EncyclopediaAlexandroúpolis
Alexandroúpolis (äleksändrOO'pôlēs) [key], city (1991 pop. 52,556), capital of Evros prefecture, NE Greece, W Thrace, a seaport on the Gulf of Ainos, an inlet of the Aegean Sea. It is near the Turkish frontier. Alexandroúpolis is a commercial center with rail connections to Thessaloníki and Edirne; wheat, cotton, rice, tobacco, salt, and dairy products are traded. Originally called Dedeagach, it developed from a small fishing village after 1871. It supplanted the older port of Enos upon the completion (1896) of the Thessaloníki-Istanbul RR. The city suffered greatly at the hands of the Bulgarians in both World Wars. It was ceded to Greece in 1919, and it was renamed for King Alexander of Greece.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
