Ioannina is one of the regional units of Greece, located in the northwestern part of the country. It is part of the region of Epirus. Its capital is the city of Ioannina. It is the largest regional unit in Epirus, and one of the largest regional units of Greece, with a population of 160,773 people, according to the 2021 census.

Geography

Ioannina borders Albania in the north, and the regional units of Kastoria in the northeast, Grevena and Trikala in the east, Arta in the southeast, Preveza in the south and Thesprotia in the southwest and west. Ioannina is a mountainous region, dominated by the Pindus mountains, that cover the eastern part of the regional unit. The main subranges of the Pindus are from north to south: Gramos, Smolikas (2,637 m, the highest of the Pindus), Tymfi, Lygkos, Lakmos and Athamanika. The lower Xerovouni mountains are situated in the south, and the Tomaros in the southwest. Lake Pamvotida is the largest lake of Epirus. Several major rivers have their source in the Ioannina regional unit, including Aoös, Arachthos and Acheron.

History

The area of the present regional unit of Ioannina joined Greece in 1913, after the First Balkan War.

Administration

The regional unit Ioannina is subdivided into 8 municipalities. These are (numbered as in the map in the infobox):

Prefecture

Ioannina was established as a prefecture in 1915. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Ioannina was created out of the former prefecture Ioannina. The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.

Provinces

Note: Provinces no longer hold any legal status in Greece.

Transport

Tourism

The prefecture of Ioannina, like most of the Greek mainland, is not as popular as the islands among tourists. However, besides the city Ioannina, there are a number of attractions in the area, including:

Sports

Ioannina has a major football team, that is named PAS Giannina. There are minor sports teams throughout the prefecture:

Literature