| Continental / Central Greece | |
| Native Name: | Στερεά / Κεντρική ΕλλάδαStereá / Kentrikí Elláda |
| Native Name Lang: | el |
| Settlement Type: | Traditional region of Greece |
| Mapsize1: | 200px |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Athens (until 1987, then abolished) |
| Parts Type: | Subdivisions |
| Parts Style: | list |
| P1: | Aetolia-Acarnania |
| P2: | Attica |
| P3: | Boeotia |
| P4: | Euboea |
| P5: | Evrytania |
| P6: | Phocis |
| P7: | Phthiotis |
| Area Total Km2: | 24,818.3 |
| Population Total: | 4,591,568 (2001 census) |
| Population Density Km2: | 185 |
| Population Demonym: | Stereoelladites, Roumeliotes |
Continental Greece (Greek, Modern (1453-);: Στερεά Ελλάδα|Stereá Elláda; formerly Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Χέρσος Ἑλλάς, Chérsos Ellás), colloquially known as Roúmeli (Ρούμελη), is a traditional geographic region of Greece. In English, the area is usually called Central Greece, but the equivalent Greek term (Κεντρική Ελλάδα, Kentrikí Elláda) is more rarely used.
It includes the southern part of the Greek mainland (sans the Peloponnese), as well as the offshore island of Euboea. Since 1987, its territory has been divided among the administrative regions of Central Greece and Attica, and the regional unit (former prefecture) of Aetolia-Acarnania in the administrative region of Western Greece.
The region has traditionally been known as Roúmeli (Ρούμελη), a name deriving from the Turkish word Rūm-eli, meaning "the land of the Rūm [the Romans, i.e. the [[Byzantine Greeks]]]" and originally encompassing all of the Ottoman Empire's European possessions. The official name Stereá Elláda ("Continental" or "Mainland" Greece), derives from the juxtaposition with the Peloponnese peninsula across the Corinthian Gulf, and the fact that these two territories formed the independent First Hellenic Republic after the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829).
Central Greece is the most populous geographical region of Greece, with a population of 4,591,568 people, and covers an area of, making it the second-largest of the country. It is located to the north of the Peloponnese and to the south of Thessaly and Epirus, bordering the Aegean Sea to the east, the Ionian Sea to the west and the Corinthian Gulf to the south. Its climate is temperate along its coastlines, and dry in the interior.
The region is one of the most mountainous in Greece, having some of the highest elevations in the country.
| Height (m) | Ranking in Greece | Regional unit | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phocis | ||||
| 2 | Phocis | ||||
| 3 | Phocis, Boeotia | ||||
| 4 | Evrytania, Phthiotis | ||||
| 5 | Phthiotis |
Central Greece also has some of the largest lakes in Greece; among the most important is Mornos lake in Phocis, which supplies water to Phocis, parts of Phthiotis, Boeotia, and Athens as well.
| Area (km2) | Ranking in Greece | Regional unit | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aetolia-Acarnania | ||||
| 2 | Yliki | Boeotia | |||
| 3 | Amvrakia | Aetolia-Acarnania | |||
| 4 | Aetolia-Acarnania | ||||
| 5 | Aetolia-Acarnania |
Some important and well-known rivers of Central Greece are the Acheloos in Aetolia-Acarnania, which is the second longest of the country, the Spercheios in Phthiotis, the Evenus in Aetolia-Acarnania, and the Mornos in Phocis.
The principal cities of the region of Central Greece according to the census of 2001 are:
3,130,841 (Athens urban area)
3,761,810 (Athens metropolitan area)
58,601
57,147
53,584
21,211
20,061