Astakos (, 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. The municipal unit has an area of 345.099 km<sup>2</sup>. 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 ( - Astakos), and was named Dragamesti in the Middle Ages. It is speculated to be the site of ancient Dulichium.
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
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! 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.
See also
- List of settlements in Aetolia-Acarnania
- List of cities in ancient Acarnania
External links
- Municipality of Astakos