Greece occupies the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula and nearby islands. This country borders with Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey. Due to its geographical position, Hellas has a unique relief, nature and climate.
Geographic location
The total area of Greece is 132 thousand square kilometers. It is washed by several seas. The geographical position of Greece is such that this country has a coastline 15 thousand kilometers long. The country can be divided into three parts: the mainland, the Peloponnese peninsula and numerous islands. Greece, located in the Balkans, consists of several provinces: Greek Macedonia, Thrace, Epirus, Thessaly.
Peloponnese
Mainland Greece on the map has an extremity in the form of the Peloponnese peninsula. It is connected to the Balkans by the Isthmus of Corinth. Through it, in order to improve logistics, a shipping channel was dug. In the south of the peninsula between Messinia and Laconia are the mountains of Taygetos. They consist of limestones and crystalline schists. The highest peaks are covered with snow every winter. The geographical position of Greece is such that in thesechestnut, fir and oak forests grow in latitudes. Periodically, they are severely affected by large-scale fires.
In ancient times, the Peloponnese was the birthplace of the ancient Mycenaean civilization. Today the largest city of the peninsula is Patras, where 169 thousand people live. This port is located in the harbor of a bay called Patraikos. In the center of the Peloponnese there is a mountain range, from which four more chains extend. They form small peninsulas and picturesque bays.
Sea
Greece's coastal geographic position has made it a country of several seas. It is washed by three pools at once. These are the Aegean, Ionian and Libyan Seas south of Crete, which together are part of one large Mediterranean Sea.
Greeks from ancient times were closely connected with water. Their ships traveled far to the east and west, and enterprising travelers established colonies throughout southern Europe. The main sea for Greece is the Aegean Sea. It is located between Asia Minor, the Balkan Peninsula and the island of Crete. Its waters wash the shores of not only Greece, but also its neighbor Turkey.
Islands
In the west, the coast of Greece is framed by the Ionian Islands. This is a relatively small group. But the Aegean Sea is strewn with a huge number of islands. They are divided into several groups: Cyclades, Northern Sporades, Southern Sporades (Dodecanese). The largest islands are Crete and Rhodes. In connection with this diversity, the geographical position of Greece is extremely extraordinary. In total, the country owns about twothousands of islands of various sizes. No more than 200 of them are inhabited.
Relief
No matter how modest in size Greece is on the map, its relief is diverse. There are mountain ranges and high mountains. Separate groups make up the peaks of Thrace, Macedonia, Pinda, Olympus (there is an array of the same name and the highest peak in Greece with a height of 2900 meters). Mountains alternate with plains and small rivers.
The shores are deeply indented and fraught with many surprises. Therefore, even by the general standards of the Mediterranean, there is no country as unique as Greece. The description of the relief cannot do without mentioning Cape Tenaro on the Peloponnese peninsula. Not far from it is the deepest depression of the Mediterranean Sea, which is called the "Inus Well".
Limestones are widespread in Greece. Thanks to them, the country (especially in its western part) has many caves, sinkholes and other landscape details that give it an amazing natural look.
The mountains are mostly young and folded. In addition to limestones, they are composed of clay shales and marls. The Greek mountains have almost no sharp ridges and peaks. The slopes are generally devoid of vegetation due to long-standing grazing there and the dry southern climate.
Climate
According to meteorological indicators, Greece, the description of which would be incomplete without mentioning its temperature regime, has a Mediterranean and subtropical climate in most of its territory. In the same timeexperts identify several specific regions. For example, in northern Epirus, northern Macedonia, and partly in Thessaly, the climate is not only mountainous, but also temperate. Its characteristics (dry hot summer, cold winter) are similar to those of the Alps.
In Attica, Peloponnese and Crete the climate is Mediterranean. Rainfall is rare here. In some seasons, the entire summer can pass without a hint of rain. In the same zone lies the island of Karpathos. Greece has a transitional zone in the northern Aegean, where the climate is extremely rarefied - it can be both very cold and hot.
The weather in the mainland is strongly influenced by the Pindus mountain range. The region to the west of it (Epirus) receives significantly more rainfall than Thessaly, located to the east.
The capital city of Athens is located in a transition zone that combines Mediterranean and temperate climates. In the southern part of the country, most of the precipitation falls in winter. One way or another, but comfort is the main thing with which Greece is associated. The Mediterranean Sea softens the local climate with its warm waters.
Lakes and rivers
The largest lake in Greece is Ioannina. Because of the mountains, there are no large river systems here, and the existing rivers are distinguished by picturesque waterfalls and rapids. Many of them flow in canyons. Alyakmon, the longest river in Greece, has a length of 300 kilometers. The country's waterways are not suitable for navigation, but they are effectively used as sources of energy and for irrigating agricultural fields.
The biggest rivers in Greece (besidesAlyakmon) - Nestos, Evros, Vardar, Strymon, Achelos. They differ in snow-rain and rain nutrition. Stock may fluctuate depending on the time of year. Most of the rivers become shallow in summer. Some of them may even dry out temporarily.
Nature
As you know, the language of Greece, along with Latin, gave the name to many animals and plants. The nature of this country is rich in various species. Here, olive and orange trees can grow right on the streets of cities. There are many cypresses and plane trees in the country. It is in Greece that walnuts grow - here they are known as "acorns of the gods."
The local flora is mixed due to the fact that this region is actually a junction between three parts of the world. Plantations of figs, olives, and pomegranates are planted on rocky plains and hillsides. Vineyards and orchards are also frequent.
Notable is the fauna that distinguishes the island of Karpathos. Greece is one of the last habitats for the rare Mediterranean monk seal. Their population living in Karpathos is protected by ecologists. Another species from the Red Book living in Greece is the local sea turtles.
In the northern forests of the mainland, there are lynxes, foxes and even brown bears. Greek ungulates are represented by fallow deer, mountain goats, roe deer, wild boars and red deer. In the south, there are many bats, lizards and snakes. The most common mammals are rodents (voles, dormice, hamsters, porcupines, mice).
The bird fauna consists of wild ducks,quails, pigeons, partridges, kingfishers, etc. Predators include eagles, vultures, falcons, and owls. In winter, flamingos are encountered when they arrive on the island of Kos, where the city of Kos of the same name is located. Greece attracts migratory birds with its mild and comfortable climate.
Mineral resources
Greek minerals are not numerous, but varied. Since the 1980s oil and natural gas are produced here, the deposit of which was discovered on the island of Thassos. Other fuel resources are lignite and lignite.
The country has ore deposits resulting from the formation of crystalline rocks. Not far from Athens and on some islands, iron, manganese, nickel, copper, polymetals, and bauxites are mined. In quantitative terms, there are not so many of them. There are much more sandstones, limestones and marbles (that is, valuable building materials) in Greece. The development of granite is carried out in the Cyclades. The marble quarries of Paros have been known since antiquity. Of the ores in Greece, the most aluminum types. According to various estimates, their total reserves are about 650 million tons, which makes it possible to send this raw material for export.
One of the most ancient mines in the history of mankind appeared in Hellas. Some of them work to this day. For example, a mine near Lavrion in Attica is a source of silver and lead. In the north of Greece there are deposits with rare chromite iron ore. Asbestos is also mined there. Greece supplies magnesite raw materials to the foreign market. On Nisyros and Thirapumice stone and emery are mined. Sulfide ores are found in the Peloponnese and Thrace.
