Mesopotam

Mesopotam (definite Albanian form: Mesopotami; Greek: Μεσοπόταμος - Mesopotamos) is a village and a former commune in Vlorë County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Finiq.[2] The population at the 2011 census was 2,786,[3]

Mesopotam
Μεσοπόταμος
Municipal unit
Mesopotam
Coordinates: 39°55′N 20°6′E
Country Albania
CountyVlorë
MunicipalityFiniq
Population
 (2011)
 • Total2,786
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal Code
9717[1]

Besides the village Mesopotam from which it takes its name and which functions as well as an administrative center, the administrative unit consists of 14 other villages: Ardhasovë, Bistricë, Brajlat, Dhrovjan, Fitore, Kardhikaq, Kostar, Kranë, Krongj, Livinë, Muzinë, Pecë, Sirakat, and Velahovë.

Etymology

The name comes from Greek, meaning "between rivers".

Population

The People's Republic of Albania (1945-1991) established cultural rights in special minority zones for ethnic Greeks in all 14 villages of Mesopotam. These rights were preserved after the fall of socialism in Albania.[4][5] According to a fieldwork of 1995 the majority of the villages, including Mesopotam itself, are inhabited solely by the Greek community, while Muzinë and Pecë, by the Albanian Orthodox. Bistricë has a mixed population and Kardhikaq is a mixed village inhabited by Greeks and Aromanians.[6]

Attractions

The Mesopotam village is known for its 13th century Orthodox Church dedicated to St. Nicholas, declared "Protected Monument" from the government.

The "Blue Eye" water spring nearby is a well-known touristic destination.

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Kodi Postar, Sarandë" [Postal Code, Sarandë] (PDF). Posta Shqiptare. 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. "Law nr. 115/2014" (PDF) (in Albanian). p. 6376. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  3. 2011 census results Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Kouzas, Ioannis (2013). "The Greek-Albanian Relations (1990-2010)" (in Greek). Δημοκρίτειο Πανεπιστήμιο Θράκης (ΔΠΘ). Σχολή Νομική. Τμήμα Νομικής. Τομέας Διεθνών Σπουδών. pp. 93–95. Retrieved 18 February 2021. Από τις αλβανικές αρχές επίσημα αναγνωρίζονται ως ελληνικά τα παρακάτω χωριά... Επαρχία Μεσοποτάμου: 1. Δρόβιανη..... 14. Κρανιά
  5. Koutsou, Elsa. "Schools of the Greek Minority of Albania". University of Ioannina. pp. 39–42. Retrieved 18 February 2021. Η αντιμετώπιση της ελληνικής εκπαίδευσης κατά το καθεστώς της κομμουνιστικής διακυβέρνησης, υπό τον Ενβέρ Χότζα, χαρακτηρίζεται από τον προσδιορισμό των «μειονοτικών ζωνών», ... Η «μειονοτικής ζώνης» και τα χωριά που συμπεριλαμβάνει ανά Περιφέρεια.. Επαρχία Μεσοποτάμου: Μουζίνα
  6. 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. 52.; p. 51. "ΑΧ Αλβανοί Ορθόδοξοι Χριστιανοί, ΤΣ Τσάμηδες"; p.52. "SOPIK ΣΟΠΙΚΙ 889 ΑΧ, PANDALEJMON ΠΑΝΤΕΛΕΗΜΩΝ 395 ΤΣ".


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