Piraeus is a city in the periphery of Attica, Greece, and a municipality within Athens urban area, located 10 km southwest of its center.
Piraeus is Greece's third largest urban centre and the second of the Greek capital following the municipality of Athens, with a population of 175,697 people (in 2001) and an area of 11 km2 (4 sq mi). The Piraeus urban area extends beyond the administrative city limits to the suburban municipalities, with a total population of 466,065 (in 2001) and a land area of 50 km2 (19 sq mi). The city is the administrative capital of the Piraeus Prefecture. Situated upon the Saronic Gulf, Piraeus is the largest passenger port in Europe and the third largest in the world, servicing about 20 million passengers annually. With a throughput of 1.4 million TEUs, Piraeus is placed among the first ten ports in container traffic in Europe and the top container port in Eastern Mediterranean.
Piraeus has a long history, which dates back to ancient Greece. The effect of its natural space and geographical place has been critical factors for the configuration of the historical fate of Piraeus. The development of the harbour has been always combined with periods of proportional acme and progress of the city, while in the periods of the harbour's decay the city languished. The city was largely developed in the early 5th century BC, when it was selected to serve as the port city of classical Athens and was transformed into a prototype harbour, concentrating all the import and transit trade of Athens. Consequently, it became the chief harbour of ancient Greece but declined gradually after the 4th century AD, and began to grow again in the 19th century, especially after the declaration of Athens as the capital of Greece. In modern era, Piraeus is a big city bustling with life and an integral part of Athens, having the biggest harbour in the country and all the typical characteristics of a huge marine and commercial-industrial center.
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