RIVERS
2. LAKES
3. GULVES
4. SPRINGS
1.
Europe
Greece
Greece
Thessaloniki
1. ΤΗΕ RIVERS OF THESSALONIKI
THE
THE
THE
THE
G A L L I KO S R I V E R
AXIOS RIVER
LU D I A S R I V E R
ALIAKMONAS RIVER
T h e i r a c ro ny m f o r m t h e wo r d
gala(milk)
The four rivers form a huge delta
which
 is a National Park protected by National and
European Community legislation (Natura
2000).
extends over 338 square kilometers
 includes one of the most important wetland
systems of Greece, rich in flora and fauna
THE GALLIKOS RIVER
It was called Ehedoros in the
ancient times
(because of the gold that was
found there)
Nowadays it is called
Gallikos after the French
soldiers who camped at the
banks were drowned after a
flash flooding in the First
World War .
It has a length of 70km.
THE AXIOS RIVER
 The Axios is the second longer river of Greece
 It has a length of 320 km.
 Its width ranges from 50 to 600m and its depth reaches
4m.
 The river source is near the Serbian-Albanian borders,
it enters the Greek territory, crosses Macedonia and
flows in the Thermaikos Gulf.
 Its name means
Worthy and comes from the
Macedonian root of Axos = forest because its banks
are rich in forests .
THE AXIOS RIVER
GREECE
THE LOUDIAS RIVER
 Loudias River, the smallest of the four rivers of the National Park Axios –
Loudias-Aliakmonas, is now an artificial channel
 Loudias or else Mavroneri ( = black water - Kara Asmak in Turkish) is a
river in Central Macedonia and used to be navigable till Pella, the birth
city of Alexander the Great .
 It has a length of 60 km
THE ALIAKMON RIVER
 The longest river of Greece
 It has a length of 350 km
 The river source is in the mountain of
Grammos
 It flows into the Thermaikos Gulf near the
Axios river,
 Its name comes from als (salt sea) and the
anvil.
 According to the Greek mythology
Aliakmon was one of the river gods, son of
Ocean, a huge river that surrounds the
Earth.
THE ALIAKMONAS RIVER
GREECE
FLORA
The banks of the rivers are rich in
 beeches
 oaks
 sycamores
 poplars
 pines and firs
 chestnuts,
 cedars,
 ashes,
 maples,
 willows
These trees are among the 500 species of
plants that are recorded.
BIRDS IN THE DELTA
BIRDS
The wetlands formed in the region host about
 295 bird species, including many rare and endangered, such as the
Dalmatian pelican, the spoonbill, the Avocet and Mediterranean
Gull.
 In the delta of Axios there is one of the largest colonies of herons
in Greece.
 There were 215 bird species, of which 1/3 about nests in Grevena.
 Over 10% of birds in danger of extinction. Among them, the
pelican is considered one of the rarest birds in the world.
 Importantly, 27 rare and endangered species of birds nest in the
prefecture of Grevena, such as purple, kind of heron, the black
stork and owl which are protected species.
 Impressive birds utilize the area to accommodate either to spend
the winter, such as ducks or relax on the long migratory journeys.
ANIMALS
In the delta of the Axios live freely about 60 horses
and many buffalos
the otter, jackal, the wild cat, wolf and deer, by the
Axios banks, are likely to disappear
.
17 species of mammals have
been recorded, among them
foxes, hares, wild boars.
REPTLES
15 species of reptiles and amphibians complement the food
chain of wetlands in the region of Aliakmonas.
FISH
In Aliakmonas 35 species of fish are found. Of these about
30 are native , namely endemic, while the others are
imported with human intervention. Many of them are
considered rare like mavrotsironi which does not live
anywhere else in the world. Some of these kinds of fish
have no commercial value. They only support the local
food chain.
2. Lakes near Thessaloniki
Lake Volvi
Lake Koronia
Thessaloniki
Lake Volvi
Lake Volvi
Volvi lake has
 rare ecosystems, hydro-habitats, hydrophilous
plants and trees.
 More than 200 bird species such as storks, egrets,
flamingos, herons, etc, (protected by the
International Convention Ramsar) spend the
winter in these regions.
Pelicans at lake Volvi
Lake Koronia
Lake Koroneia ( Λίμνη Κορώνεια), 12 kilometres east of
Thessaloniki, suffers severe environmental damage
due to increased irrigation and intensified industry.
Because of
 chemical and toxic substances
 heavy metals,
 microbial load from the sewage
 the agricultural waste : intensive use of
fertilizers and pesticides
 the Industrial wastewater (from sugar
factories, clothing, dairies, canneries etc.)
 the washing waste
Lake Koronia in the past
And
Nowadays
THE FINAL RECIPIENT OF THE POLLUTED
RIVERS AND OF THE URBAN AND
INDUSTRIAL WASTE OF THESSALONIKI IS
THE THERMAIKOS GULF.
THERE ARE TWO GULFS
Thermaikos at the west
 Strymonikos at the east

Thermaikos: Origin of the name
 It was named after the
ancient town of Therma,
situated on the northeast
coast of the gulf.
 In ancient Greek thermes
was the name of the fever
caused by malaria. The
area was suffering from the
illness.
Thessaloniki
The Thermaikos Gulf
 It is a typical deltaic platform.
 Four rivers (Axios, Loudias,
Aliakmon, Gallikos) deposite
their material into the
Thermaikos Gulf.
 The drainage basin covers an
area of ~72,000 km2.
Bathymetry (depth contours in m) of
Thermaikos Gulf
•
The Inner Thermaikos
Gulf has a maximum
Depth of 50 m.
The Strymonian Gulf
4. Mineral Springs
 Mineral springs are naturally
occurring springs that produce
water containing minerals, or
other dissolved substances, that
alter its taste or give it
therapeutic value.
 Salts, sulfur compounds, and
gases are among the substances
that can be dissolved in the
spring water during its passage
underground.
Types of mineral springs
Among the types of mineral
springs are:
 Thermal (hot) springs
which contain a high
concentration of various
minerals.
 Soda springs containing
carbon dioxide gas (soda
water).
Thermal springs (Loutra = Baths)
in the area of Thessaloniki
 Loutra Langada
Loutra Thermis
Loutra Apollonias
 Lagada Baths are located at a
distance of 19 km to the
northeast of Thessaloniki on
the site of byzantine spa.
Baths of Apollonia
Known since ancient times on
the shore of lake Volvi.
Apollonia - Lake Volvi
Thermal springs of Thermi
 Thermi Baths are located
20km to the east of
Thessaloniki and they are of
special archaeological
interest.
The Mineral spring of Souroti
Souroti
 Souroti, 27 km to the east of
Thessaloniki, has carbonated
natural mineral water, known
since antiquity for its unique
beneficial qualities.
It contains
 Calcium
 Magnesium
 Potassium
 Sodium
 Fluorine
 Iron
.
 Copper
 Manganese
 lithium
 selenium
 chromium
 zinc
which have a positive effect on the
human body