General information
Geographic information
The village of Agia Eleni is located in the northeastern part of the Peloponnese (37°33'10'' N 23°11'25'' E). However, administratively it is part of the subregion of the Argosaronic Islands, which in turn forms part of the prefecture of Attica. The distance from Athens is approximately 70 km as the bird flies. Via the existing road network the distance from Athens is approximately 145 km and a trip by car lasts about two and a half hours. The world famous ancient theatre of Epidaurus is just 16 km away, the touristic Poros island is less than 36 km and the picturesque city of Nafplion, the capital of Argolida and first capital of Greece, is just 47 km.
The settlement is built on the southern slope of Mount Mali Manderi (880m) at an altitude of 400m. The name of the mountain appears to be of Arvanite origin. The village is not far from the border with Argolida prefecture and overlooks the plateau of Tracheia to the south.
Demographic information
Agia Eleni forms together with Ano Fanari, a village 5 km to the northeast, a single municipal community. This community is in turn a part of the newly formed municipality of Trizinia. According to the latest census from May 2011, the total population of the municipality of Trizinia was 7.160 people, of whom 3.640 were men and 3.520 were women. The population density of the municipality is 29,73 people per square kilometer (Hellenic Statistical Authority, 2011). The population information per community is not yet available. In the previous census of 2001 Agia Eleni had 227 permanent residents. Taking into account the population decline of the municipality of Trizinia during the last ten years, the village population is also expected to have dropped.
Fauna and flora
The flora is typically mediterranean consisting mainly of bushes such as thyme and arbutus as well as certain trees common to southern Greece such as cypress and olive trees. The fauna includes mammals of the Peloponnese such as foxes, rabbits and hedgehogs. Reptiles are also common and include lizards such as hermidactylous tursicus as well as various snakes with the poisonous viper (Vipera amodytes) being quite common.
Climate and current weather in the area
Agia Eleni has a typical mediterranean climate, although its altitude exerts some influence. The climate is very similar to the neighboring Argolida prefecture and the northern parts of Athens. The annual precipitation is about 350-400 mm (Hellenic National Meteorological Service). Almost all of the precipitation falls between late September and early May. Precipitation between mid May and mid September is minimal. Snowfall occurs on average 4-6 days per year, although snow accumulation rarely exceeds 2-5 cm. The table below gives an overview of the average minimum and maximum temperatures per month. The data comes from a series of measurements from a private weather station in Agia Eleni.
