• Hellenic Republic • Prefecture of Drama

The Prefecture of Drama lies on the northeastern edge of Greece on the border with Bulgaria. In terms of natural environment it is the richest prefecture. The Rodopi mountain range to the north, the Menikio and the Orvilos range to the west, Mount Pangeo to the south and the Lekani Mountains to the east surround it. The mountainous massif, which dominates the horizon, is Falakro, which is known as the "mountain symbol" of Drama.

In administrative terms the Prefecture falls within the Eastern Macedonia-Thrace Region and is divided into eight municipalities (Drama, Kato Nevrokopi, Prosotsani, Nikiforos, Paranesti, Doxato, Kalambaki and Sitagri) and one community (Sidironero). Essentially the prefecture is agricultural. There are large cultivated areas in the plains, which extend over the southern part of the region. Full exploitation of water resources (particularly on the Nestos and Aggitis rivers and the Kefalari springs) and the use of modern cultivation techniques have significantly improved the agrarian economy in recent years.

The products cultivated are mainly cereals, cotton and tomatoes. However, tobacco, grapevines, fruit and vegetables are produced in mass. Among the most well known products of the area are beans and potatoes from Kato Nevrokopi while the cultivation of vines in recent years has acquired a new dynamism with already well-known wines from the area achieving international recognition.
The breeding of animals plays a significant role in the prefecture with the main form of farming being done by families on small traditional farms. The animals bred are mainly wild sheep, bovines and pigs yet nowadays, modern farming units are now producing dairy products of excellent quality.
However, in a prefecture the greatest part of which is covered in forests, it would be difficult for forest products to be missing from the list of what comes out of Drama. The area has the richest expanses of forest in Greece. The main forestry products that come from the forests are spruce, pine, beech, oak and poplar timber, which is almost exclusively absorbed by local timber industries.

The largest source of revenue in the prefecture, though, is marble. Today the marble industry is one of the basic elements in the development of the area. Marble mining and respective industry is now, among the largest and most modern in the country. Establishement in the area is due to the exporting as far a field as Arab countries, Europe, the USA and Japan. The prefecture's subsoil also contains valuable mineral wealth in the form of industrial minerals of which among the most important are the manganese deposits in the foothills of Mount Falakro, the uranium deposits and other industrial minerals in the area of Paranesti and the lignite fields, which have been identified in the area around Mavrolefki.
The basic administrative, educational, health-care and athletic services are located in the Prefectural capital, Drama. The city has modern hospitals, a network of sports facilities with indoor gymnasiums, a swimming pool, athletic tracks and football pitches as well as the Forestry Department of the Technological Educational Institute of Kavala.
In association with active local cultural groups, a network of cultural facilities with exhibition spaces, libraries, music schools, cinema and theatres provides a variety of events for preserving local traditions and for promoting modern forms of art. The prefecture can be reached on road or by train from Thessaloniki, by ship from Thasos island and by plane via the Megas Alexandros Airport at Chrysoupoli.