The City of Ioannina
Ioannina (spelled Yiannena by the locals), with a population of 120.000 is the capital and largest city of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece.
It is located at an altitute of approximately 500 metres (1,640 feet) above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis. Ioannina is located 450 km (280 mi) northwest of Athens, 290 kilometres (180 miles) southwest of Thessaloniki and 80 km (50 miles) east of the port of Igoumenitsa in the Ionian Sea.
Founded by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the 6th century AD, Ioannina flourished following the Fourth Crusade, when many wealthy Byzantine families fled there in the early 13th century following the sack of Constantinople. It was the capital of the Despotate of Epirus from 1358 to 1416, before surrendering to the Ottomans in 1430. Between 1430 and 1868 the city was the administrative center of the Pashalik of Yanina. During 16th and 19th centuries, the city was a major center of the modern Greek Enlightenment. The city’s emblem consists of the portrait of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian crowned by a stylized depiction of the nearby ancient theater of Dodona.
The city is the seat of the University of Ioannina (situated 5 km (3 miles) south of the city, with 17 departments, 20,000 students).
Ioannina has a Mediterranean climate tempered by its inland location and elevation. Summers are typically hot and dry, while winters are wet and colder than on the coast. Start of September typically is characterized by sunshine and agreable temperatures. Short rainfalls are not uncommon.