Greece: Geography, History & Key Features - A Comprehensive Overview

Geography of Greece Browse the article Geography of Greece

Introduction to Geography of Greece

Greece, or Hellenic Republic, a country consisting of part of the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe and many offshore islands. It was in Greece that, centuries before Christ, there arose an enlightened civilization noted for its achievements in art and architecture, literature, philosophy, science, and government. Greece is often called the birthplace of Western civilization.

Greece is bounded by Albania, the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey, and the Aegean, Mediterranean, and Ionian seas.

Facts in brief about GreeceCapital: Athens.Official language: Greek.Official name: Elliniki dimokratia (Hellenic Republic).Area: 50,949 mi2 (131,957 km2). Greatest mainland distances—north-south, 365 mi (587 km); east-west, 345 mi (555 km). Coastline (including islands)—9,333 mi (15,020 km).Elevation: Highest—Mount Olympus, 9,570 ft (2,917 m) above sea level. Lowest—sea level along the coasts.Population: Current estimate—11,128,000; density, 218 per mi2 (84 per km2); distribution, 60 percent urban, 40 percent rural. 2001 census—10,964,020.Chief products: Agriculture—corn, cotton, grapes and raisins, olives, poultry, sheep, sugar beets, tobacco, wheat. Manufacturing—cement, chemicals, cigarettes, clothing, fabricated metal products, petrochemicals, processed foods, textiles. Mining—bauxite, chromite, lignite, magnesite, marble.National anthem: "Ethnikos Hymnos" ("National Anthem").Flag: Greece's flag, adopted in 1822, has a white cross symbolizing the Greek Orthodox religion in the upper-left corner. The flag has nine alternating horizontal blue and white stripes. The blue stripes represent the sea and sky, and the white stripes stand for the purity of the struggle for independence.Money: Basic unit—euro. One hundred cents equal one euro. The drachma was taken out of circulation in 2002.

Physical Geography

Greece is a country in southern Europe.Land

Greece is a mountainous country cut by many deep, narrow valleys. There are few basins and plains, and only along part of the coast is there a lowland.

The Pindus Mountains enter from the north and form a rugged backbone for most of the peninsula. The ranges run mainly northwest-southeast and are extremely broken and folded. Many peaks rise to 6,000 feet (1,830 m) above sea level, some to more than 8,000 feet (2,440 m). South of the Peloponnesus, a peninsula that forms the southernmost part of mainland Greece, the mountains curve south- and eastward through the Mediterranean, where the high peaks are exposed as islands.

From the Pindus Mountains a number of ranges run eastward to the Aegean, where they continue as islands. Rising near the sea in the north is Mount Olympus, at 9,570 feet (2,917 m) the country's highest peak.

Northeastern Greece, lying at the head of the Aegean Sea, is less rugged. It consists of rolling plains and hills, low plateaus, and high outlying sections of the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria.

The Greek islands—more than 400 in all—make up about a fifth of the country's total area. They are often mountainous and many of them rise abruptly from the sea. The main groups are the Ionian Islands, in the Ionian Sea; and the Northern Sporades, Cyclades, and Sporades, including the Dodecanese Islands, in the Aegean. Crete, Évvoia (Euboea), Lésvos (Lesbos), Rhodes, Khíos, and Kérkira (Corfu) are the largest single islands.

Water

Greece's coast, 9,300 miles (15,000 km) long, is frequently rugged, barren, and deeply indented by the sea. The Akhelóös, Piniós, and Aliákmon are among the chief rivers; like the other rivers, they are short and unnavigable. Many rivers dry up during the long hot summer; some become raging torrents during winter and spring.

Climate

The islands and coastal lowlands, where most of the people live, have a Mediterranean type of climate similar to that of southern California. The mountains have a harsher climate.

The Mediterranean climate has mild, rainy winters, hot, dry, sunny summers, and many days of sunshine and blue skies even in winter. Average July temperatures in the lowlands hover around 80° F. (27° C.), but highs of 90° to 100° F. (32° to 38° C.) are not uncommon, especially in the south and east. Average January temperatures range from about 40° to 50° F. (4° to 10° C.), the coolest regions being in the north. Rainfall is generally light and uncertain; droughts frequently occur. Yearly precipitation varies from about 15 inches (380 mm) in the southeast, around Athens, to 50 inches (1,270 mm) or more in the highlands of the northwest. There are occasional light frosts and snows on the lowlands during winter; heavier snows cover the high mountains.

Vegetation and Wildlife

In much of Greece, particularly on many of the islands, the native vegetation consists of small, droughtresistant, evergreen plants and shrubs. In valleys and lowlands, however, are found laurel, myrtle, oleander, cypress, and white poplar, along with olive, almond, fig, and pomegranate trees. Forests cover about 20 per cent of Greece; almost all are of poor quality. Oak, pine, and chestnut grow on lower mountain slopes; beech and fir appear at higher elevations.

