Gera, Lesbos

Gera
Γέρα
Gera

Coordinates: 39°02′N 26°27′E / 39.033°N 26.450°E / 39.033; 26.450Coordinates: 39°02′N 26°27′E / 39.033°N 26.450°E / 39.033; 26.450
Country Greece
Administrative region North Aegean
Regional unit Lesbos
Municipality Gera
  Municipal unit 86.4 km2 (33.4 sq mi)
Population (2001)[1]
  Municipal unit 6,985
  Municipal unit density 81/km2 (210/sq mi)
Community
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
  Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Vehicle registration MY

Gera or Yera (Greek: Γέρα) is a town on the Aegean island of Lesbos in Greece. It once stood as one of the largest ports of the island. According to scholars the ancient name may have been Portus Hieraeus; Pliny the Elder mentions a Lesbian city called Hiera, which was abandoned before his time.[2]

History

The 1st-century Roman historian and naturalist Pliny the Elder recorded the existence of an ancient city on Lesbos known as Hiera.[2] Scholars argue that the name is derived from the Greek goddess Hera, and there is evidence that the island of Lesbos followed the cult of Hera during the time of Sappho around the 7th century B.C.[3][4]

Geography and administration

The Municipality of Gera was established with the Kapodistrias reform in 199, with the capital at Pappados, covering a surface of 86.350 km2 (33.340 sq mi) and with a population of 6,985 in the 2001 census. Its largest towns are Skopelos (1,768), Plakados, Palaiokipos (1,248), Mesagros (828), Perama (633), Pappados (pop. 1,510). It was again abolished in the 2010 Kallikratis reform.

Bay of Gera

The Bay of Gera is a wider area of Lesbos, with the main port today at Perama. The name has changed throughout history, and has been variously called Ieremidia, Gieremia, Geremia, Lichremadia, Maliae, Iero, Hiera, Giera, Keramia, Iera, Gera, Eleon, Olivier.[5]

External links

Bibliography

References

  1. De Facto Population of Greece Population and Housing Census of March 18th, 2001 (PDF 39 MB). National Statistical Service of Greece. 2003.
  2. 1 2 Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) accessed August 7, 2014
  3. Shield, Emily Ledyard "The Cults of Lesbos" Johns Hopkins University. 2012
  4. Robbins, Emmet "Thalia Delighting in Song: Essays on Ancient Greek Poetry" University of Toronto Press. 2013
  5. Ο Κόλπος Γέρας και οι υφάλμυρες υγρές περιοχές του σε κίνδυνο
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