Rafina

Rafina (Greek: Ραφήνα) is a town located in the eastern part of Attica and the peninsula. Rafina is also a port town serving ferries to the southern part of Euboea as well as most of the Cyclades. Rafina is about 30 km east of downtown Athens. Rafina is east of the Penteli mountains and northeast of the Mesogeia plain with an exception of farmlans within the coastline to the north. Rafina is divided between farmlands and forests except for the southwestern part of the municipality. Rafina is accessed with Marathonos Avenue (GR-54) to the west which between 2002 and 2005 added two more lanes and became a divided avenue to the west which stretches up to Nea Makri. Another road links with Loutsa or Artemida. The Cephissus River lies to the west. Rafina is located E of Athens and the Attiki Odos (number 63), S of Nea Makri, NNE of the Eleftherios Venizelos Airport and N of Loutsa. Rafina is home to the Greek prime minister Kostas Karamanlis and his family. The beaches of Rafina is away from the port which has tavernas, hotels and accommodations throughout the coastline.

Until the 1960s and the 1970s, most of the population were rural. As housing developments came to the area, the population boomed and also into the settlements.

On July 28, 2005, a forest fire began near the area of the hills southwest of Rafina which began at 11:00 EET (8:00 AM GMT). The fires ravashed quickly with windspeeds of 60 to 70 km/h threatening forests around the hills and the small mountain range that runs from north of Spata to near Rafina consuming almost most of the forests and burned homes in two of its settlements including Kallitechnio. Tens of homes were burned in flames and became homeless and displaced 15,000 including outside the municipality. Flames ravaged near Rafina almost threatening properties. Traffic were redirected or halted as Marathonos Avenue were shut down from its junction to near Pikermi. the fires also threatened Neos Vourtzas near Penteli. Smoke were active for the past couple of hours and at 5 pm EET, windspeeds calmed down and changed direction to the northeast near Rafina. The smoke became less dense to a point where the fire can stop. Firefighters put out the fire and the threat decreased. The flame didn't reach parts of Rafina but the smoke came close to Rafina but declined in density.

• Agia Kyriaki Rafinas
• Agia Triada Rafinas
• Agios Gerogios Rafinas

Rafina has schools, lyceums, gymnasia, banks, churches, a post office, beaches and squares (plateies).

• http://www.rafina.info/
• Mapquest - Rafina, street map not available
• Coordinates: 38°1′15″N 23°0′9″E / 38.02083°N 23.00250°E / 38.02083; 23.00250

• List of municipalities of Attica

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