Alexandroúpolis
[key], city, capital of Evros prefecture, NE Greece, W Thrace, a seaport on the Gulf of
Ainos, an inlet of the Aegean Sea. It is near the Turkish frontier. Alexandroúpolis is
a commercial center with rail connections to Thessaloníki and Edirne; wheat, cotton,
rice, tobacco, salt, and dairy products are traded. Originally called Dedeagach, it developed
from a small fishing village after 1871. It supplanted the older port of Enos upon the
completion (1896) of the Thessaloníki-İstanbul RR. The city suffered greatly at
the hands of the Bulgarians in both World Wars. It was ceded to Greece in 1919, and it was
renamed for King Alexander of Greece.
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