Mani Peninsula (grc)

Mani Peninsula

Mani Peninsula ranks 6,411th in number of biographies on Pantheon, behind Nové Zámky, Loughborough, and Wagga Wagga. Memorable people born in Mani Peninsula include Petrobey Mavromichalis, Periklis Pierrakos-Mavromichalis, and Alexandros Koumoundouros. Mani Peninsula has been the birth place of many politicians. Mani Peninsula is located in Greece.

The Mani Peninsula, also long known by its medieval name Maina or Maïna, is a geographical and cultural region of southern Greece. It is part of the modern departments of Laconia and Messenia. Mani is the central of three peninsulas, or capes, that extend southward from the Peloponnese. The Laconian Gulf and Cape Maleas are to the east; the Messenian Gulf and Cape Akritas are to the west. The Mani is the southern extension of the Taygetus mountain range. It is about 28 miles long and its terrain is quite rugged. Its historical inhabitants are the Maniots, who claim descent from ancient Spartans and Laconian refugees of the early Roman period. The region—now designated a historical district—was once known as Maina Polypyrgos for the numerous towers built by Maniots who engaged in raids on coastal shipping. Notable sites in Mani include ruins of the temple of Poseidon at Cape Matapan and the 13th-century Frankish castle Grand Magne. The capital of Mani is Areopoli, and is connected by road to the towns of Gytheio and Pyrgos Dirou. Maniots played a key role in sparking the Greek War of Independence in 1821. Read more on Wikipedia