Kourenta
Kourenta | |
|---|---|
  Kourenta Location within Greece | |
| Coordinates: 39°39′8″N 20°36′42″E / 39.65222°N 20.61167°E | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Epirus |
| Regional unit | Ioannina |
| Municipality | Zitsa |
| Municipal unit | Molossoi |
| Elevation | 508 m (1,667 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
• Community | 140 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Kourenta (Greek: Κούρεντα) is a settlement in Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. The community consists of the villages Kourenta and Petsali.
Name
In the 19th century, scholar Ioannis Lambridis stated Kourenta was the name of a župan (chieftain) and rendered Kourentas as a masculine noun that shifted into a neuter plural in an area where Albanian settlement had occurred.
Without excluding a proper name derivation, the linguist Kostas Oikonomou stated the toponym likely stemmed from the Albanian noun kurent -i, plural kurente, meaning 'river current, torrent'. In a metaphorical context, this Albanian word can refer to an impetuous or rushing person, although it also corresponds to the geographical terrain of the area. The village is located on the left side of a ravine, at the bottom of which flows the Korakolakkos river, a tributary of the Kalamas river that becomes a rushing torrent particularly during winter.
History
The name of the village, Kourenta, is also used for the wider region called Kourentachoria (villages of Kourenta). The scholar Ioannis Lambridis wrote that Albanians had settled in Kourenta. The historian Michalis Kokolakis stated the Kourenta area formed an Albanian speech island, and some of the Albanian-speaking population converted to Islam. In the late 17th century, Albanian Muslim converts tried to spread Islam to the villages of Kourenta, while part of the population migrated to Zagori. Later, the local population expelled the Albanian Muslim converts. The remaining Albanian speakers eventually became hellenised through interaction with nearby Greek speakers, resulting in a language shift to Greek.
See also
References
- ↑ "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.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Oikonomou 2002, p. 151.
- 1 2 3 Kokolakis, Michalis (2003). Το ύστερο Γιαννιώτικο Πασαλίκι: χώρος, διοίκηση και πληθυσμός στην τουρκοκρατούμενη Ηπειρο (1820–1913) [The late Pashalik of Ioannina: Space, Administration and Population in Ottoman ruled Epirus (1820–1913)] (PDF) (in Greek). National Hellenic Research Foundation. Center for Neohellenic Research. p. 55. ISBN 960-7916-11-5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 April 2015.
- ↑ Oikonomou, Kostas E. (2002). Τα οικωνύμια του νομού Ιωαννίνων. Γλωσσολογική εξέταση [The oikonyms of the prefecture of Ioannina. A linguistic examination] (PDF) (in Greek). Nomarchiaki Aftodioikisi Ioanninon. p. 219. ISBN 9789608316010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 November 2024.