Wild animals, few in kind and number, live primarily in the mountains. Among them are bears, wild goats, chamois, jackals, and foxes. There are many native birds.

Economy

Greece has traditionally been a largely agricultural country, and agriculture remains an important sector of the economy. Since 1970, however, manufacturing and services have accounted for the largest share of the gross domestic product.

Normally, Greece imports more than it exports. The resulting trade deficit is partly offset by money spent by the many tourists who visit Greece each year, by the earnings of Greece's merchant fleet, and by money sent home by Greeks working abroad. Trade is primarily with other members of the European Union.

Economic production in GreeceEconomic activities% of GDP producedNumber of workers% of all workersTrade, restaurants, & hotels 22928,20024Finance, insurance, real estate, & business services 22321,0008Community, government, & personal services 20897,10023Manufacturing 11557,40014Construction 8284,8007Transportation & communication 8250,0006Agriculture, forestry, & fishing 7627,00016Utilities 234,3001Mining 117,800Total 1003,917,600Manufacturing

From the late 1950's to the early 1980's manufacturing underwent impressive growth. Most enterprises are small, employing fewer than 10 workers; many are family owned and operated. Large firms, however, control most of the heavy industry. Large industrial complexes are engaged in metallurgy; petroleum refining; the making of chemicals, fertilizers, and plastics; and shipbuilding and ship repairing. Textiles, processed foods, leather items, and tobacco goods are products of long-standing importance.

The Athens metropolitan area, including the port city of Piraeus, is the leading center for manufacturing. Other large centers are Thessaloníki and Iráklion (on Crete). Pátrai, Vólos, and Eleusis are also significant.

Agriculture

A dry climate, poor soils, and rugged terrain make farming difficult in much of Greece. About 30 per cent of the land is cultivated. The terracing of hillsides is a common practice. Pasture, generally of poor quality, occupies slightly more land than crops.

Nearly one-fourth of the people make a living by farming. Modernization has taken place in many areas, but there are still many small farms that lack modern equipment and are worked by age-old methods.

Wheat, corn, and barley are the leading grain crops. Fruits and vegetables—notably tomatoes, citrus fruits, grapes, olives, melons, and figs—are widely grown. Tobacco, sugar beets, and cotton are the main industrial crops. Sheep, goats, and poultry are the chief animals raised.

Mining and Fishing

Greece is a large producer of bauxite. Other metallic minerals mined in significant amounts are chromium, lead, and zinc. Important nonmetals produced are asbestos, magnesite, and stone, sand, and gravel. Petroleum from wells in the northern Aegean and lignite, a low-grade coal, are the chief mineral fuels produced. Output, however, falls below domestic needs and large amounts of fossil fuels must be imported.

Despite its maritime heritage, Greece is not a major fishing nation. The relatively small catch comes from both Mediterranean and Atlantic waters. The chief species caught, by weight, are sardines, anchovies, and mackerel. Sponge fishing is carried on in the Aegean.

Transportation. Few places in Greece lie more than 80 miles (130 km) from the sea, and shipping is a major form of transportation. Piraeus, part of greater Athens, is the leading port. The Corinth Canal links the Aegean and Ionian Seas.

The main line of the railway system runs from Athens to Thessaloníki and northward. Greece has good roads in most of its mainland coastal areas, particularly the Aegean coast. Elsewhere, there are relatively few good roads. The Greek national airline, Olympic Airways, provides domestic and international service.

The People

Nearly a third of the people live in the Athens metropolitan area.

Language and Religion

Modern Greek, an Indo-European tongue, is the language of the country; Turkish is used by the Turks of western Thrace. There are two forms of modern Greek: demotic, the most widely spoken and popular literary form, which was officially adopted for government use and education in 1977; and katharevousa, more akin to classical Greek, which is now rarely used except by the Greek Orthodox church.

Nearly all the people belong to the Greek Orthodox church, the state church since 1864. Muslims are the largest religious minority; Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Jews make up smaller groups.

Education

is free and compulsory for nine years, beginning at age six. Most children attend government-supported schools, others attend state-supervised private schools. Adult literacy is about 94 per cent.

The National Technical University (founded in 1836) is Greece's oldest university. The Aristotelian University of Thessaloníki is the country's largest university. In addition to universities there are also specialist schools and colleges of fine arts, agriculture and technology, industrial studies, and political science.

Government

Under the constitution of 1975, Greece is a republic. The legislative body is the parliament, which is made up of 300 members popularly elected once every four years. The chief of state is the president, who is chosen by a two-thirds vote of parliament and serves a five-year term. The president appoints the prime minister (head of government) and the cabinet. The Supreme Court is the highest judicial body.