General Info about Greece

Population : 10,645.000 inhabitants

Surface Area : 131,957 square km

Capital : Athens

Administration : 9 regions grouped into 52 provinces

Currency : Euro

Official language : Greek

National borders : borders Albania in the north-west, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria in the north and Turkey in the east.

Main Religion : Greek Orthodox

Main cities : Salonicco, Pireo, Patrasso, Candia, Rhodes, Corfu, Corinth

Greece, situated at the extreme southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula, comprises 480 islands of which 134 are inhabited all- year round. The country is extremely mountainous, with a coastline that stretches for over 15,000 km. The high land which characterizes the coastal are includes such mountainous regions as the Pindo range, situated in the Attica and the Peloponnesus regions, the Parnasus range, which rises between the Gulf of Corinth and Thermopiles and the Mythical Mount Olympus which stands at a height of 2,917 metres. The continental part of Greece comprises Macedonia and Thrace in the north, Epirus, Thessaly in central Greece and Peloponnesus in the south. The insular part of country consists of numerous islands spread throughout the Mediterranean. Some of the islands are grouped together such as the Ionian island group which includes among its larger islands: Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Ithaka. These islands are populated and fertile, producing wine and fruit in abundance. The architecture of the islands reflects the Venetian domination from the 15th to the 18th century. The island of Crete, the largest Greek island, is located in the south Mediterranean. The island’s northern coastline is jagged and forms numerous bays and inlets, while the southern coast is high and rocky and presents a semi-desert image, with the island’s coastal plains being densely populated. The Cyclades islands stretch northwards in the Attica region. These islands, arranged in a circle around the small central island of Delos, include: Andros, Santorini, Naxos and Mikonos and are characterized by white cube-shaped houses . The Sporades islands are situated to the north and include Skiros and Skopelos. Lemnos and Rhodes lie in the northern Aegean sea between continental Greece and Turkey. The large islands of Lemnos, Lesbo, Kos,and Samos, situated near to Asia Minor, have succeeded in maintaining their individual populations. The Dodescanese are a group of twelve main islands. The two main islands are Rhodes and Kos. Rhodes has a rich testimony of its glorious, ancient and medieval history, coupled with a mild climate and wonderful natural floral displays. Greece has a Mediterranean climate in the south and on its islands and a continental climate in the north of the country. The road network is 40,000 km long and comprises two toll motorways which link Athens to Patrassus and Thessaloniki. There are many regional and local unpaved roads used by local buses. The rail system is not very well developed; the northern network links Athens and Thessaloniki with branches leading to Halkidiki , Voolos, Trikala and north west to Edessa and Kozani. Other rail links are from Thessaloniki to Alexandroupoli and Orestiada towards Isatabul. The most picturesque routes are between Diakofto and Kalavrita in Pelonnesus and the stretch of track between Livadia and Lamia.