
- ^ "ΦΕΚ A 87/2010, Kallikratis reform law text" (in Greek). Government Gazette.
- ^ "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece.