The Region of Central Greece is one of the thirteen (13) self-governing regions of the country, in accordance with Law 3852/2010 (Government Gazette 87 / Section A) "New Architecture of Self-Government and Decentralized Administration - Kallikratis Program".
It is a new self-governing authority which includes five (5) regional units, Boeotia, Evia, Evrytania, Fthiotida and Phocis, occupying a total area of 15.549 square meters. km., (11,8% of the total area of the country), with a length of 230 km and a width of 95 km and has extremely interesting and diverse geomorphological, socio-economic and cultural features that differ from unit to unit and also within each unit , creating a set with significant advantages (rich and valuable productive base – agricultural production and industry – mountain masses, quarrying areas, large forests, plains, inland and coastal waters, coasts and even an island, important natural, cultural and historical stock and service possibilities especially in tourism and trade). It is based in Lamia, the capital of the prefecture of Fthiotida.
The Region of Central Greece is located in the center of the country, it borders Thessaly to the north, Western Greece to the west, Attica to the south, while it is bordered to the east by the Aegean Sea and the Euboean Gulf and to the south by the Gulf of Corinth. It consists of a continental and an island part and has access to both the Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea through inland seas and long coastlines.
The Region of Central Greece, in the immediate vicinity of the Metropolis of Athens, occupies a territorially critical part of the continental core of Greece in the intermediate space between Athens, Thessaloniki and Patras, dominant international gateways of the Greek peninsula but also between Athens and the emerging northwest duomo Ioannina – Igoumenitsa on the Adriatic axis. Strong points of its identity in the international and European regional space are:
- The rich productive agricultural land with the most important being the plain of Kopaida
- Important groundwater and surface water resources
- Its production specialization in the secondary sector and its leadership in the metallurgical industry, especially related to bauxite and aluminum production
- Its cultural resources, notably the International Archaeological Site of Delphi and the symbolic site of Thermopylae, as well as the shared historical presence of its individual sites
- The large natural mountain ecosystems and landscapes, the peculiar marine and island areas, which are reserves of biodiversity of European interest or alternative forms of energy and recreation
- It is crossed by national transport networks (PATHE, Railway) and has a connection to the natural gas network
Sterea Ellada is the second largest Greek region, consisting of a continental and insular part with an extremely rich morphological relief. It offers a wide variety of landscapes combining plains, plateaus, large forests and high mountain peaks, mountainous agricultural crops and pastures, inland and coastal waters and coasts.
In the region of Central Greece there is an important cultural reserve made up of the important finds of the Neolithic period and the monuments of the Classical and Hellenistic periods, the historical monuments of the Post-Byzantine period (1453-1830) and Newer Monuments (1830-). To this inventory is also added the folklore wealth, modern cultural infrastructures such as museums, folklore centers, art galleries, customs and traditions and various cultural events. Finally, the remarkable and in several areas extremely remarkable landscape, is also not only a natural but also a historical-cultural resource, since it captures in the space the way of development of centuries and millennia.
Regarding, in particular, the archaeological sites, Delphi is placed in the list of archaeological sites of the country with >100.000 visitors per year, (6th place, 322.900 visitors per year, source: ESYE), while in the ranking of the country's regional units in terms of "monumental dynamism » (Ministry of Education and Culture), there are two regional units of the region, the PE of Fokida (7th in terms of archaeological sites – Delphi and 3rd in terms of museums), and the PE of Boeotia (10th in terms of museums — Osios Loukas). There are also many other important archaeological-religious sites and also an extraordinary wealth in terms of traditional settlements (islands etc.). It should be noted that the area also has a rich mythological reserve and historical monuments from ancient and modern history. As for museums, that of Delphi is placed in the list of Greek museums with >50.000 visitors per year, but there are other notable museums or galleries in various areas of the region.