North Aegean Regional Development
Key Competitive Attractions
North Aegean consists of the prefectures of Samos, Lesbos, and Chios, Greece's the fifth biggest island. The region's main economic industry is food and drink production, especially in olives, olive oil, cheese, fruit and fish.
Chios has significant merchant shipping community, transporting various goods, including food and drink products. Tourism also thrives on the island, due to its Mediterranean climate, natural beauty and medieval villages. Its 11th century monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Chios has one of the highest per capita incomes of the Greek prefectures, due to its ownership of approximately 50% of the merchant marine in Greece, and approximately 12% of merchant marine on the globe.
The island also benefits heavily from having large Chian communities in London and New York, sustaining excellent relations with the island.
The island of Lesvos produces high amounts of olives, with over 11,000,000 olive trees on an area of 46,500 hectares, able to produce 100,000 tons of fruit or 20,000 tons of olive oil each year.
Lesvos has a history in pottery, and still remains one of the leading pottery centres in Greece, thanks to the argyle and red soil, and a cluster of pottery workshops established on the island.
Assistance and Support For New Business Investors
The Minister of Internal Affairs, Public Administration and Decentralisation manages the Regional Development Funds for North Aegean Region. The agency participates in European projects and implements the Programme of Public Investments for the North Aegean region.
