The picturesque seaside villages of Halkidiki were first home to families of fishermen. Each village had its little harbour where the fishermen moored their vessels after returning from the sea. In 1922, when the great wave of refugees from Asia Minor arrived in the region, these little villages took on a new lease of life. The state granted the refugees land by the sea, not being farmed at the time, and the new inhabitants demonstrated their mettle in building up new and robust communities. Many of the villages have names beginning with Neos or Nea (new), and then the name of the town or village they left behind in Asia Minor (e.g. Nea Moudania, Nea Triglia, etc.).