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Geography
Greece consists of a peninsula and about 1,400 islands, of which 169 are inhabited. The land mass
is 131,900sq km. The islands are divided into six groups : the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, the islands
of the North-Eastern Aegean, the Sporades, the Ioanian and the Saronic Gulf Islands. The two largest
islands, Crete and Evia, do not belong to any group. In Greece, no area is much more than 100km from
the sea. The much-indented coastline has a total length of 15,020km. |
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Variety is in fact the hallmark of the geographical landscape of Greece. High mountains and entire
mountain ranges such as the Pindus range or Mount Olympus as well as endless coastline produce a
series of scenic surprises. It is these heavily indented shores which give Greece such rare beauty,
quite unique in the Mediterranean. |
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At a geographical crossroads, Greece combines elements of Europe, the Balkans, Middle East and
Mediterranean.
Greece offers a unique blend of the most beautiful Mediterranean landscape, overwhelming history and
culture and a people of great hospitality. |
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Greece, at the southern extremity of the Balkan Peninsula, is the only member of the EU without a
land frontier with another member. To the North, Greece has land borders with Albania, the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria and to the east with Turkey. |
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Greek Islands Groups
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Mainland Greece
- Peloponnese
- Sterea Hellas
- Thessalia
- Epiros
- Macedonia
- Thraki
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Lifestyle
Greece is certainly a gifted place. This is the place where the sun shines 300 days a year and the
sea enters deep in the land creating incredible formations. The joy of life had found its meaning in
Attica, Athens, all over Greece. Imagine yourselves into environment full of tolerance and friendliness!
Imagine yourselves into a hot summer night watching a ritual performance of Ancient Greek Tragedy in
the same place where theatre and tragedy were born about 2500 years ago! You will find yourself in a
place where “having a good time” is acknowledged as much as a human right. |
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You will notice a common Greek character of great hospitality everywhere in Greece but this is more
noticeable at remote corners of the country. Most of Greeks accept tourists as guests and perhaps
this is one of the reasons why Greece has been such a tourist attraction over the years. Greeks are
instinctively kind to the stranger and convey sincere warmth. |
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The generosity of Greeks will appear spontaneously in the way they will buy a complete stranger a
drink without ever expecting anything in return, in the way they will go out of their way to help
you if you are lost or just confused about where to go and what to do, in the way they will do their
best to communicate with you in your own language or turn everything upside down till they have found
someone else who can talk to you. Language sums this up: the word for foreigner in Greek is the same
as the one for guest. |
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For thousands of years travellers have appreciated the qualities that make Greece a summer paradise.
Now foreign visitors as well as vacationing Greeks want to become integrated in the local life.
Owning a small house on a remote island is now seen as the ultimate luxury. Drawn by the climate
and natural resources and seduced by the charm of the traditional architecture, vacationers are
choosing what were once fishermen’s modest abodes or ship-captains’ aristocratic residences for a
new kind of vacation living. |
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Greek food is not all mousakas and souvlaki. Every region has its own specialities and it need not
be an expensive culinary adventure to discover some of these. One can indulge in leisurely eating
as the Greek cuisine combines with imagination a variety of local meats and fish, fresh vegetables
and pure olive oil. Good food and drink are among the many attractions of a holiday in Greece. To
be more specific the local cuisine is the result of the action of Greek imagination on a basic stock
of European and eastern dishes: the most characteristically Greek elements are the use of olive oil,
tomatoes, onions, garlic and a wide variety of herbs and spices. The Greek Cuisine forms the backbone
of what has become known as the Mediterranean Diet. |
Saronic Gulf Islands
The five Saronic Gulf Islands are the closest of all to Athens, and Salamis is virtually a suburb of the
capital. Aegina, Hydra, Spetses and Poros are all surprisingly varied in architecture and terrain. These
islands are all within an hour or two from Athens by Flying Dolphin, which makes them not only convenient
for day trips, but Aegina, Poros and Angistri can be used as a place to stay while commuting to Athens to
see the sites. There are many ferries a day and Hydrofoils can run hourly or more. |
Cyclades Islands
The Cyclades islands epitomize the postcard image of the Greek islands: bright - blue church domes offset
dazzling white buildings, while golden beaches meet an aquamarine sea. Some of the Cyclades islands, such
as Mykonos, Santorini, Paros and Ios, have vigorously embraced the tourist industry; others, such as Andros
, Kea, Sefiros and Sikinos, are visited infrequently by foreigners but are favourites with holidaymakers
from athens. |
Dodecanese Islands
Strung along the coast of western Turkey, the Dodecanese archipelago is much closer to Asia Minor than to
mainland Greece. Because of their strategic and vulnerable position, these islands have been subjected to
an even greater catalogue of invasions and occupations that the rest of Greece - Egyptians, the Knights
of St. John, Turks and Italians have all done their bit as conquerors. Rhodes is the largest of the
Dodocanese islands and its town is the largest inhabited medieval settlement in Europe. The Avenue of
the Knights is lined with magnificent medieval buildings, the most impressive of which is the Palace of
the Grand Masters, restored, but never used, as a holiday home for Mussolini. The imposing Acropolis of
Lindos shares its rocky outcrop with a Crusader castle above winding streets with whitewashed, elaborately
decorated houses. Other popular islands in the Dodecanese include Kos, Symi and Patmos. The untouristy
islands of Lipsi and Tilos have fantastic beaches without large crowds, and the far-flung Agathonisi,
Kastelorizo and Kasos are great places to experience traditional life. |
Ionian Islands
The Ionian group consists of seven main islands: Corfu, Paxi, Kefallonia, Zakynthos, Ithaki, Lefkada and
Kythira. Strung along the west coast of Greece, the Ionian Islands are the only group not in the Aegean,
and in many ways they are more reminiscent of their close neighbour Italy, Corfu, with its beguiling
landscape of vibrant wildflowers and slender cypress trees rising out of shimmering olive groves, is
considered by many to be the most beautiful of the Greek islands. |
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