Giannitsa
Giannitsa (Greek: Γιαννιτσά [ʝaniˈt͡sa], in English also Yannitsa, Yenitsa) is the largest city in the regional unit of Pella and the capital of the Pella municipality, in the region of Central Macedonia in northern Greece.
Giannitsa
Γιαννιτσά | |
|---|---|
Municipal unit | |
Giannitsa Location within the regional unit | |
| Coordinates: 40°47′N 22°24′E | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Central Macedonia |
| Regional unit | Pella |
| Municipality | Pella |
| Area | |
| • Municipal unit | 208.1 km2 (80.3 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 42 m (138 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Municipal unit | 32,410 |
| • Municipal unit density | 160/km2 (400/sq mi) |
| • Community | 30,498 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 581 00 |
| Area code(s) | 23820-2 |
| Vehicle registration | EE |
| Website | www.giannitsa.gr/ |
The municipal unit Giannitsa has an area of 208.105 km2. Its population is 32,410 people (2021 census). It includes a few outlying villages (Mesiano, Melissi, Pentaplatanos, Archontiko, Ampelies and Damiano). The municipality Pella as a whole includes many villages and has 57,039 inhabitants. The city is located in the center of Macedonia between Mount Paiko and the plain of Giannitsa, and is the economic, commercial and industrial center of the Pella regional unit. European route E86 (Greek National Road 2) runs along the south of the city.
The former shallow, swampy, and variable-sized Giannitsa Lake or (ancient) Loudias Lake, fed by the Loudias River and south of the city, was drained in 1928-1932 by the New York Foundation Company. It or the surrounding marshland were sometimes called Borboros 'slime' or Borboros Limen.
About 7 km (4 mi) from Giannitsa are the ruins of ancient Pella, birthplace of Alexander the Great and capital of ancient Macedonia. The city is 48 km (30 mi) from Thessaloniki.