Geography of Greece
The section provides all the information you need to understand thegeography of Greece.
Table of contents:
•General Info •Characteristics •By region
General Info
Greece is a peninsular and mountainous country located in Southern-Eastern Europe, in theBalkans peninsula, and has a land area of128,900 km2 (49,769 sq. miles).
The country has thelargest coastline in Europe (13,676km) due to its numerous islands. It has a total of 2,000 islands but only 168 are inhabited.
The country is washed to the east by theAegean Sea, to the west by theIonian and to the south by theMediterranean Sea.
Population
Greece's population is estimated at10,4 million people in 2020.
In terms of totalworld population, it represents0.13% and it is ranked at number 87 of all countries.
Thedensity of the population is81 per square kilometer (209 people per square mile).
85% of its population resides in the cities.
Landscape
Two-thirds of the territory is covered withmountains.
Thehighest mountain isMount Olympus, with its peak at an altitude of2917 meters.
Natural Ressources
The country isvery rich in natural resources providing petroleum, magnetite, lignite, bauxite, hydropower, and marble.
The geographical position of Greece has marked the development of many civilizations throughout the ages.
The special features of the geography have formed an equally specialnatural environment.
The country has a rich diversity offlora andfauna and many species are original in this country, which means that they only reside there.
These rare species live inforests,lakes andrivers.
The limestone and thevolcanoes have composited the territory and allowed the formation of manycaves andcanyons.
Our guide features information about the natural characteristics of Greece: the geography and landscape of the country and its islands.
Characteristics of the geography
Information about the characteristics of the geography of Greece: Athens, the capital, the different regions in the mainland and the Greek islands.
Athens, the Capital
Athens is the capital of Greece. It belongs to the Prefecture of Attica, located at the center of the territory. Attica is a peninsula surrounded by four high mountains that form a basin. In this basin, the city and suburbs of Athens have been constructed. The southernmost point of Attica is Cape Sounion, on top of which an ancient temple dedicated to god Poseidon is found. According to the myth, King Aegeus fell from Cape Sounion and got drowned, when he thought that his only son Theseus was killed by the Minotaur in Crete. On the western side, the Attica peninsula is divided by Peloponnese with the Corinth Canal, an artificial work that was completed in 1893.
Mainland regions and Greek islands
TheGreek mainland consists of the following regions:Sterea (Central Greece),Peloponnese,Thessaly (east-central),Epirus (northwest),Macedonia (north) and Thrace (northeast).
Peloponnese is the most popular region of the mainland. It is located in the southern part of the country and looks like an island connected to the mainland with two bridges: the bridge at the Corinth Canal and the cable bridge of Rio-Antirrio. It is dissected by high mountains that extend southwards towards a landscape of fertile plains, pine forests uplands, and craggy foothills.
The country also consists of manyislands and island complexes:Crete,Cyclades,Dodecanese,Ionian,Sporades,Saronic, andEastern Aegean islands. There are more than 2,000 large and smaller Greek islands scattered both in the Aegean and the Ionian Sea. Most of them are located in the Aegean between the mainland and Turkey. The largest Greek island is Crete and the second largest in Evia. Lesvos and Rhodes come next. Some of the most famous islands areSantorini,Mykonos,Rhodes,Crete,Zakynthos, andCorfu.
The geography by region
Information about the geography of Greece by regions:
