Kourenta
Kourenta | |
|---|---|
  Kourenta Location within Greece | |
| Coordinates: 39°39′8″N 20°36′42″E / 39.65222°N 20.61167°E | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Epirus |
| Regional unit | Ioannina |
| Municipality | Zitsa |
| Municipal unit | Molossoi |
| Elevation | 508 m (1,667 ft) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Community | 140 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Kourenta (Greek: Κούρεντα) is a settlement in Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. The community consists of the villages Kourenta and Petsali.
Name
In the 19th century, scholar Ioannis Lambridis stated Kourenta was the name of a župan (chieftain) and rendered Kourentas as a masculine noun that shifted into a neuter plural in an area where Albanian settlement had occurred.[2]
Without excluding a proper name derivation, the linguist Kostas Oikonomou stated the toponym likely stemmed from the Albanian noun kurent -i, plural kurente, meaning 'river current, torrent'.[2] In a metaphorical context, this Albanian word can refer to an impetuous or rushing person, although it also corresponds to the geographical terrain of the area.[2] The village is located on the left side of a ravine, at the bottom of which flows the Korakolakkos river, a tributary of the Kalamas river that becomes a rushing torrent particularly during winter.[2]
History
The name of the village, Kourenta, is also used for the wider region called Kourentachoria (villages of Kourenta).[2] The scholar Ioannis Lambridis wrote that Albanians had settled in Kourenta.[2] The historian Michalis Kokolakis stated the Kourenta area formed an Albanian speech island, and some of the Albanian-speaking population converted to Islam.[3] In the late 17th century, Albanian Muslim converts tried to spread Islam to the villages of Kourenta, while part of the population migrated to Zagori.[4] Later, the local population expelled the Albanian Muslim converts.[3] The remaining Albanian speakers eventually became hellenised through interaction with nearby Greek speakers, resulting in a language shift to Greek.[3]
See also
References
- ↑ "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Oikonomou 2002, p. 151.
- 1 2 3 Kokolakis, Michalis (2003). Το ύστερο Γιαννιώτικο Πασαλίκι: χώρος, διοίκηση και πληθυσμός στην τουρκοκρατούμενη Ηπειρο (1820–1913) [The late Pashalik of Ioannina: Space, Administration and Population in Ottoman ruled Epirus (1820–1913)] (PDF) (in Greek). National Hellenic Research Foundation. Center for Neohellenic Research. p. 55. ISBN 960-7916-11-5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 April 2015.
- ↑ Oikonomou, Kostas E. (2002). Τα οικωνύμια του νομού Ιωαννίνων. Γλωσσολογική εξέταση [The oikonyms of the prefecture of Ioannina. A linguistic examination] (PDF) (in Greek). Nomarchiaki Aftodioikisi Ioanninon. p. 219. ISBN 9789608316010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 November 2024.