Piraeus

This article is about the municipality of Greece. For other uses, see Piraeus (disambiguation).

Piraeus
Πειραιάς (Greek)
Municipality
Clockwise: Piraeus station, a statue of Poseidon, Mikrolimano and Piraeus Municipal Theatre
Piraeus is located in Greece
Piraeus
Piraeus
Location within the region
Coordinates: 37°56′34.8″N 23°38′49″E / 37.943000°N 23.64694°E / 37.943000; 23.64694
CountryGreece
Administrative regionAttica
Regional unitPiraeus
Government
 • MayorIoannis Moralis[1] (since 2014)
Area
 • Municipality10.865 km2 (4.195 sq mi)
 • Urban
50.417 km2 (19.466 sq mi)
Highest elevation
87 m (285 ft)
Lowest elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (2021)[2]
 • Municipality168,151
 • Density15,000/km2 (40,000/sq mi)
 • Urban
448,051
 • Urban density8,900/km2 (23,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
185 xx
Area code(s)21
Vehicle registrationΥ
Websitewww.piraeus.gov.gr
Patron saint: Saint Spyridon (12 December)

Piraeus (/paɪˈriːəs, pɪˈreɪəs/ py-REE-əs, pirr-AY-əs; Greek: Πειραιάς Peiraiás [pireˈas]; Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Πειραιεύς Peiraieús; Ancient: [peːrai̯eús], Katharevousa: [pire̞ˈefs]) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece.[3] It is located eight kilometres (5 mi) southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Athens Riviera.

The municipality of Piraeus and four other suburban municipalities form the regional unit of Piraeus, sometimes called the Greater Piraeus area, with a total population of 448,051. At the 2021 census, Piraeus had a population of 168,151 people, making it the fifth largest municipality in Greece and the second largest (after the municipality of Athens) within the Athens urban area.[2]

Piraeus has a long recorded history, dating back to ancient Greece. The city was founded in the early 5th century BC, when plans to make it the new port of Athens were implemented: A prototype harbour was constructed, which resulted in concentrating in one location all the import and transit trade of Athens, along with the navy's base.[4] During the Golden Age of Athens, the Long Walls were constructed to fortify the route from the main settlement to the port (Piraeus). During the classical period, the naval base in Piraeus had 372 trireme shipsheds.[5] Beginning in the 3rd century B.C., Piraeus went into a period of cumulative decline. However, it began growing once again in the 19th century, after Athens was made the capital of Greece. Today, Piraeus is a large city, bustling with activity, and an integral part of Athens. It is a huge marine and commercial-industrial centre, and home to Greece's largest harbour.

The port of Piraeus is the chief port in Greece, the 5th largest passenger port in Europe[6] and the 24th largest passenger port in the world serving about 4.37 million passengers annually in 2020. With a throughput of 5.44 million TEUs,[7] Piraeus is among the busiest ten ports in Europe in terms of container traffic, and is the busiest container port in the Eastern Mediterranean.[8] 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, and includes the country's second-oldest business school, as well as the oldest academic department dedicated to the study of finance.[9]

  1. ^ Municipality of Piraeus, Municipal elections – October 2023, Ministry of Interior
  2. ^ a b "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
  3. ^ National Statistical Service of Greece (2002). Στατιστική Επετηρίδα της Ελλάδος 2002 (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece. p. 54. The table includes the urban areas of Greece, officially defined by the National Statistical Service of Greece, powered by the Ministry of Finance of Greece. The municipality of Piraeus and its greater area belong to the Athens Urban Area ("Greater Athens") (Πολεοδομικό Συγκρότημα Αθηνών).
  4. ^ "Port of Piraeus". World Port Source. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Birth of Democracy: The Athenian Navy".
  6. ^ "Messina remained the largest EU passenger port in 2020". Eurostat. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  7. ^ "World Shipping Council- Top 50 Ports". Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Container terminal". www.olp.gr. Archived from the original on 20 December 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
  9. ^ "University of Piraeus Student Guide 2017" (PDF) (in Greek). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2019.