general information about Greece

General Information about Greece

Looking at a world Atlas, you will discover that Greece lies in Southeastern Europe, in the southernmost corner of the Balkan peninsula.Greece is bound by the Aegean Sea to the east and south and by the Ionian Sea to the west, both parts of the Mediterranean Sea.

The area of the country is 131.944 square kilometers, of which the mainland covers 106.777,76 square kilometers and the islands 25.166,24 square kilometers. There are hundreds of islands, scattered all over the blue seas, offering unforgettable moments to the visitors, on the golden beaches beneath the mediterranean sun.

Four fifths of the land are mountainous and the tallest mountain is Olympus, at the north of the country with a height of 2.917 meters.Maybe this was the reason why ancient Greeks imagined that the Olympian Gods chose it to build their palaces upon, on its inaccessible summits that no man could reach.

Greece is a developed country, member of the European Union since 1981 and of the Ecoomic and Monetary Union of the European Union since 2001.

The population of Greece is 11.500.000. The religion is Christian Orthodox and the regime is Presidentisal Republic. The climate is mediterranean, mild, with moderate rains in the winter, while the summer is dry and very sunny.

Greece has one of the reachest flora in the world, with about 4.050 indigenous species.

Greece is considered as the cradle of western civilization as it is the birthplace of democracy, arts, sciences, as philosophy, literature, medical sciences,political sciences,mathematics, astronomy and the Olympic Games