Alternative meanings: In Greek mythology Larissa was a daughter of Pelasgus (see History, below); Larissa is a moon of Neptune; 1162 Larissa is an asteroid; Larissa is also a first name.

Statistics
Periphery:	Thessaly
Capital:	Larissa
Area:	5,381 km² Ranked 2nd
Elevation:	Lowest: Aegean Sea Highest: Mount Olympus
Inhabitants:	277,973 (1991)
Population density:	52/km²
ISO 3166-2:	GR-42
Car designation:	PI (Λάρισα)
Code for the municipalities :	33xx
Number of provinces:	5
Number of municipalities:	27
Number of independent communes:	3
Area/distance code:	2410 in Larissa 11-30-249x0 (030-249x0) elsewhere
Postal code	40x xx in everywhere else 41x xx in Larissa
Name of inhabitants:	Larissan sing. -s pl.
2-letter abbreviation/HASC:	LR
Map

Larissa or Larisa (Greek: Λάρισα) is the capital city of the Thessaly periphery of Greece, and capital of the Larissa prefecture. It is a main agricultural centre and a transportation hub, linked by rail with the port of Volos and with Thessaloniki (Salonika) and Athens.

Geography

It is the second largest prefecture in area in Greece, exceeded only by Aitoloacarnania. Larissa or Larisa prefecture features the Tempe Valley, and the NE part of the Peneus River. It is the largest prefecture in Thessaly covering about one-third of the region. It also contains the tallest mountain in Greece, Mount Olympus with an elevation of 2,917 m. The climate is more continental than any other part of Greece. It has a Mediterranean climate with dry hot summers and mild to cool winters, except in the mountain areas which get warm summers and cold winters. The highest temperature ever recorded was 45.2°C and the coldest was -21.6°C or 66.8 K. In the summer, Larissa is often the warmest area in Greece and often the coldest in winter.

It is bounded by Kozani to the northwest, Pieria to the northeast (both in Macedonia), the Aegean Sea to the east, Magnesia to the southeast, Fthiotis to the south (in Central Greece/Mainland Greece ), Karditsa to the southwest and Trikala to the east. It is not the only prefecture that borders the most other prefectures. The other prefecture is Kozani.

The elevation of Larissa Airport is 73 m.

The skiing resort of Pilio is to the east and is the closest resort which is 59 km E.

The southern part, the northern part, and the northwesternpart are heavily covered with forests while the central, the southwestern, the western and the southeastern part are covered with fertile land that is called the Thessalian Plain . The barren rocks are to the east and the northeast within the Aegean Sea and in the Olympus area. Lake Voivi is situated in the southeast and is a lagoon dividing the Thessalian Plain and the Pelion ranges, and with the prefecture of Magnesia.

History

Traces of Paleolithic human settlement have been recovered from the area, but it was peripheral to areas of advanced culture. The area around Larissa was extremely fruitful - it was agriculturally important and in antiquity was known for its horses. The city finally moved closer to the rest of Greece.

The name Larissa, which pre-dates Indo-European languages, was common to many Pelasgian towns. Thus in Greek mythology, Larissa or Larisa was vaguely personified as a daughter of Pelasgus, though no specific myth was connected with her.

Historical population

• 1907: 95,066
• 1991: 277,973

Transportation

• Greece Interstate 1/E75 , SE, Cen., E
• Greece Interstate 3, S, Cen., NW
• Greece Interstate 6, W, Cen., SE
• Greece Interstate 26 , NW
• Greece Interstate 30 , S

Places

• Agia ||
• Elassona
• Farsalos
• Larissa
• Tyrnavos

Municipalities

Communities

See also: Communities of Larissa

Persons

• Yannis Goumas (May 24, 1975, a Panathinaikos football (soccer) player
• Kostas Gousgounis

External links

• Larissa; 1911 Encyclopedia article.
• TEI Larissa
• Forecast in Larissa