Andravída, (Greek: Ανδραβίδα) is a city in the Regional Unit of Ilia in Greece that has a military base in the east side. Forest in the north side. It was the capital of the Principality of Achaea from 1295 until 1460, after this it was conquered and ruled by the Ottoman Empire until the Greek independence. It had a court which is no longer used into the present day. A Frankish-built church of Aghia Sophia in the heart of town. And the plain in the south. Its population is about 3,000. Its main street is named Agh&iacute,ou Konstantínou. (Αγιος Κωνσταντίνου) The area code is 11 then, 031 then, 26230 with 5 digits. Distance from Patras is around 65 to 66 km SW and 35 km NW of Pyrgos.

The population growth has been steadily growing. The population grew between 1% and 2% in the 20th century, today is growing at the 1% mark. Houses are still being built in town.

Geography and Features

The location is around 37°54′ N 21°17′ E, the elevation is 5 m in town, 4 m to 6 m in other areas.

A market (λαικί laiki) brings in shoppers every Saturday for mostly unbeatable prices on grocery, textiles, games, clothing, and so much more. The location is in Andravida's west side.

Near the road that connects the National Highway (Road) 9, also E55, a tomato factory "Asteris" produces a lot of tomato sauce to the parts of the state of Greece. Tractors filled with tomatoes are being carried into the factory to produce fine tomato sauce. Annual cost of production over the years were about $250,000 in the 1980s and about $500,000 in the present each year.

A town square is in the northern part of town. Trees are standing somewhere in a square. There is a building east of the heart of the square. It has a nearby park filled with swings, slides, and sandbox in its public park. Restaurants are available, and into Strousi, and smaller ones at Tragano. Kiosks are scattered on sidewalks of two main streets.

Tall thin forests lies next to the train tracks. Its length of forest is about 1 km.

Half of the land are forested, especially on hills east of Tragano. Pine forest in the north and mixed forest in the east and onto Stafidokambos.

There are no coastlines in the municipality. Its closest beach is Aghios Panteleimonas NW of Lechaina 7 km S. There are no campsites, motels, and hotels.

A boulevard names Iroon Polytechneiou or Eroon Polytechneiou was repaired with amazing technological lights that run almost on the entire strecth of boulevard. Andravida's west side main artery. Another street links with Tragano, Olga, Peneus Dam, Borsi and the main highway that connects traffic for Patras and Pyrgos. Next to that boulevard, is another square next to the Hagia Sophia Frankish church. Repairs were being done in (late-1990s). The cost of the renovation project is in the $500,000 to $1,000,000 range (125,000,000 to 250,000,000 drachmas).

The northernmost part of the community features a gas station, marble stores, and window store located 200m from the old federal road bordering Lechaina, near the railway crossings.

There are about two (2) electric railway crossings with about five (5) other non-electric railway crossings on that track.

Laiké / Laikí is the third largest north of Pyrgos. Its total lengh is nearly 400 to 450 m. They sell fruits and vegetables to the south, merchandises to the north, and clothing and mixed items in the middle. Its length almost taking up the entire section, almost blocking access from west Andravída and Stroúsi, and east Anrdávida. The market starts west of town's main street, passing into the town square, and up into the school and residential property of northwest Andravída.

Andravida's west side contains a lot of trees west of the town, dominating the land west of the train tracks. The forest extends west to Strousi near a valley which there is a creek forming a boundary between Andravida, Vartholomio, and Kastro-Kyllínis. The forest size has been around the same, due to housing. The size is around 1 to 2 km². There is other types of willow and other kinds of trees, and sticks founded near a dirt road NE of Andravida and W of GR-9. Trees also dominate as far north as the Kyllini Junction. Total size of this ranges at 1 km².

NW of town is Andravidaíko. A flat plain that is home to 10% of agricultural production. 70% is deforested, used for farming, bushes, grasses, and rivers, and irrigation canals. The remainder is forested. The total length of roads over there is 6 km. The plain starts only 500 m N and NW of Andravida, and the Old Anrdavida-Kyllini Road.

Population

Year	Communal population	Municipal population
1981	3460	-
1991	3167	3915
2001	3579	4309

Agriculture

Tomatoes, potatoes, pasture, watermelon, corn, melon and some other types of fruits and veggies dominate the municipality. Citrus and olives dominate the hills east of Tragano, and some near Staphid&oacutelkambos.

Agriculture remained the leading source of business until urban employment took over the agriculture industry. Now more than 80% or almost 100% of its habitants work in the urban industry. Now there may be 20% only working in agriculture throughout the Municipality of Andravida.

Transportation

There are about 10km of federally-operated highways. 4 is the old national road, and 6 is the new national road (runs into the intersection of Andravida-Tragano Road). 25 to 30 kilometres of local, residential, and rural roads are calculated throughout Andravida, and environs.

Speed limit is 30 km/h on most roads. 40 km/h on other half, this section does not include national or state-operated roads.

The first train tracks opened in the 1860s along with a train station. Its length of train tracks is about 3 km, with tens of kilometres of telephone poles scattered throughout the municipality.

Village or Town	Population	Elevation	Lat. and Long.
Andravida (Ανδραβίδα)	3579	5 m. (17 ft.)	37.85 or 37' 45' N and 21.2 or 21' 12' E
Agios Georgios (Vrachneika)	96	15 m (50 ft)	37.9 or 37' 47 N and 21.2 or 21' 12 E
Strousi or Strousion (Στρούσι)	365	4 to 5 m. (13 to 17 ft.)	37.87 or 37' 46 N and W of 21. 2 or 21' 12' E

Andravida Military Airport and Base

A military airport to the east which is 2.5 km by road from the city center. Construction began in the 1950s to expand the Greek military and military aviation services throughout the state.The lengh of the runway is 2 km. It is the longest airport in Ilia. The airport is bordered and almost surrounded with 80% or 4 km of green leafy and pined trees, except of those at runway points. The setting is located in a forested area. There are more forest lying east of the military airport. Cultivated plains lie to the west. Military exercises as occurred since its opening.

In 2000, parts from the Greek military aircraft landed down on a rural residential house which didn't cause fatalities, but paralysed a refrigerator in the kitchen, and caused a hole in a ceiling. The plane did not crash. A couple of days later, demonstrators were protesting against military exercises Another accident one of this kind also happened in the 1960s.