Kilkis lies in Central
Macedonia; it has a population of some 82,000 residents.
The gateway to Northern Greece, it has two road border stations linking
the country with Europe (Evzoni
and Doirani) and one rail
entry-exit point (Eidomeni).
It shares borders to the north with Yugoslavia, to the east with Serres
Prefecture, to the south with Thessaloniki
Prefecture, and to the west with Pella
Prefecture.
The plain of Kilkis, which is part of the Central Macedonian plain,
is limited to the west by Mt.
Paikos, to the northeast by the Kerkini
(Belles) mountains and to the east by Mt.
Krousia.
The Axios river
runs through the western section of the district, the Gallikos,
the gold-bearing Exedoros river of antiquity, the southwest portion.
The region also boasts two lakes: Doirani
on the Greek-Yugoslav border and Pikrolimni
where Thessaloniki and Kilkis
prefectures meet.
Large expanses of the region are covered by forests of willows, oaks
and pines, as well as rarer species of plants and flowers. The climate is continental
with cold winters and hot summers. The economy is based primarily on agriculture,
the most important corps being grains - wheat and maize, and to a lesser extent
barley and rye.
Fields of sunflowers, cotton, tobacco and clover are also common.
The areas of Goumenissa and
Mouries are notable for their
garden vegetables, fruit (especially apples and peaches), almonds, hazelnuts and
grapes. The wines of Goumenissa
are of the highest quality and bear the label "d’ origine controlée".
This text (extract) is cited October 2003 from the Greek
National Tourist Organization tourist pamphlet (1992).
