Kozáni

Kozáni

Kozáni, town and dímos (municipality), West Macedonia (Modern Greek: Dytikí Makedonía) periféreia (region), north-central Greece. The town is situated on the edge of a fertile basin between the Vérmio (also spelled Vérmion) and Voúrinos mountains and has tobacco, cereal, potato, and vegetable cultivation, as well as cattle and dairy production. Founded in the Middle Ages under Turkish rule, it was a centre of Greek culture; a library of books and manuscripts survives.

Lignite, which is mined in the area, powers several thermal generating stations in Ptolemaís. Kozáni town is an active commercial centre trading in grains, livestock, and hides. There is some manufacture of textiles and agricultural tools, as well as asbestos and chromite mining in the vicinity. The town is linked by road to Thessaloníki (Salonika) via Ptolemaís and Edessa and serves as the seat of a metropolitan bishop. Area 1,376 square miles (3,565 square km). Pop. (2001) town, 37,893; municipality, 70,220; (2011) town, 41,066; municipality, 71,388.