Greece

Greece also known equally Hellas (Ancient Greek: Ἑλλάς, Hellás, IPA: [hellás]) together with officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία, Ellīnikī́ Dīmokratía, IPA: [eliniˈci ðimokraˈtia]), is a province inward southeastern Europe.

Greece has reason borders with Albania, the Republic of Republic of Macedonia together with Republic of Bulgaria to the north, together with Turkey to the east. The Aegean Sea lies to the due east of mainland Greece, the Ionian Sea to the west, together with the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Hellenic Republic has the 12th longest coastline inward the basis at 13,676 km (8,498 mi) inward length, featuring a vast release of islands (approximately 1,400, of which 227 are inhabited), including Crete, the Dodecanese, the Cyclades, together with the Ionian Islands alongside others. Eighty percent of Hellenic Republic consists of mountains, of which Mount Olympus is the highest at 2,917 m (9,570 ft).

Spring inward Agrafa, inward the Pindus mountains

Modern Hellenic Republic traces its roots to the civilization of ancient Greece, mostly considered the cradle of Western civilization. As such, it is the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, Western literature together with historiography, political science, major scientific together with mathematical principles, academy education, coinage, together with Western drama, including both tragedy together with comedy. This legacy is partly reflected inward the seventeen UNESCO World Heritage Sites located inward Greece, ranking Hellenic Republic seventh inward Europe together with 13th inward the world. The modern Greek province was established inward 1830, next the Greek War of Independence.

Piraeus is the largest port inward Greece.

A developed province with an advanced, high-income economic scheme together with real high standards of living (including the 22nd highest Human Development Index inward the basis equally of 2010, Hellenic Republic has been a fellow member of what is similar a shot the EU since 1981 together with the eurozone since 2001, NATO since 1952, together with the European Space Agency since 2005. It is also a founding fellow member of the United Nations, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation together with Development, together with the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.

Athens is the majuscule together with the largest metropolis inward the province (its urban surface area also including Piraeus).

The Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens.

Name

The cite of Hellenic Republic differs inward Hellenic Republic inward comparing with the names used for the province inward other languages together with cultures, only similar the names of the Greeks. Although the Greeks telephone vociferation upward the province Hellas or Ellada (Greek: Ελλάς, Ελλάδα) together with its official cite is Hellenic Republic, inward English linguistic communication the province is called Greece, which comes from Latin Graecia equally used yesteryear the Romans together with literally agency 'the reason of the Greeks'; however, the cite Hellas is sometimes used inward English linguistic communication too.

Detail of the Alexander Mosaic, depicting Alexander the Great on his Equus caballus Bucephalus

Climate

Greece primarily has a Mediterranean climate, featuring mild, wet winters together with hot, dry out summers. This climate occurs at all coastal locations, including Athens, the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, Crete, the Peloponnese together with parts of the Sterea Ellada (Central Continental Grece) region. The Pindus mount hit strongly affects the climate of the country, equally areas to the W of the hit are considerably wetter on average (due to greater exposure to south-westerly systems bringing inward moisture) than the areas lying to the due east of the hit (due to a pelting shadow effect).

Navagio (shipwreck) bay, inward Zakynthos.

The mountainous areas of Northwestern Hellenic Republic (parts of Epirus, Central Greece, Thessaly, Western Macedonia) equally good equally inward the mountainous fundamental parts of Peloponnese – including parts of the prefectures of Achaia, Arcadia together with Laconia – characteristic an Alpine climate with heavy snowfalls. The inland parts of northern Greece, inward Central Republic of Macedonia together with East Republic of Macedonia together with Thrace characteristic a temperate climate with cold, damp winters together with hot, dry out summers with frequent thunderstorms. Snowfalls tumble out every yr inward the mountains together with northern areas, together with brief snowfalls are non unknown fifty-fifty inward low-lying southern areas, such equally Athens.

View of Mount Olympus, located on the edge betwixt Thessaly together with Macedonia.

Tourism

An of import percent of Greece's national income comes from tourism. According to Eurostat statistics, Hellenic Republic welcomed over 19.5 1000000 tourists inward 2009, which is an growth from the 17.7 1000000 tourists it welcomed inward 2007. The vast bulk of visitors inward Hellenic Republic inward 2007 came from the European continent, numbering 12.7 million, piece the nigh visitors from a unmarried nationality were those from the United Kingdom, (2.6 million), followed closely yesteryear those from Federal Republic of Federal Republic of Germany (2.3 million). In 2010, the nigh visited periphery of Hellenic Republic was that of Central Macedonia, with 18% of the country's full tourist catamenia (amounting to 3.6 1000000 tourists), followed yesteryear Attica with 2.6 1000000 together with the Peloponnese with 1.8 million.Northern Hellenic Republic is the country's most-visited geographical region, with 6.5 1000000 tourists, piece Central Hellenic Republic is minute with 6.3 million.

The Hellenic Parliament inward fundamental Athens

In 2010, Lonely Planet ranked Greece's northern together with second-largest metropolis of Thessaloniki equally the world's fifth-best political party town worldwide, comparable to other cities such equally Dubai together with Montreal. In 2014, Santorini was voted equally "The World's Best Island" inward Travel + Leisure. Its neighboring isle Mykonos, came inward 5th inward the European category.

Night persuasion of Fira, Santorini.

Transport

Since the 1980s, the route together with runway network of Hellenic Republic has been significantly modernized. Important industrial plant include the Egnatia Odos that connects northwestern Hellenic Republic (Igoumenitsa) with northern together with northeastern Hellenic Republic (Kipoi). The Rio–Antirrio bridge, the longest interruption cable couplet inward Europe, (2250 m or 7382 ft long) connects the western Peloponnese from Rio(7 km or four mi from Patras) with Antirrio inward Central Greece.

The Rio-Antirio bridge close the metropolis of Patras is the longest cable-stayed bridge inward Europe together with minute inward the world.

An expansion of the Patras-Athens spear towards Pyrgos inward the western Peloponnese is scheduled to hold out completed yesteryear 2014. Most of the spear connexion from Athens to Thessaloniki has also been upgraded.

Athens

The Athens Metropolitan Area includes province of the fine art infrastructure such equally the Athens International Airport, the privately run spear Attiki Odos together with the expanded Athens Metro system. Most of the Greek islands together with many brain cities of Hellenic Republic are connected yesteryear air mainly from the 2 major Greek airlines, Olympic Air together with Aegean Airlines. Maritime connections pick out been improved with modern high-speed craft, including hydrofoils together with catamarans.

Thessaloniki

Railway connections play a somewhat lesser purpose than inward many other European countries, but they equally good pick out also been expanded, with novel suburban/commuter runway connections, serviced yesteryear Proastiakos about Athens, towards its airport, Kiato together with Chalkida; together with about Thessaloniki, towards the cities of Larissa together with Edessa. H5N1 modern intercity runway connexion betwixt Athens together with Thessaloniki has also been established, piece an upgrade to double lines inward many parts of the 2,500 km (1,600 mi) network is underway. International railway lines connect Greek cities with the residual of Europe, the Balkans together with Turkey, although equally of 2014 they pick out been suspended, due to the fiscal crisis.