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Piraeus

Πειραιάς
Clockwise: Piraeus station, a statue of Poseidon, Mikrolimano and Piraeus Municipal Theatre
Clockwise: Piraeus station, a statue of Poseidon, Mikrolimano and Piraeus Municipal Theatre
Piraeus is located in Greece
Piraeus
Piraeus
Location in Greece
Country Greece
Administrative region Attica
Regional unit Piraeus
Area
 • Urban
50.417 km2 (19.466 sq mi)
 • Municipality 10.865 km2 (4.195 sq mi)
Highest elevation
87 m (285 ft)
Lowest elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Urban
448,997
 • Urban density 8,905.67/km2 (23,065.57/sq mi)
 • Municipality
163,688
 • Municipality density 15,065.6/km2 (39,019.8/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
185 xx
Area code(s) 21
Vehicle registration Υ
Website www.pireasnet.gr
Patron saint: Saint Spyridon (12 December)

Piraeus is a port city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens urban area, 12 kilometres (7 miles) southwest from its city centre (municipality of Athens), and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf.

According to the 2011 census, Piraeus had a population of 163,688 people within its administrative limits, making it the fourth largest municipality in Greece and the second largest within the urban area of the Greek capital, following the municipality of Athens. The municipality of Piraeus and several other suburban municipalities within the regional unit of Piraeus form the greater Piraeus area, with a total population of 448,997, and is part οf Athens urban area.

Piraeus has a long recorded history, dating to ancient Greece. The city was founded in the early 5th century BC, when this area was selected to become the new port of classical Athens and was built as a prototype harbour, concentrating all the import and transit trade of Athens. During the Golden Age of Athens the Long Walls were constructed to fortify Athens and its port (Piraeus). Consequently, it became the chief harbour of ancient Greece, but declined gradually after the 3rd century B.C., growing once more in the 19th century, after Athens' declaration as the capital of Greece. In the modern era, Piraeus is a large city, bustling with activity and an integral part of Athens, acting as home to the country's biggest harbour and bearing all the characteristics of a huge marine and commercial-industrial center.

The port of Piraeus is the chief port in Greece, the largest passenger port in Europe and the second largest in the world, servicing about 20 million passengers annually. With a throughput of 1.4 million TEUs, Piraeus is placed among the top ten ports in container traffic in Europe and the top container port in the Eastern Mediterranean. The city hosted events in both the 1896 and 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens. The University of Piraeus is one of the largest universities in Greece.

Piraeus Mikrolimano1
Mikrolimano.
Piraeus harbor 3-2004
Harbor.
Port of Piraeus
Port of Piraeus.
Peiraias teatr
Municipal theatre.
Karaiskakis Stadium Piraeus Olympiacos-Arsenal
Karaiskakis Stadium, home of Olympiacos.

Sister cities

Famous residents

Mayors of Piraeus

Universities and technological institutes

  • University of Piraeus
  • Technological Education Institute of Piraeus

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: El Pireo para niños

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