Greece occupies the southern Balkan Peninsula and the surrounding islands. This country borders on Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey. Due to its geographical location, Hellas is characterized by a unique relief, nature and climate.
Geographical position
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 of 15 thousand kilometers long. The country can be divided into three parts: the mainland, the Peloponnese and numerous islands. Greece, located in the Balkans, consists of several provinces: Greek Macedonia, Thrace, Epirus, Thessaly.
Peloponnese
Mainland Greece on the map has a tip in the form of the Peloponnese. 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, the Taygetos Mountains are located. They are composed of limestone and crystalline schists. The highest peaks are covered with snow every winter. The geographical position of Greece is such that chestnut, fir and oak forests grow in these latitudes. Periodically, they suffer greatly from 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, in which 169 thousand people live. This port is located in the bay harbor called Patraikos. In the center of the Peloponnese is a mountain range, from which four more chains depart. They form small peninsulas and picturesque bays.
Seas
The coastal geographical position of Greece made it a country of several seas. It is washed immediately by three pools. This is the Aegean, Ionian and Libyan Sea south of Crete, which together are part of one large Mediterranean Sea.
Greeks from ancient times were closely associated with water. Their ships went far east and west, and adventurous travelers founded 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 are washed by the shores of not only Greece, but also its neighbors Turkey.
The 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. Due to this diversity, the geographical position of Greece is extremely extraordinary. The whole country owns about two thousand islands of different sizes. Of these, no more than 200 are populated.
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 are the peaks of Thrace, Macedonia, Pinda, Olympus (there is the homonymous massif 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 such unique country as Greece. The relief description 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".
In Greece, limestones are widespread. Thanks to them, in the country (especially in its western part) there are many caves, karst craters and other landscape details that give it an amazing natural appearance.
The mountains are mostly young and folded. In addition to limestones, they are composed of shales and marls. Greek mountains have almost no sharp ridges and peaks. The slopes, as a rule, are deprived of vegetation due to the long pasture of livestock there and the dry southern climate.
Climate
According to meteorological indicators, Greece, the description of which would be incomplete without mentioning its temperature regime, differs in most of its territory with a Mediterranean and subtropical climate. At the same time, experts 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 summers, cold winters) are similar to alpine ones.
In Attica, in the Peloponnese and Crete, the climate is Mediterranean. Precipitation is rare here. In some seasons, the whole summer may pass without a hint of rain. In the same zone lies the island of Karpathos. Greece has a transitional zone on the northern Aegean islands, where the climate is extremely sparse - it can be both very cold and hot.
The weather in the mainland is greatly affected by the Pind mountain range. The region west of it (Epirus) receives significantly more rainfall than the east of Thessaly.
The capital of Athens is located in the transition zone, where the features of the Mediterranean and temperate climate are combined. In the southern part of the country, most rainfall occurs in winter. One way or another, but comfort is the main thing that Greece is associated with. 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, and the existing rivers are characterized 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 water arteries are not suitable for shipping, but they are effectively used as energy sources and for irrigation of agricultural fields.
The largest rivers of Greece (besides Aljakmon) are Nestos, Evros, Vardar, Strimon, Achelos. They differ in snow and rain and rain nutrition. Stock may fluctuate depending on the time of year. Most rivers are shallow in the summer. Some of them may even temporarily dry out.
Nature
As you know, the Greek language, along with Latin, gave the name to many animals and plants. The nature of this country is rich in a variety of species. Here, right on the streets of cities, olive and orange trees can grow. There are many cypresses and plane trees in the country. It is in Greece that walnuts grow - here they are known as the "acorns of the gods."
The local flora has a mixed character due to the fact that this region is actually a junction between the three parts of the world. On stony plains and hillsides, plantations of figs, olives, and pomegranate are contained. Vineyards and orchards are also common.
The fauna that distinguishes the island of Karpathos is noteworthy. Greece is one of the last habitats of rare Mediterranean monk seals. Their population living in Karpathos is protected by environmentalists. Another species living in Greece from the Red Book 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 (field voles, dormouse, hamsters, porcupines, mice).
The bird fauna consists of wild ducks, quails, pigeons, partridges, kingfishers, etc. Eagles, vultures, falcons, and owls are common among predators. In winter, flamingos meet when they fly to the island of Kos, where the city of the same name is located. Greece attracts migratory birds with its mild, comfortable climate.
Minerals
Greek minerals are not numerous, but diverse. Since the 1980s it produces oil and natural gas, a field which was discovered on the island of Thassos. Other fuel resources are lignite and brown coal.
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 bauxite are mined. In quantitative terms, there are not so many of them. Much more in Greece, sandstones, limestones and marble (that is, valuable building materials). Granite is being developed in the Cyclades. Paros marble quarries have been known since ancient times. Of the ores in Greece, most aluminum species. According to various estimates, their total reserves are about 650 million tons, which allows sending these raw materials 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 mined there. Greece supplies magnesite raw materials to the foreign market. Pumice and emery are mined on Nisyros and Tire. In the Peloponnese and in Thrace, sulfide ores are found.