Aspropyrgos (Greek: Ασπρόπυργος) is a western suburb, in the Athens metropolitan area and a municipality in the West Attica regional unit in the Thriasio Plain, Attica, Greece. The municipality had a population of 31,381 at the 2021 census. It has an area of 101.983 km2.[3]

Aspropyrgos
Ασπρόπυργος
Aspropyrgos is located in Greece
Aspropyrgos
Aspropyrgos
Location within the region
Coordinates: 38°4′N 23°35′E / 38.067°N 23.583°E / 38.067; 23.583
CountryGreece
Administrative regionAttica
Regional unitWest Attica
Government
 • MayorIoannis Ilias[1] (since 2023)
Area
 • Municipality
101.98 km2 (39.37 sq mi)
Elevation
9 m (30 ft)
Population
 (2021)[2]
 • Municipality
31,381
 • Density310/km2 (800/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
193 00
Area code(s)210
Vehicle registrationZ
Websitewww.aspropyrgos.gr

Etymology

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The name 'Aspropyrgos' is derived from the Greek words άσπρο, meaning 'white', and πύργος, meaning 'castle' or 'tower'.

Geography

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Aspropyrgos is located 15 km northwest of the city center of Athens in the Thriasio Plain. It is 5 km northeast of Elefsina, near the Saronic Gulf coast. Mount Parnitha forms its northern border, and the Aigaleo hills its southeastern border. The Elefsina Military Airbase lies to its west. The main street is Dimokratias ('Democracy') Avenue. Aspropyrgos can be accessed from the A6 motorway (Elefsina - Athens International Airport) and the A65 motorway (Ano Liosia - Aspropyrgos). It is also accessible through A6 exit 4. (The industrial area is in the southeastern part of Aspropyrgos. The Aspropyrgos railway station is served by Proastiakos trains from the Athens International Airport to Kiato (Peloponnese).

Climate

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Aspropyrgos has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSh) closely bordering a hot-summer mediterranean (Csa) climate, with mild winters and hot summers.[4][5] Owing to its location in the Thriasio Plain the area is particularly vulnerable to high temperatures [6] and has experienced some of the highest temperatures ever recorded in Greece and Continental Europe.[7] In June 2007 the meteorological station of the Aspropyrgos Municipality located in the Germanika area of Aspropyrgos registered 47.5 °C. [8] Also, in June 2017, July 2017 and August 2021, Aspropyrgos recorded temperatures of around 45 °C.[9][10][11]

Climate data for Aspropyrgos 45 m a.s.l.
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 23.7
(74.7)
23.6
(74.5)
25.7
(78.3)
31.2
(88.2)
37.7
(99.9)
44.6
(112.3)
44.9
(112.8)
44.8
(112.6)
40.8
(105.4)
32.7
(90.9)
28.3
(82.9)
22.4
(72.3)
44.9
(112.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 13.9
(57.0)
15.6
(60.1)
17.7
(63.9)
22.1
(71.8)
26.7
(80.1)
31.1
(88.0)
34.6
(94.3)
33.8
(92.8)
29.9
(85.8)
24.5
(76.1)
20.2
(68.4)
15.8
(60.4)
23.8
(74.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 10.2
(50.4)
11.6
(52.9)
13.5
(56.3)
17.3
(63.1)
21.8
(71.2)
26.4
(79.5)
29.8
(85.6)
29.4
(84.9)
25.5
(77.9)
20.6
(69.1)
16.5
(61.7)
12.2
(54.0)
19.6
(67.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 6.5
(43.7)
7.7
(45.9)
9.3
(48.7)
12.5
(54.5)
16.9
(62.4)
21.6
(70.9)
25.0
(77.0)
25.1
(77.2)
21.1
(70.0)
16.7
(62.1)
12.8
(55.0)
8.7
(47.7)
15.3
(59.6)
Record low °C (°F) −2.2
(28.0)
−1.1
(30.0)
−0.1
(31.8)
4.8
(40.6)
11.5
(52.7)
14.3
(57.7)
18.2
(64.8)
19.9
(67.8)
13.9
(57.0)
8.2
(46.8)
4.4
(39.9)
0.3
(32.5)
−2.2
(28.0)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 52.7
(2.07)
40.9
(1.61)
30.3
(1.19)
19.3
(0.76)
15.6
(0.61)
22.4
(0.88)
4.9
(0.19)
7.1
(0.28)
32.9
(1.30)
35.1
(1.38)
56.4
(2.22)
66.4
(2.61)
384
(15.1)
Source: National Observatory of Athens Monthly Bulletins (Dec 2014-Apr 2024)[12][13] and World Meteorological Organization[14]

Industry

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Aspropyrgos consists of a residential downtown area and an industrial area where a number of storage warehouses, metal recycling facilities, logistics handlers, wholesalers, small construction companies and other industrial businesses operate. The Aspropyrgos Refinery, south of the city and next to the sea, has been producing oil for many years. It is the largest in Greece (together with the Eleusis refinery), with an annual capacity of 135,000 bbl/d (21,500 m3/d). As a consequence, pollution has been a problem for years. The refinery includes depots in the southern and eastern parts, and some in the western part and at a dock to the southwest.

Population

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Year Population
1981 12,541
1991 15,715
2001 27,741
2011 30,251
2021 31,381

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Municipality of Aspropyrgos, Municipal elections – October 2023, Ministry of Interior
  2. ^ "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2015.
  4. ^ "Monthly Bulletins". www.meteo.gr.
  5. ^ "Latest Conditions in Aspropirgos, Greece".
  6. ^ Anastasios Mavrakis, Athanasia Kapsali, Ioannis X. Tsiros, and Katerina Pantavou (2021). "Air quality and meteorological patterns of an early spring heatwave event in an industrialized area of Attica, Greece". Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration. 6 (1): 25. doi:10.1007/s41207-020-00237-0. PMC 7829091. PMID 33521246.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "World Meteorological Organization's World Weather & Climate Extremes Archive". wmo.asu.edu.
  8. ^ Mavrakis, Anastasios; Spanou, Anastasia; Pantavou, Katerina; Katavoutas, George; Theoharatos, George; Christides, Anastasios; Verouti, Eleni (2012). "Biometeorological and air quality assessment in an industrialized area of eastern Mediterranean: The Thriassion Plain, Greece". International Journal of Biometeorology. 56 (4): 737–747. Bibcode:2012IJBm...56..737M. doi:10.1007/s00484-011-0475-9. PMID 21826464. S2CID 5275903 – via ResearchGate.
  9. ^ Attiki maximum TemperaturesArchived 3 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "Μηνιαίο Δελτίο Μετεωρολογικών Παραμζτρων Ελλάδα Ιοφνιοσ 2017" (PDF). meteo.noa.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Μηνιαίο Δελτίο Μετεωρολογικών Παραμέτρων Ελλάδα Αύγουστος 2021" (PDF). meteo.noa.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Monthly Bulletins". www.meteo.gr.
  13. ^ "Latest Conditions in Aspropirgos, Greece".
  14. ^ "World Meteorological Organization". Retrieved 5 August 2023.
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