Aetoloakarnania: the region of contrasts
Aetoloakarnania is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the geographic region of Central Greece and an administrative region of West Greece. The combination of the historical regions of Aetolia and Akarnania is the country's largest regional unit. Its capital is Missolonghi for historical reasons, while its biggest city and economic centre is Agrinio. The area is now connected with the Peloponnese peninsula via the Rio-Antirrio Bridge. In the depth of the region lies the largest lake of Greece -Trihonida. The highest peak is Panetoliko (1924 m).
Richly endowed by nature
The nature endowed both regions with rich gifts: hillsides with pine, chestnut, beech forests, torrents, fertile plains, quiet and tranquil lakes, framed by beautiful landscapes, rivers, green valleys, groves, fields and endless miles of magnificent sandy shores of the Ionian Sea.
A bit of history
The Aetolians set up a united league, the Aetolian League, which played an important role in the history of Greece. During the Middle Ages, Aetolia was part of the Byzantine Empire and later passed to the Turks: after a relatively unsuccessful attempt of colonization they took slaves and resources from the region and departed.
In ancient times, Akarnania didn’t play any significant role in the history of Greece. The citizens were mainly engaged in agriculture.
