What type of geography does greece have

They begin in the north-west of the country, and run south-east until they slip beneath the waves of the sea; their peaks periodically breaking the surface to form the thousands of islands for which the Greek waters are renowned. These mountains divide the mainland into a series of small habitable valleys and plains, determining the distribution of villages and towns across the landscape and shaping rainfall patterns and road networks.

It may not be the idyllic rural landscape filled with babbling brooks and shady sun-dappled forests imagined by the Pre-Raphaelite painters, but it is magnificent in its raw and untamed state, and the endless miles of coastline contain some of the best coves, beaches and gulfs in Europe. In bare statistical terms, Greece occupies an area of , sq km 50, sq miles , and has a coastline of 13, km 8, miles. It has more than 2, islands, of which are permanently inhabited. A geographically complex country, it can be divided into the following zones for ease of description:.

The capital and its hinterland are located on a broad peninsula that juts out into the Aegean Sea. Athens itself is now home to c. The airport Eleftherios Venizelos is situated to the east, on the far side of the Imittos range, but is extremely well connected to the capital. Attica used to be famous for the quality of the olive oil it produced, but much agriculture has been abandoned as the inhabitants have turned their attention to the job opportunities on offer in the capital.

The Peloponnese is a large peninsula that was only barely attached to the mainland by a narrow isthmus in the north-east, near the town of Corinth. As this strip has now been cut through by the Corinth canal which drastically shortens the dangerous voyage around the peninsula it has technically become an island; the latest among the many that define the Greek state. Its mass is divided by two long mountain chains that run north-south and another mass of mountains that run east-west along the northern coast and the central region.

The northern and central mountains are extremely well watered, and are filled with forests and beautiful gorges. The south is dominated by the plains of Lakonia and Messinia, the latter of which is renowned for its beautiful sandy beaches. The islands of the Aegean are conventionally divided into a series of different groups: the Argo-Saronic, the Cycladic, the Sporades, the Dodecanese, the islands of the East Aegean Samos, Chios, Lesbos etc. They are generally composed of limestone or granite, although some of the islands of the southern Dodecanese are volcanic rock or basalt.

Many of them have little groundwater, which limits their agricultural potential, although some of them do produce excellent wines. Before the advent of tourism, most of them made their living from the sea, and the whitewashed houses in the fishing villages are the archetypal scene that is brought to mind when one thinks of Greek architecture.

The first Olympic Games were held in the southern city of Olympia in B. Only men could compete in the events such as sprinting, long jump, discus, javelin, wrestling, and chariot racing.

The games were banned by the Romans in A. Greece was ruled by foreigners for over 2, years beginning with the Romans conquering the Greeks in the 2nd century. Then, after almost years under Turkish rule, Greece won independence in All rights reserved. Personality Quizzes. Funny Fill-In. Amazing Animals. Weird But True! Party Animals. Try This! Explore More. Night falls over ancient ruins in Greece.

Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Map created by National Geographic Maps. Watch "Destination World". Now Playing. Up Next. North America. South America. 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 The Greek 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 mainland Greece. It is located in the southern part of Greece 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. The island is dissected by high mountains that extend southwards towards a landscape of fertile plains, pine forests uplands, and craggy foothills. There are more than 2, 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. Contact us Contact us. Sign In. Eastern Aegean. About Greece. Greek culture. Where to go in Greece? Our community. What to do in Greece?