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Epirus (Greek Ήπειρος), a region in north-western Greece. It is a province (in Greek "periphery") of Greece and is bounded to the east by the provinces of West Macedonia and Thessaly and to the south by the province of West Greece. To the west is the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands, and to the north is Albania. Epirus is divided into the prefectures (nomoi) of Arta, Ioannina, Preveza and Thesprotia. The capital and largest city is Ioannina.
Historically, Epirus extended further north into what is now Albania. There is still a substantial Greek minority in southern Albania, which Greeks call North Epirus. There was also a large Albanian mainority in Greek Epirus, but these people were mostly removed to Albania during and after World War II and the Greek civil war. Greece maintained a territorial claim to southern Albania for many years, but today both countries recognise the current border. Today's Greece's main concern is to police the border against illegal immigration from Albanians seeking work.
The country is all mountainous, especially towards the east, where the Pindus Mountains, forming the mountainous spine of mainland Greece, separate Epirus from Macedonia and Thessaly. Epirus is largely made up of mountainous ridges, reaching 2,600 metres in places. Most of Epirus lies on the windward side of the Pindus and receives the winds off the Ionian Sea, thus receiving more rainfall than any other part of Greece. This advantage is set off by a lack of suitable farmland and poor soils. As a result the agricultural productivity of Epirus has always been low.
Epirus is one of the poorest parts of Greece. Tobacco is grown around Ioannina, and there is also some dairying and fishing, but most of the area's food must be imported. Epirus has few resources and industries, and has been steadily depopulated by emigration since the 19th century. The population is concentrated in the area around Ioannina, which has some manufacturing and service industries. Although Epirus has many attractions, it has not shared in the tourist boom which has brought wealth to other parts of Greece.