Kopraina became crucial for the prosperity of Arta in 1881, when the town became part of Greece. Since there was no road to connect Arta to the rest of the country, and the traditional port of Salaora remained under Ottoman rule, all trade goods had to go through Kopraina. But there were certain limitations to its potential; the local climate was terrible (lots of mosquitoes) and there was almost no dry land on which to build houses. Therefore Kopraina ended up with no more than the most basic infrastructure that was essential to trade: a custom house, warehouses, an inn, the police station, and water tanks.