Konispol
Konispol | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 39°39′32″N 20°10′53″E / 39.65889°N 20.18139°E | |
Country | ![]() |
County | Vlorë |
Area | |
• Municipality | 221.88 km2 (85.67 sq mi) |
Elevation | 389 m (1,276 ft) |
Population (2011) | |
• Municipality | 8,245 |
• Municipality density | 37/km2 (96/sq mi) |
• Municipal unit | 2,123 |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Postal Code | 9705 |
Area Code | 0891 |
Konispol is the southernmost municipality of Albania. It sits one kilometer away from the Albanian-Greek border. It was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Konispol, Markat and Xarrë, that became municipal units. The seat of the municipality is the town Konispol.[1] The total population is 8,245 (2011 census), in a total area of 221.88 km2.[2] The population of the former municipality at the 2011 census was 2,123.[3] The municipal unit consists of the town Konispol and the village Çiflik.[4] The town's main interests are agriculture and viticulture. The town is inhabited by Muslim Cham Albanians. The wider municipality is inhabited by Albanians, Greeks and Aromanians.[5] and is the center of the Cham Albanian community in Albania.
Name
Konispol comes from konje and polje, Slavic words for horse and field.[6]
History
The area was part of the ancient region of Epirus and was inhabited by Chaonian Greeks.[7] Was founded by Thesprotian Greeks as Konispoli (Greek: Κονίσπολις, Κονίσπολη),[citation needed][verification needed] near the ancient Nekromanteion.
In 1943, Konispol is noted for being the battleground of a fierce conflict between German units and the Albanian resistance.[8]
In 1992, 7 caves were discovered just north of the town. They dated from the Upper Paleolithic age to the Iron Age.
Modern period
Konispol, due to its proximity to the Albanian-Greek borders, is part of the European Union's Greece – Albania Neighbourhood Programme for improving the standard of living of the local population by promoting sustainable local development in the cross-border area between the two countries.
Location
Konispol is:
- 191 kilometres (118 miles) from Tirana (Geographically and by road).
- 1 kilometre (0.6 miles) from the Albanian-Greek border (Geographically).
- 4 kilometres (3 miles) from Sagiada, Greece (Geographically).
Notable people
- Teme Sejko, admiral
- Osman Taka, famous folk music dancer
- Muhamet Kyçyku (Çami), Cham poet, considered a poet of the Albanian National Renaissance.
References
- ^ Law nr. 115/2014
- ^ Interactive map administrative territorial reform
- ^ 2011 census results
- ^ Greece – Albania Neighbourhood Programme
- ^ Kallivretakis, Leonidas (1995). "Η ελληνική κοινότητα της Αλβανίας υπό το πρίσμα της ιστορικής γεωγραφίας και δημογραφίας [The Greek Community of Albania in terms of historical geography and demography." In Nikolakopoulos, Ilias, Kouloubis Theodoros A. & Thanos M. Veremis (eds). Ο Ελληνισμός της Αλβανίας [The Greeks of Albania]. University of Athens. p. 51. "ΤΣ Τσάμηδες”; p.52. “KONISPOL Κ0ΝΙΣΠ0ΛΗ 2380 ΤΣ"
- ^ Albanian ethnography. Science Academy of Albania. 1976. p. 45.
- ^ Hammond, N.G.L. (1997). "Hammond The Tribal Systems of Epirus and Neighbouring Areas down to 400 B.C.". Epirus, 4000 years of Greek history and civilization: 55.
Chaonian power thus ran from the northern end of the Gulf of Aulon (adjacent to Apollonia) to the southern end of the plain by Konispolis
- ^ Meyer, Hermann Frank (2008). Blutiges Edelweiß: Die 1. Gebirgs-division im zweiten Weltkrieg [Bloodstained Edelweiss. The 1st Mountain-Division in WWII] (in German). Ch. Links Verlag. ISBN 978-3-86153-447-1.