Western Greece in the context of Peloponnese

Patras (/pəˈtræs, ˈpætrəs/; Greek: Πάτρα, romanized: Pátra pronounced [ˈpatra] ; Katharevousa and Ancient Greek: Πάτραι; Latin: Patrae) is Greece's third-largest city and the regional capital and largest city of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese, 215 km (134 mi) west of Athens. The city is built at the foot of Mount Panachaikon, overlooking the Gulf of Patras.

As of the 2021 census, the municipality of Patras has a population of 215,922, while the urban population is 173,600. The core settlement has a history spanning four millennia. In the Roman period, it had become a cosmopolitan centre of the eastern Mediterranean whilst, according to the Christian tradition, it was also the place of Saint Andrew's martyrdom.

Continental Greece (Greek: Στερεά Ελλάδα, romanized: Stereá Elláda; formerly Χέρσος Ἑλλάς, Chérsos Ellás), colloquially known as Roumeli (Ρούμελη), is a traditional geographic region of Greece. In English, the area is usually called Central Greece, but the equivalent Greek term (Κεντρική Ελλάδα, Kentrikí Elláda) is more rarely used.

It includes the southern part of the Greek mainland (sans the Peloponnese), as well as the offshore island of Euboea. Since 1987, its territory has been divided among the administrative regions of Central Greece and Attica, and the regional unit (former prefecture) of Aetolia-Acarnania in the administrative region of Western Greece.

The Gulf of Patras (Greek: Πατραϊκός Κόλπος, Patraikós Kólpos) is a branch of the Ionian Sea in Western Greece. On the east, it is closed by the Strait of Rion between capes Rio and Antirrio, near the Rio-Antirrio bridge, that is the entrance of the Gulf of Corinth. On the west, it is bounded by a line from Oxeia island to Cape Araxos. To the north it is bounded by the shore of Aetolia-Acarnania in continental Greece, and to the south by Achaea in the Peloponnese peninsula. It is 40–50 km (25–31 mi) long, 10–20 km (6–12 mi) wide, and has an area of 350–400 km.

The port city of Patras lies to the southeast and is the only major port on the gulf. It serves ferries to Ancona and Brindisi in Italy and to Cephalonia. On the northern shore Missolonghi, also has a port. The old ports of Rio and Antirrio lie at the east end of the Gulf; there is a ferry service between them which complements the traffic over the Rio-Antirio bridge. The gulf is rich in fish and molluscs, including sea snails and clams.

Central Greece (Greek: Περιφέρεια Στερεάς Ελλάδας, romanized: Periféreia Stereás Elládas, Greek pronunciation: [periˈferia stereˈas eˈlaðas], colloquially known as Ρούμελη (Roúmeli)) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. The region occupies the eastern part of the traditional region of Central Greece, including the island of Euboea. To the south it borders the regions of Attica and the Peloponnese, to the west the region of Western Greece, to the north the region of Thessaly and to the northwest it shares a small border with Epirus. Its capital city is Lamia and the largest city is Chalcis.

Achaea (/əˈkiːə/) or Achaia (/əˈkaɪə/), sometimes transliterated from Greek as Akhaia (Αχαΐα, Akhaḯa, Greek: [axaˈia]), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Western Greece and is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. The capital is Patras which is the third largest city in Greece.

Rio (Greek: Ρίο, Río, formerly Ῥίον, Rhíon; Latin: Rhium) is a town in the suburbs of Patras and a former municipality in Achaea, Western Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Patras, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 98.983 km. The municipal unit had a population of 14,219 in 2021. The campus of the University of Patras and the Casino Rio is located in Rio.

Gjin Bua Shpata (sometimes anglicized as John Spata) (fl. 1358 – 29 October 1399) was an Albanian ruler of the despotate of Arta in Western Greece with the title of Despot. Together with Pjetër Losha, he led raids into Epirus, Acarnania and Aetolia in 1358. He was recognized as Despot by the titular Eastern Roman Emperor in the early 1360s and ruled Aetolia (1360s–?), Angelokastron (?–1399), Naupactus (1378–1399), and Arta (1370s–1399). He was born sometime in the first half of the 14th century in Epirus, as his father was a ruler in the region.

The Peloponnese Region (Greek: Περιφέρεια Πελοποννήσου, romanized: Periféria Peloponnísou, [periˈferia pelopoˈnisu]) is a region in southern Greece. It borders Western Greece to the north and Attica to the north-east. The region has an area of about 15,490 square kilometres (5,980 square miles). It covers most of the Peloponnese peninsula, except for the northwestern subregions of Achaea and Elis which belong to Western Greece and a small portion of the Argolid peninsula that is part of Attica.

