Axios is a river in southeastern Europe, which runs through the Republic of North Macedonia and Greece. It is 380 kms long, 76 kms of which within the Greek state. Its width ranges from 50-600 m., while its depth reaches 4 m. It springs from Skardos mountain, on the Albanian-Kosovo border, crosses the Skopje valley, enters the Greek territory, passes through Macedonia, and flows into the Thermaikos Gulf.
The word Axios comes from axos (αξός), which according to Hesychios means “the woodland, the forest.” The banks of the river are surrounded by forests full of elm, beech, and plane trees, while closer to the estuaries there are more tamarisks and bushes. The valley of Axios, along with that of the neighboring Strymon river, are the main crossings to Greece from the north. Axios in ancient times was navigable, a fact that contributed to the movement of people, goods and ideas, and facilitated trade, communication, and the economic bloom of the areas where it flowed.
It became the ground of major battles during WWI, most notably the Battle of Axios in May 1917.
