Certain small Greek towns, particularly those involved at a later stage (in the twentieth century) in the formation of the new Greek State have less 'history' than those which attained independence during the first wave of the revolution of 1821-1828. In addition, the names of these towns have come to acquire, rightly or wrongly, certain geographical and historical connotations.

Preveza, which is situated on the western mainland, is a case in point. The study sets out to establish whether, in the minds of schoolchildren, Preveza has a history of heroic deeds and is situated to the west or the north of the country.

This study, which is divided into two parts, seeks to analyse the impressions of pupils at lower secondary schools (12-14) and upper secondary schools (15-17) regarding Greek geography and history.

Firstly, about 30 pupils in the Athens area were asked to locate Corfu, Larissa and Preveza on a map already indicating the positions of Athens, Thessaloniki, Heraklion and Rhodes. Preveza proved much harder to locate correctly than either Corfu or Larissa.

Secondly, 419 pupils from several upper and lower secondary schools were asked to identify, name and locate the Zalogos monument situated about 20 kilometres north of Preveza in the Department of Preveza. Given the choice of several possible locations (departments of Ioannina and Preveza and the regions of Messolonghi and Northern Epirus (southern Albania) ), few were able to complete the task correctly, most of them associating it with Messolonghi, which is famous for its heroes.

ConclusionHence, while the teaching of history and geography, seeks to cultivate in pupils a (very exaggerated) sense of pride in their country and in its heroism, it may also result in a degree of confusion and inaccuracy with regard to the facts.

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