Tanagra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tanagra Τανάγρα |
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|---|---|
| Location | |
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| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Time zone: | EET/EEST (UTC+2/3) |
| Elevation (center): | 214 m (702 ft) |
| Government | |
| Country: | Greece |
| Periphery: | Central Greece |
| Prefecture: | Boeotia |
| Population statistics (as of 2001[1]) | |
| City Proper | |
| - Population: | 4,134 |
| - Area:[2] | 122.53 km² (47 sq mi) |
| - Density: | 34 /km² (87 /sq mi) |
| Codes | |
| Postal: | 322 00, 320 09 |
| Area: | 22620 |
| Auto: | ΒΙ |
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Tanagra (Greek: Τανάγρα) is a community north of Athens in Boeotia, not far from Thebes, that was noted in antiquity for its mass-produced mold-cast and fired terracotta figurines: see Tanagra figurine. Pausanias mentions in its location the ancient city of Graea, which is considered by certain academics to be the origin of the name Greek.
Its ancient name was Poimandria, after its founder Poimandros who took part in the Trojan campaign.
It was the site of two Battles of Tanagra, in 457 BC and 426 BC.
It can be accessed by GR-1 in the north and by a provincial road linking Thiva (Thebes) in the west. It is located SE of Thiva and Arma, SW of Schimatari and NW of Agios Thomas. The town is situated between the base and the highway. Tanagra is served by two interchanges, a partial southbound exit, a northbound entrance to the northwest and an almost-full to the east, serving access to highways 44 and 77 to the island of Euboea. Its service road lies to the south and is linked with the southeast bypass and to the military base. Farmlands surround the rest of Tanagra, and the Asopus River along with the Parnitha mountains to the south.
Today, Tanagra Air Force base is home to the 114 Combat Wing of the Hellenic Air Force, and is one of Greece's largest military bases. Its runway is about 2 km in length.
In early-2000s, a military plane which was on a training flight crashed on the runway during bad weather. There were no survivors.
On Sunday September 18, 2005, the Archangelos air show, the largest one ever organized in Greece, took place in Tanagra. It drew a crowd of more than 200,000.
[edit] Historical population
| Year | Communal population | Change | Island population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1,097 | - | - |
| 1991 | 847 | -250/-22.79% | - |
| 2003 | - | - | - |
[edit] Other
Tanagra has schools, a few lyceums, a gymnasia, a few churches, a post office and a few squares (plateies).
[edit] See also
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