Kalpaki, Ioannina

Kalpaki
Καλπάκι
Municipal unit
Location within the regional unit
Location within the regional unit
Kalpaki is located in Greece
Kalpaki
Kalpaki
Location within Greece
Coordinates: 39°53′N 20°37′E / 39.883°N 20.617°E / 39.883; 20.617
CountryGreece
Administrative regionEpirus
Regional unitIoannina
MunicipalityPogoni
Area
 • Municipal unit116.756 km2 (45.080 sq mi)
 • Community13.189 km2 (5.092 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)
 • Municipal unit
1,534
 • Municipal unit density13.14/km2 (34.03/sq mi)
 • Community
553
 • Community density41.9/km2 (109/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Vehicle registrationΙΝ

Kalpaki (Greek: Καλπάκι) is a former municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it has been part of the municipality Pogoni, of which it is a municipal unit. It is situated about 30 km (19 mi) northwest of Ioannina, and southwest of Konitsa. The municipal unit has an area of 116.756 km2, and the community 13.189 km2. The EO20 road connects Kalpaki with Ioannina and Konitsa. The EO22 connects Kalpaki with Kakavia, the border crossing into southern Albania.

Subdivisions

The municipal unit Kalpaki is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):

History

In the interwar period, the site of Kalpaki was a cluster of a few straw huts used by people working their fields on the plain. After 1945, its location as a road intersection for north–eastern and south–western routes attracted inhabitants to settle and work. Thus following the Second World War, Kalpaki replaced Doliana, located among hilly terrain as a regional centre, due in part to its accessibility on the Doliana plain.

On 7 January 2026 at 04:00 EET (02:00 UTC), an IF2 tornado hit Kalpaki: the tornado destroyed a poultry farm, killing tens of thousands of chickens. The tornado also significantly damaged two other buildings, both of which had partially collapsed walls. A church, watchtowers and other structures were also damaged. This would become one of the worst tornadoes in Europe in 2026.

Demographics

YearSettlement populationCommunity populationMunicipal unit population
1981586--
1991521-2,874
20015587542,324
20116256251,719
20215475531,534

The majority of inhabitants are Sarakatsani. These include former transhumant pastoralists, as well as those who previously lived in mountainous villages like Elafotopos in Zagori before settling in Kalpaki during the 1970s and 1980s.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
  2. 1 2 "ΦΕΚ B 1292/2010, Kallikratis reform municipalities" (in Greek). Government Gazette.
  3. ↑ "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Green, Sarah; King, Geoffrey (2001). "Seeing what you know: Changing constructions and perceptions of landscape in Epirus, Northwestern Greece, 1945 and 1990". History and Anthropology. 12 (3): 282.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Green, Sarah (2005). Notes from the Balkans: Locating Marginality and Ambiguity on the Greek–Albanian Border. Princeton University Press. p. 194. ISBN 9781400884353.
  6. ↑ epiruspost (8 January 2026). IF2 tornado Report (Report). D News. Retrieved 8 January 2026.