THE PLACE

Naoussa is built in the foothills of Eastern Vermion, in a natural embrace which is shaped by successively levels that slowly descend to the plain and dominate from a medium altitude of 330 m. above the sea to the entire fertile plain of Imathia that is extended up to Thessaloniki. To the West, the horizon of the city is described by verdurous mountains and hills that create this precisely hospitable embrace, where the current city has been founded and developed.

The Vermion Mountain, that constitutes the natural border between the plain of Imathia-Thessaloniki in the East and the uplands of Kozani in the West, allows minimum obligatory crossings where the most important cities of the region can be found: Veria, the capital of Prefecture of Imathia in the South, Naoussa in the middle and Edessa the capital of Prefecture of Pella in the North. Many villages dispread among the cities ensure the continuity in the human presence.

The northern and Eastern slopes of Vermion are covered by forests with mainly conifers and beeches, while the Western slopes are almost naked. The abundant water forms big and small waterfalls, which have been used since 19^th century and are still used as motive force for the industry. More specifically in Naoussa, the most important river is "Arapitsa" whose sources are located in a very beautiful place near the city which is the thicket of Agios Nikolaos. Rolling to the lower levels, the river crosses the city and separates it in two unequal parts, while successive smaller or bigger waterfalls are formed in all the way up to the plain.