Komotini or Komotene is a city in north-eastern Greece. It is the capital of the periphery of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and the Rhodope Prefecture. It is also the administrative center of the Rhodope-Evros super-prefecture. The city is home to the Democritus University of Thrace, founded in 1973. Komotini is home to a sizeable Turkish-speaking minority, which constitutes 50% of the city's population.
The city stands at an altitude of 32-38m on the Thracian plain near the foothills of the Rhodope Mountains. There is little urban planning in the older parts of city, in contrast to more recently developed quarters. According to the 2001 census, the city's population amounts to 52,659, a number that does not include approximately 13,000 resident students, trainees and soldiers. There are two airports near Komotini. The nearest is in Alexandroupoli (65km), and the other is in Kavala (80km). It has good rail and bus links to all continental Greek cities as well as Istanbul, and the good provincial road network has been supplemented by the new Egnatia Motorway. |
