Western Macedonia (Greek: Δυτική Μακεδονία, romanized: Ditikí Makedonía, Greek pronunciation: [ðitiˈki makeðoˈnia]) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Macedonia. Located in north-western Greece, it is divided into the regional units of Florina, Grevena, Kastoria, and Kozani. With a population of approximately 255,000 people, as of 2021, the region had one of the highest unemployment rates in the European Union.
Geography
The region of Western Macedonia is situated in north-western Greece, bordering with the regions of Central Macedonia (east), Thessaly (south), Epirus (west), and bounded to the north at the international borders of Greece with the Republic of North Macedonia (Bitola, Resen and Novaci municipalities) and Albania (Korçë County).
Although it covers a total surface of 9,451 km2 (3,649 sq mi) (7.2% of country's total), it has a total population of 283,689 inhabitants (2.6% of the country's total), thus it is a low-density populated region (30 per km2, as compared to the country's 81.96 per km2 average). This is mainly due to the mountainous nature of the region, as 82% of the total surface are mountainous and semi-mountainous areas. This is also reflected in the population distribution, as a majority of the population (56%) lives in rural areas. The capital of the region is Kozani with 53,880 inhabitants. Other main towns are Ptolemaida (37,289), Grevena (17,610), Florina (19,985) and Kastoria (16,958).
Economy
The region has one operational Industrial Area in Florina and another one under construction in Kozani. The secondary sector is very important for the Regional economy, mainly due to the mining activities, the production of electric power (70% of country's total power is produced in the Region) and the fur-leather sector. However, "soft" structures have not followed the general improvement of heavy infrastructures, a situation that has to be remedied, in order to achieve an overall higher economic development of the Region. The R&D services are at a rather low level: only 3,5% of the country's total research foundations are situated in the Region. Among them, the University of Western Macedonia plays an important role in supporting the regional research and educational efforts. However, an enhanced interaction with SME's will be a crucial factor, in order to improve the productivity and the added value of products and services generated in the Region of Western Macedonia. Some of its more famous products are marbles, Saffron (krokos Kozanis), fruits, Florina peppers, local wines (Kozani, Amyntaio), furs (Kastoria, Siatista) and specialized arts and crafts industry.
