BASIC
INFORMATION
Full
Name: GREECE
Capital
Athens
Largest city Athens
Official language
Greek
Government
Parliamentary Republic
Area 131,957 km²
Population
11,244,118
Currency Euro
Time
zone (UTC +2)
Internet
TLD .gr
Calling
code +30
|
|
GEOGRAPHY
& BACKGROUND
Greece,
officially the Hellenic Republic is a country
in south-eastern Europe, situated on the
southern end of the Balkan peninsula. It
is bordered by Bulgaria, the Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia and Albania to the
north and by Turkey to the east. The Aegean
Sea lies to the east of mainland Greece
while the Ionian Sea lies to the west. Both,
parts of the eastern Mediterranean basin,
feature a vast number of islands.
Greece
lies at the juncture of Europe, Asia, and
Africa. It is heir to the heritages of classical
Greece, the Byzantine Empire, and nearly
four centuries of Ottoman Turkish rule [1].
Regarded as the cradle of western civilization
and being the birthplace of democracy[2],
Western philosophy[3], the Olympic Games,
western literature, geography, political
science and all sciences in general, scientific
principles and drama[4] including both tragedy
and comedy, Greece has a particularly long
and eventful history and a cultural heritage
considerably influential in Europe, Northern
Africa and the Middle East. Today, Greece
is a developed country, member of the European
Union since 1981 and a member of the Eurozone
since 2001.
Greece
consists of a mountainous and craggy mainland
jutting out into the sea at the southern
end of the Balkans; though small, it has
the 9th longest coastline in the world.
The Peloponnesus peninsula (separated from
the mainland by the canal of the Isthmus
of Corinth); and numerous islands (around
3,000), including Crete, Rhodes, Kos, Euboea,
the Dodecanese and the Cycladic groups of
the Aegean Sea as well as the Ionian Sea
islands. Greece has the 7th or 8th longest
coastline in the world with more than 15,000
kilometres (9,300 mi) of coastline; its
land boundary is 1,160 kilometres (721 mi).
Almost no one lives further than 50 km from
the sea.
Four
fifths of Greece consist of mountains or
hills, making the country one of the most
mountainous in Europe. Western Greece contains
a number of lakes and wetlands and it is
dominated by the Pindus mountain range.
Pindus has a maximum elevation of 2,636
metres (8,648 ft) and it is essentially
a prolongation of the Dinaric Alps.
The
range continues through the western Peloponnese,
crosses the islands of Kythera and Antikythera
and find its way into southwestern Aegean,
in the island of Crete where it eventually
ends. (the islands of the Aegean are peaks
of underwater mountains that once consisted
an extension of the mainland). Pindus is
characterized by its high, steep peaks,
often dissected by numerous canyons and
a variety of other karstic landscapes. Most
notably, the impressive Meteora formation
consisting of high, steep boulders provides
a breathtaking experience for the hundreds
of thousands of tourists who visit the area
each year. Special lifts transfer visitors
to the scenic monasteries that lye on top
of those rocks. Meteora are situated in
the Trikala prefecture. The Vikos-Aoos Gorge
is yet another spectacular formation. The
Vicos-Aoos Gorge is a popular hotspot for
those in fond of extreme sports.
View
of Mount Olympus, the highest mountain of
GreeceThe mythical Mount Olympus is the
tallest mountain in the country, located
in the northern Pieria prefecture, near
Thessaloniki. Mytikas in Olympus range has
a height of 2,919 metres (9,570 ft) at its
tallest peak. Once considered the throne
of the Gods, it is today extremely popular
among hikers and climbers who deem its height
as a challenge. Moreover, northeastern Greece
features yet another high altitude mountain
range, the Rhodope range, spreading across
the periphery of East Macedonia and Thrace;
this area is covered with vast, thick, ancient
forests including the famous Dadia.
Expansive
plains are primarily located in the prefectures
of Thessaly, Central Macedonia and Thrace.
They constitute key economic regions as
they are among the few arable places in
the country. Volos and Larissa are the two
largest cities of Thessaly.
Greece
as seen from orbitGreece's climate consists
of three types that influence well defined
regions of its territory. Those are the
Mediterranean, the Alpine and the Temperate
types. The first one features mild, wet
winters and hot, dry summers. The Cyclades,
the Dodecanese, Crete, Eastern Peloponessus
and parts of the Sterea Ellada region are
mostly affected by this particular type.
Temperatures rarely reach extreme values
although snowfalls do occur occasionally
even in the Cyclades or Crete during the
winter months. The Alpine type is dominant
mainly in Western Greece (Epirus, Central
Greece, Thessaly, Western Macedonia as well
as in the western and central parts of Peloponessus,
including the prefectures of Achaea, Arcadia
and parts of Laconia, where the Pindus range
passes by). Finally the Temperate type affects
Central and Eastern Macedonia as well as
Thrace, mainly affecting the cities of Komotini,
Xanthi and the towns of northern Evros;
it features cold, damp winters and hot,
dry summers. Athens is located in a transitional
area featuring both the Mediterranean and
the Alpine types. The city's northern suburbs
are dominated by the Alpine type while the
downtown area and the southern suburbs enjoy
a typical Mediterranean type. The lowest
temperature ever recorded in Greece is -27.8°C
in Ptolemaida, in the highlands of Western
Macedonia. The highest temperature ever
recorded around the country is +48.0°C,
at Larisa (Thessaly) and Elefsina (Attica).
The most recent severe snowfalls took place
in December 2001 (when the all time low
temperature record of Larisa broke), January
2002 (which mostly affected Athens, Evia
island and Crete) and February 2004. The
most notorious heatwaves in recent history
are those of June 1987, July 1988 and July
2000.
Rare
marine species such as the Pinniped Seals
and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle live in the
seas surrounding mainland Greece, while
its dense forests are home to the endangered
brown bear , the lynx, the Roe Deer and
the Wild Goat.
