Location: : South-Eastern Europe, next to the Ionian Sea, bordering with Albania and North Macedonia

Land: 9.451 sq km

Water: 0.2268 sq km

Natural resources: lignite, rock crystal, nickel, chromite, clay, asbestos, marble

Land use:
agricultural land: 22.7%
forest: 33.4%
Other: 43.9%

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
The Region of Western Macedonia (RWM) is the only landlocked Region in Greece (7,16% of the total country). The population arises to 267.000 inh. (data 2020), which comprises 2,62% of the country’s total population. So far, the regional economic profile is mostly associated with the lignite (brown coal) excavation for power generation. For more than six decades the RWM was the energy center of Greece acting as the national energy pillar of economic growth due to the low cost electricity and utilization of domestic energy sources. Nonetheless, that situation had resulted in shirking all the other traditional professional skills such as the agricultural sector and other economic activities. A high negative environmental impact was caused, with strong pressure both on human and natural environment. At the peak of lignite production, more than 34% of the Gross Added Value of the Region of Western Macedonia, about € 1.5 billion, came from the mining and energy sector. Since 2010, the Region has incurred changes on local economy structure because of lignite reduction. In addition to this, according to the Greek government decision, all the lignite activities will have to be ceased until 2028. The main goal is the Transition of RWM to a post-lignite era by structuring a new sustainable economic model. This can be achieved by maintaining the Region as the energy centre of Greece in terms of “clean energy” by exploitation of local biomass resources and investing in the primary sector, especially in specific products which already dominate on the national and international market or are gaining ground every day.

SOURCES:
http://www.orykta.gr/
https://www.statistics.gr/
https://www.pdm.gov.gr/periferia/chorika-oria/