The northernmost point of Elis is 38° 06'N, the westernmost is 22° 12′E, the southernmost is 37° 18′N, and the easternmost is 21° 54′E. The length from north to south is , and from east-to-west is around . The modern regional unit is not completely congruent with
ancient Elis:
Lampeia belonged to ancient
Arcadia, and
Kalogria is now part of
Achaea. The longest river is the
Alfeios. Other rivers are the
Erymanthos,
Pineios and
Neda. Alfeios, Pineios and Neda flow into the
Ionian Sea in Elis. Less than 1% of the prefecture is open water, most of it found in artificial reservoirs and dams, in the north and east. The
Pineios Dam supplies water for Northern Elis. The water is not safe for drinking, because it contains some
contaminants. A second, smaller reservoir in the river Alfeios near
Olympia and
Krestena supplies water to Pyrgos. The eastern part of the regional unit is forested, with mostly
pine trees in the south. There are forest preserves in
Foloi and the mountain ranges of Eastern Elis. In the north is the
Strofylia forest which has pine trees. Mountain ranges include
Movri (around 720 m or 2,400 ft),
Divri (around 1500 m),
Minthe (around 1100 m), and more. About one-third of the land is fertile; the rest is mountainous and not suitable for crops. Swamplands used to cover 1–1.5% of the region, especially in the
Samiko area. Most of them have been drained for agricultural purposes; only 10 km² (4 sq miles) has been kept and is now protected. Here lie the ancient ruins of
Elis,
Epitalion and
Olympia, known for the
ancient Olympic Games which started in 776 BC. There is a museum with statues that relate to the history of Olympia. Another museum is in Elis, but it is very small. Monasteries are scattered around the region.
Climate Elis has a
Mediterranean climate, with hot, sunny summers. Temperatures over 40 °C have been recorded. The mountainous interior is colder, and snow covers the mountains in winter. Elis is more humid than the eastern Peloponnese.
Natural disasters Elis is located in a
seismically active zone, and there are several
earthquakes each year. Some of the most significant earthquakes to have hit the area are: • 1909: earthquake in
Chavari • 1910: earthquake in
Vartholomio • 1920: earthquake in
Kyllini • 1953:
Ionian earthquake, minor damage in Elis • 2008: 8 June
Peloponnese earthquake, 2 deaths; hundreds of damaged homes and buildings were reported in Lechaina, Amaliada and Vartholomio Rainy weather in 2002–2003 caused destruction of villages by mudslides, and some bridges and roads were also cut off. In February 2008, frost devastated many crops in
Manolada,
Nea Manolada and
Kounoupeli. In August 2007, there were enormous
forest fires which led to tens of deaths and a massive environmental and economic disaster. The final toll for the prefecture was: 45 dead, 100,000 affected by the fire, 3,500 left homeless by the fire, 25,000 dead animals, 8,500 hectares of burnt forests, 2,300 hectares of burnt farmland. The archaeological site of
Olympia was seriously threatened, but not damaged. ==Administration==