Greece: Travel Guide: Macedonia: Halkidiki

Greece: Macedonia: Halkidiki

Chalkidiki, also Halkidiki or Chalcidice, less often Khalkidiki and rarely Chalkidice (Greek: Χαλκιδική), is one of the prefectures of Greece. It is located in the southeastern portion of Central Macedonia. The Cholomontas or the Cholomon mountains lie in the northcentral part. It consists of a large peninsula in the northwestern Aegean Sea, resembling a hand with three "fingers" – Pallene (now Kassandra), Sithonia, and Agion Oros (the ancient Acte), which contains Mount Athos and its monasteries.

In ancient times, Chalkidiki was part of Thrace. The first Greek settlers in this area came from Chalcis (Halkis) and Eretria, cities in Euboea, around the eighth century BC who founded cities such as Mende, Torone and Scione; a second wave came from Andros in the sixth century BC. The ancient city of Stageira was the birthplace of the great philosopher Aristotle.

The capital of Chalkidiki is the city of Polygyros, located in the center of the peninsula.

In June 2003, at the holiday resort Porto Carras located in Neos Marmaras, Sithonia, European Union leaders presented the first draft of the European constitution. See History of the European Constitution for developments after this point.

The only prefectural boundary is with the Thessaloniki prefecture located to the north.