Greece: Travel Guide: Peloponnese: Ilia

Ilia (Greek: Ηλεία - Ileía) is a prefecture in the western Peloponnese and in the western part of Greece. The prefecture is part of the periphery of West Greece. It covers the area of ancient Elis. Its capital is Pyrgos.

The northernmost point of Ilia prefecture is 38° 06′N, the westernmost is 22° 12′E, the southernmost is 37° 18′N, and the easternmost is 21° 54′E. The length from north to south is 100 km (60 miles), and from east-to-west is around 55 km (35 miles). Two tiny peninsulas are part of the prefecture.
Ilia is not completely congruent with ancient Elis: Lampeia belonged to ancient Arcadia, and Kalogria is now part of Achaea.
The longest river is the Alfeios. Other rivers are the Erymanthos, Pineios and Neda. Alfeios, Pineios and Neda flow into the Ionian Sea in Ilia. Less than 1% of the prefecture is open water, most of it found in artificial reservoirs and dams, in the north and east. The Pineios Dam supplies water for Northern Ilia. The water is not safe for drinking, because it contains some contaminants. A second, smaller reservoir in the river Alfeios near Olympia and Krestena supplies water to Pyrgos.
The eastern part of the prefecture is forested, with mostly pine trees in the south. There are forest preserves in Foloi and the mountain ranges of Eastern Ilia. In the north is the Strofylia forest which has pine trees. Mountain ranges include Movri (around 400 m/1,700 ft), Divri (around 1500 m), Minthe (around 1100 m), and more.
About 1/3 of the land is fertile, the rest is mountainous and not suitable for crops. Swamplands used to cover 1-1.5% of the region, especially in the Samiko area. Most of them have been drained for agricultural purposes; only 10 km² has been kept and is now protected.
Here lies the ancient ruins of Elis, Epitalion and Olympia, known for the ancient Olympic games which started in 776 BC. A museum is founded with statues that relate with the history of Olympia. Another museum is in Elis, but the size is very small. Monasteries are scattered around the region.

Railways
The total length of railway tracks in Ilia is around 140 km. There is a railway line from Patras to Kalamata via Pyrgos, and a branch line from Pyrgos to Olympia. Both lines are user for passenger services, and there are tens of train stations scattered around Ilia.

Ports
The port of Kyllini in the northwest is the busiest port in Ilia, with car ferries to the islands of Zakynthos and Corfu. Other ports or harbors are small in size and fit only smaller boats.

Airports
Ilia has a military airport near Andravida, north of Pyrgos. There are no public airports in the area. The nearest airport on land is in Kalamata.

                                                                                                             source: wikipedia.org