| Pella | |
| Name Local: | Περιφερειακή ενότητα Πέλλας |
| Type: | regional unit |
| Caption Skyline: | Municipalities of Pella |
| Coordinates: | 40.9167°N 27°W |
| Periph: | Central Macedonia |
| Seat: | Edessa |
| Area: | 2506 |
| Population: | 126740 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Postal Code: | 58x xx |
| Area Code: | 238x0 |
| Licence: | ΕΕ |
Pella (Greek, Modern (1453-);: Περιφερειακή ενότητα Πέλλας) is one of the regional units of Greece, in the geographic region of Macedonia. It is part of the Region of Central Macedonia. It is named after the ancient city of Pella, the capital of ancient Macedonia and the birthplace of Alexander the Great.[1] The capital of Pella is Edessa with a population of 19,036 inhabitants according to the census of 2021, while the largest town is Giannitsa. Other towns include Aridaia, Skydra, Arnissa, Exaplatanos and Krya Vrysi.
According to the 2011 census the population of the regional unit of Pella was 139,680. It is subdivided into 4 municipalities. These are:[2]
As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit of Pella was created out of the former prefecture Pella (Greek, Modern (1453-);: Νομός Πέλλας). The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.[2]
| New municipality | Old municipalities | Seat |
|---|---|---|
| Almopia | Aridaia | |
| Exaplatanos | ||
| Edessa | Edessa | |
| Vegoritida | ||
| Giannitsa | ||
| Giannitsa | ||
| Krya Vrysi | ||
| Kyrros | ||
| Megas Alexandros | ||
| Skydra | Skydra | |
| Meniida |
The former prefecture of Pella was subdivided into the following provinces:[3]
Note: Provinces no longer hold any legal status in Greece.
The regional unit covers an area of 2505.8km2, the majority of which is covered by arable land, forests and pastures. Mountainous areas surrounding Pella are the Voras Mountains (with Kaimaktsalan reaching a height of 2,524m), Mount Vermion (2,027m), Mount Paiko (1,458m), Mount Tzenna (2,182m) and Mount Pinovo (2,154m). The main plains are Pozar in the north and the vast plain of Giannitsà in the southeastern part. Other natural features of the area include Lakes Vegoritida and Agra, and Rivers Loudias and Edessian. Pella's southernmost portion is flat and in ancient times, it was a gulf connected to the Aegean Sea. The elevation in the south does not exceed about 5to above sea level. Pella has surface and groundwater resources. There are a number of archaeological sites in the area.
Pella borders the regional units of Kilkis to the northeast, Thessaloniki to the east, Imathia to the south, Kozani to the southwest, by Lake Vegoritida to the southwest, and by Florina to the west. To the north, it is bounded by the national border between Greece and North Macedonia.
In antiquity, the area around the modern Pella regional unit was part of the ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedon. It later became part of the Roman Empire and later the Byzantine and the Ottoman Empires. Following approximately 500 years of Ottoman rule, it rejoined Greece in 1913, following the Balkan Wars.
The southern part of the regional unit has a number of orchards. While agriculture once represented its main industry, today, manufacturing, services and other businesses dominate about 70% of its industry.