Astakos

This article is about the modern city. For the ancient town nearby, see Astacus (Acarnania). For the ancient city near modern-day İzmit, Turkey, also called Astacus or Astakos, see Astacus in Bithynia.

Astakos (Greek: Αστακός, meaning "lobster") is a town and a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Xiromero, of which it is a municipal unit.^[2] The municipal unit has an area of 345.099 km².^[3] It is located on a bay on the eastern shore of the Ionian Sea, near the southern end of the Acarnanian Mountains. It takes its name from the ancient Acarnanian town Astacus (Ancient Greek: Ἄστακος - Astakos),^[4] and was named Dragamesti in the Middle Ages. It is speculated to be the site of ancient Dulichium.

Astakos Αστακός
Municipal unit
Astakos Location within the regional unit
Coordinates: 38°32′N 21°5′E
Country	Greece
Administrative region	West Greece
Regional unit	Aetolia-Acarnania
Municipality	Xiromero
Area
• Municipal unit	345.1 km2 (133.2 sq mi)
Elevation	10 m (30 ft)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Municipal unit	5,719
• Municipal unit density	17/km2 (43/sq mi)
• Community	2,617
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	300 06
Area code(s)	26460
Vehicle registration	AI

It is 16 km southeast of Kalamos (island), 30 km southwest of Agrinio, 35 km northwest of Missolonghi and 55 km southeast of Preveza.

Subdivisions

The municipal unit Astakos is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):

• Agrampela
• Astakos (Astakos, Valti)
• Bampini
• Karaiskakis
• Machairas
• Chrysovitsa
• Palaiomanina
• Prodromos
• Skourtou
• Strongylovouni (Strongylovouni, Manina Vlizianon)
• Vasilopoulo
• Vliziana

Economy

The city has a port able to hold ferries. The countryside mainly produces wheat, corn and few grapes. Fishing is an important source of income.

Historical population

Year	Community	Municipal unit
1981	2,724	-
1991	2,459	8,210
2001	2,560	7,330
2011	2,732	6,578
2021	2,617	5,719

Noteworthy persons

• Leo Leandros (b. 1926), singer and composer

In popular culture

• Astakos is also the birthplace of the fictional characters Xeones and Diomache in Steven Pressfield's novel Gates of Fire. Cousins Xeones and Diomache both survive the sack of Astakos by Argos (cir. 500 BC); Xeones later becomes a perioikoi of Sparta and serves at the Battle of Thermopylae as a squire to the Spartiate Dienekes.^[5]

See also

• List of settlements in Aetolia-Acarnania
• List of cities in ancient Acarnania

External links

• Municipality of Astakos (in Greek)