Thessaloniki is Greeces second-largest city and the capital of the Greek region of Macedonia and the periphery of Central Macedonia. Thessaloniki is commonly called the 'Symprotevousa' (lit. co-capital) of Greece since the National Schism, due to its heritage as the 'symbasileousa' (co-queen) of the Byzantine Empire. According to official data, the Thessaloniki Urban Area curves round the Thermaic Gulf for approximately 17 km; it comprises 16 municipalities and according to the 2001 census it has a population of 1.889,746.

Thessaloniki is a busy, vibrant city and it is Greece's second major economic, industrial, commercial and cultural center as well as a major transportation hub in southeastern Europe. Its commercial port is of a great importance for Greece and for its southeast European hinterland. The city has two state universities that host the largest student population in Greece. As a cultural center, it is renowned for its large number of monuments of Byzantine architecture as well as for some main Ottoman, and Jewish structures. The city is famous for its International Trade Fair which takes place at the beginning of every September and it is the place where the Prime Minister of Greece gives a major speech to announce the governmental plans for the year to come. Thessaloniki is also renowned for the Thessaloniki International Film Festival which is characterized as the most significant cultural event in South Eastern Europe, attracting local and international celebrities of both cinema and theater.

As the metropolitan area population expands to over one million inhabitants, so does the emergence of related problems. These primarily include an increase in traffic congestion, the lack of adequate parking facilities as well as an overconstruction of tightly packed, concrete blocks of apartment buildings. The construction of a subway line that will stretch along the city's central districts began on June 25, 2006 and is expected to be completed by the year 2012.

History

Landmarks

Museums

Archaeological sites

Monuments

Climate

Transportation

Sports

Festivals

List of notable residents

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