Greece, also known as Hellas and officially the Hellenic Republic is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula. The country has land borders with Albania, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the east. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of mainland Greece, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the tenth longest coastline in the world at 14,880 km (9,246 mi) in length, featuring a vast number of islands (approximately 1400, 227 of which are inhabited), including Crete, the Dodecanese, the Cyclades, and the Ionian Islands among others. Eighty percent of Greece consists of mountains, of which Mount Olympus is the highest at 2,917 m (9,570 ft).
Modern Greece traces its roots to the civilization of ancient Greece, generally considered to be the cradle of Western civilization. As such, it is the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, Western literature and historiography, political science, major scientific and mathematical principles, and Western drama, including both tragedy and comedy. This legacy is partly reflected in the 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites that are located in Greece.
Obviously, the sea has a huge influence on Greek life and culture, but Greece is also one of the most mountainous countries in Europe, with 80% of its land area covered by mountains. The climate of Greece is varied, with Alpine, Mediterranean and temperate zones. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful country, with varied terrain and plenty of photo-worthy features.
The terrain of Greece is varied, offering terrain to suit virtually any taste. Because of the length of Greece’s shoreline, the sea plays an important part in Greek culture, but there are also plenty of mountains and other inland terrain to explore. Below are a host of additional images that depict Greek culture and landscape outside of the areas already featured.
