Porto Rafti

Limin Markopoulou (Porto Rafti)
Πόρτο Ράφτη

View of Raftis Island and Raftopoula
Limin Markopoulou (Porto Rafti)
Coordinates: 37°51′N 24°01′E / 37.850°N 24.017°E / 37.850; 24.017Coordinates: 37°51′N 24°01′E / 37.850°N 24.017°E / 37.850; 24.017
Country Greece
Administrative region Attica
Regional unit East Attica
Municipality Markopoulo Mesogaias
Elevation 5 m (16 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
  Rural 9,686
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
  Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code 190 03
Area code(s) 22990
Vehicle registration Z

Porto Rafti (Greek: Πόρτο Ράφτη), official name: Limin Markopoulou (Greek: Λιμήν Μαρκοπούλου), is a seaside resort town in East Attica, Greece. It is part of the municipality Markopoulo Mesogaias. In 2011, its population was 9,686.

Geography

Porto Rafti is situated on the Rafti Bay, a bay of the Aegean Sea, on the east coast of the Attica peninsula. It is surrounded by hills, the tallest of which is Merenta, 613 m above sea level. It is 5 km south of Vravrona, 6 km east of Markopoulo and 26 km southeast of the center of Athens.

History

The port was a major trading place until the collapse of the Roman Empire. The names of the ancient villages were Prasiai, Steiria and Koroni. They belonged to the Pandionis phyle according to the division of Ancient Athens Democracy made by Clisthenes in the early 5th century BC. The port of Porto Rafti is no longer in use due to environmental concerns. This port was the scene of the allied troops' evacuation after the German invasion in Greece at the end of April 1941.


Porto Rafti Today

Porto Rafti is nowadays known as a famous seaside resort, as there is the municipal famous beach (Avlaki). Porto Rafti, along with the areas of Keratea and Markopoulo Koropi, has experienced large housing development after the construction carried out in the region in 2004. The problem, which both the region and the whole Mesogeia face, is the creation of an integrated sewerage and watering system. At the borders of Municipality of Markopoulo, to which Porto Rafti belongs, there is the Historic site of Vravrona. Today Porto Rafti is accessible through Attiki Odos and the nearby subway station "Koropi". In addition, a study has been submitted for expansion of suburban railway from Koropi to Lavrio, with intermediate stops in "Markopoulo", "Kalyvia" and "Keratea"

Historic population

Year Population
1991 3,292
2001 7,131
2011 9,686

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Porto Rafti.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 4/19/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.