Elis, also known as Ellis or Ilia (Greek: Ηλεία, Eleia), is a historic region in the western part of the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. It is administered as a regional unit of the modern region of Western Greece. Its capital is Pyrgos. Until 2011 it was Elis Prefecture, covering the same territory.

The modern regional unit is nearly coterminous with the ancient Elis of the classical period. Here lie the ancient ruins of cities of Elis, Epitalion and Olympia, known for the ancient Olympic Games which started in 776 BC.

Agrinio (Greek: Αγρίνιο, pronounced [aˈɣrinio]) is the largest city of the Aetolia-Acarnania regional unit of Greece and its largest municipality, with 89,691 inhabitants (2021) as well as the second largest city in Western Greece after Patras. It is the economic center of Aetolia-Acarnania, although its capital is the town of Mesolonghi. The settlement dates back to ancient times. Ancient Agrinion was 3 kilometres (2 miles) northeast of the present city; some walls and foundations of which have been excavated. In medieval times and until 1836, the city was known as Vrachori (Βραχώρι).

The majority of the local population was occupied for an important period of time in the tobacco industry, from the last decades of 19th till the end of the 20th century. Big tobacco companies were founded in the city, including the famous Papastratos, alongside Panagopoulos and Papapetrou. Agrinion is also agriculturally known for its production of Agrinion olives.

Kentriki Ellada (Greek: Κεντρική Ελλάδα), meaning Central Greece, is a first level NUTS division of Greece created for statistical purposes by the European Union.

Until 2014, it encompassed the five regions Epirus, Ionian Islands, Western Greece, Central Greece and Peloponnese. Coming into effect in January 2015, the Greek NUTS regions however have been redefined, now encompassing Thessaly instead of Epirus.

Stratos (Greek: Στράτος, Latin: Stratus, Aromanian: Yanica) is a settlement in central Aetolia-Acarnania, Western Greece. It is best known for its remains of the namesake ancient Greek city and capital of Acarnania, which lie on a hillside about 500m north of the modern village.

Stratos is situated on the right bank of the river Acheloos, 9 km northwest of the town of Agrinio. The area north of Stratos is mountainous, whereas the south is flat. It is now an Aromanian (Vlach) village and a municipal unit of the Agrinio municipality.

New Democracy (Greek: Νέα Δημοκρατία, romanized: Néa Dimokratía [ˈnea ðimokraˈti.a], ND/ΝΔ) is a liberal-conservative political party in Greece. In contemporary Greek politics, New Democracy has been the main centre-right to right wing political party and one of the two major parties along with its historic rival, the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK). New Democracy and PASOK were created in the wake of the toppling of the military junta in 1974, ruling Greece in succession for the next four decades. Following the electoral decline of PASOK, New Democracy remained one of the two major parties in Greece, the other being the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA). The party was founded in 1974 by Konstantinos Karamanlis and in the same year it formed the first cabinet of the Third Hellenic Republic. New Democracy is a member of the European People's Party, the largest European political party since 1999, the Centrist Democrat International, and the International Democracy Union.

The support of New Democracy comes from a wide electorate base ranging from centrists to conservatives and from nationalists to post-modernists. From a geographical perspective, its main nonvolatile support base is in the southern Peloponnese, Eastern Attica, Northern Athens and Chios. Its support is generally weaker in Epirus and Western Greece such as Arta, Achaia, Ioannina, the city of Thessaloniki and Crete. Traditionally, New Democracy received the greatest percentages in Laconia, Messenia, Kastoria and Serres. Having spent four and a half years in opposition to SYRIZA's government, New Democracy regained its majority in the Hellenic Parliament and returned to government under Kyriakos Mitsotakis after the 2019 Greek legislative election. The party secured another absolute majority in Parliament in the June 2023 Greek legislative election.

European route E952, formerly the E951 from 1983 to 1986, is a Class B European route that runs through Western and Central Greece, from Aktio (el) (near Preveza) through Agrinio to Lamia. Introduced in 1983, it is part of the International E-road network, a network of main roads in Europe.

Erymanthos (Greek: Ερύμανθος) is a municipality in Achaea, Western Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Chalandritsa. The municipality has an area of 582.139 km. It was named after Mount Erymanthos.