When people say "Athens" they almost always mean the whole urban area, but administratively the city is divided into dozens of independent municipalities (dimoi), each with a mayor, a town hall and an identity of its own. The municipality of Athens proper has about 643,000 inhabitants; the whole conurbation, which fills the plain of Attica between the mountains and the sea, exceeds 3.7 million. Many of these municipalities began as farming villages or as refugee quarters for people from Asia Minor after 1922, and merged into a single city during the building boom of the 1950s to the 80s. The chart shows those with more than 50,000 inhabitants; below is a short profile of each.
Piraeus and the western coast
Piraeus (168,000 inhabitants). The port of Athens and Europe's largest passenger port, an independent city with a long history, from the Long Walls of the classical age to its football clubs and sailors' quarters. It has its own page: see Piraeus.
Nikaia (88,000). A populous town north of Piraeus, founded by refugees from Nicaea in Asia Minor after 1922; its historic Kokkinia district was the scene of a Nazi round-up in 1944.
Keratsini (76,000). A working-class port municipality west of Piraeus, with the old Drapetsona industrial plants being redeveloped and a long shipbuilding tradition.
Korydallos (61,000). A residential municipality between Piraeus and Athens, known across Greece mainly for its large prison.
The western municipalities
Peristeri (134,000). The most populous municipality after Athens and Piraeus, residential and working-class, served by metro line 2. It is a shopping and sports centre for the whole western area.
Ilion (84,000). Formerly Nea Liosia, it is home to the Queen's Tower estate (Pyrgos Vasilissis), Queen Amalia's model farm and summer residence, today with vineyards and a winery.
Egaleo (66,000). Named after Mount Egaleo, it includes part of the ancient Elaionas olive grove, which in antiquity surrounded the Sacred Way to Eleusis. It is served by metro line 3.
Petroupoli (60,000). At the foot of Mount Poikilo, it is known for the Theatre of Stone, an open-air theatre hosting a summer festival.
The northern municipalities
Acharnes (101,000). Also called Menidi, at the foot of Mount Parnitha, it was a large deme of ancient Attica, famous for the charcoal burners Aristophanes put on stage in The Acharnians. The 2004 Olympic Village was built here.
Marousi (72,000). A business district with large companies and shopping centres, it hosts the OAKA Olympic complex, with the stadium covered by Santiago Calatrava's steel canopy. It was the village of Spyridon Louis, winner of the first Olympic marathon in 1896.
Chalandri (77,000). A middle-class residential municipality crossed by the Rematia stream, one of the few watercourses in Attica still above ground, now a park.
Agia Paraskevi (62,000). A green north-eastern suburb on the slopes of Hymettus, home to the Demokritos research centre.
Nea Ionia (65,000). Founded by refugees from Ionia in 1922, who brought their carpet-weaving tradition; today a residential municipality on line 1.
Galatsi (58,000). A hilly municipality north of the centre, with the 2004 Olympic hall and the large Veikou park.
Irakleio (50,000). Not to be confused with Heraklion on Crete: a residential municipality north of Athens, on metro line 1.
Kifissia (49,000). The green, elegant northern suburb, with 19th-century villas, gardens, boutiques and the Goulandris Natural History Museum; it is the terminus of line 1. See Athens neighbourhoods.
The southern municipalities and the coast
Kallithea (98,000). A very dense municipality between Athens and the sea, home to Panteion University and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. See the Riviera.
Glyfada (90,000). The most upmarket municipality on the Riviera: shopping, marinas, golf course, beaches and summer nightlife, next to the former Elliniko airport.
Nea Smyrni (73,000). Founded by refugees from Smyrna after the 1922 catastrophe; it has a lovely central square with cafés and the Panionios club, one of Greece's oldest.
Agios Dimitrios (72,000). A residential municipality south of the centre, served by metro line 2.
Palaio Faliro (65,000). On the sea, with Flisvos marina, the seafront promenade and the museum battleship Averof.
Ilioupoli (77,000). On the slopes of Hymettus, residential, with paths climbing the mountain.
Vyronas (59,000). Named after Lord Byron, hero of philhellenism; it too was founded by the 1922 refugees and has an atmospheric theatre in an old quarry, the Theatre of the Rocks, which hosts a summer festival.
Zografou (70,000). The university municipality: the campuses of the University of Athens and the National Technical University are here, with lively student life.
Why go
For tourists most of these municipalities have little that is unmissable, but some deserve a visit: Piraeus for its port and archaeological museum, Kifissia for a stroll among villas and gardens, Glyfada and Vouliagmeni for the sea, Marousi for the Olympic stadium, and the open-air theatres of Vyronas and Petroupoli for summer shows. For those who want to understand today's Greece, a walk in a municipality such as Nea Smyrni or Peristeri shows the daily life of Athenian families, far from the monuments. See also Greece's population.