Geography
Located in southern Europe, Greece consists of a large mainland at the southern end of the Balkans; the Peloponnesus peninsula; and numerous islands (around 3,000). The islands are subdivided into two groups, according to location: the Ionian islands (including Corfu, Cephalonia, and Leucas) lie to the west of the mainland and the Aegean islands (including Euboea, Samos, Chios, Lesbos, and Crete) to the east and south. Washed on three sides by the Mediterranean Sea, Greece has more than 15,000 kilometres of coastline.
Athens is the capital and the largest city with the highest number of residents; Thessaloniki is the next most populated city.
Much of Greece is mountainous and rocky terrain, with some occasional plain. The main chain of the Pindus Mountains extends from northwest Greece to the Peloponnese. Mount Olympus, rising to 9,570 ft (2,909 m), is the highest point in the country. |
