Geography of Greece
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (February 2023) |
Mount Olympus 2,918 metres (9,573 ft) | |
Lowest point | Epitalio −6 metres (−20 ft)[1][2] |
---|---|
Longest river | Haliacmon 297 kilometres (185 mi) |
Largest lake | Lake Trichonida 98.6 km2 (38.07 sq mi) |
Exclusive economic zone | 505,572 km2 (195,202 sq mi) |
The country consists of a mountainous, peninsular mainland jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea at the southernmost tip of the Balkans, and two smaller peninsulas projecting from it: the
Greece's latitude ranges from 35°N to 42°N and its longitude from 19°E to 28°E. As a result of this and its physical geography, the country has considerable climatic variation.
Physical geography
Greece is located in
It has a total area of 131,957 km2 (50,949 sq mi),[5] of which land area is 130,647 km2 and internal waters (lakes and rivers) account for 1,310 km2. Land boundaries with Albania (212 km), North Macedonia (234 km), Bulgaria (472 km) and Turkey (192 km) measure approximately 1,110 km in total. Of the country's total territory, 83.33% or 110,496 km2 (42,663 sq mi) is mainland territory and the rest 16.67% or 21,461 km2 (8,286 sq mi) is island territory.[6] It has an exclusive economic zone of 505,572 km2 (195,202 sq mi).
Greece's coastline measures 13,676 km (8,498 mi).[citation needed]
80% of Greece is
Greece's lowest point is sea level.[9]
Plains are found in eastern Thessaly, in central Macedonia and in Thrace.
Extremities of Greece
The extreme points of Greece are [10]
- North: Ormenio village (41°45′41″ N, 26°13′15″ E)
- South: Gavdos island (34°48′11″ N, 24°07′25″ E)
- East: Strongyli island (36°06′17″ N, 29°38′39″ E)
- West: Othonoi island (39°51′11″ N, 19°22′41″ E)
Sporades Islands North Aegean Islands |
Regions of Greece |
Cities and islands of Greece |
Mainland
Mainland Greece forms the southernmost part of the
Mainland Greece covers about 80% of the total territory and is largely mountainous. The largest mountain range of Greece is the Pindus range, the southern extension of the Dinaric Alps, which forms the spine of the Greek mainland, separating Epirus from Thessaly and Macedonia. The country's tallest mountain is Mount Olympus, which also separates Thessaly from Macedonia. Its highest peak rises to 2,918 m above sea level, making it the second highest of the Balkan peninsula after Musala in the Rila Mountain.
The number of islands vary between 1,200 and 6,000.[11] A figure frequently cited in travel guides is 1,425 islands, of which 166 are said to be inhabited.[12] The Greek Tourism Organization reports a figure of 6,000, with 227 of them inhabited.[13] Paris Match, however, raises this number to 9,841 islands, of which only 169 have a recorded continuous human presence. [14]
The Greek islands account for about 20% of the country's total territory, in the south and central Aegean Sea respectively.
Aegean
The islands of the Aegean Sea are situated between mainland Greece to the west and north, Anatolia to the east and the island of Crete to the south. Traditionally, the islands are classified into seven groups, from north to south:
- North Aegean Islands
- Sporades
- Euboea
- Saronic Islands
- Cyclades
- Dodecanese (Southern Sporades)
- Crete
Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands are a group of seven islands. The six northern islands lie off the western coast of Greece, in the
Crete
Crete is the largest island of Greece and the second largest in the Eastern Mediterranean, after Cyprus. The island spans 260 km from east to west and 60 km from north to south at its widest. The island narrows in the region close to Ierapetra, where it is only 12 km wide. Crete covers an area of 8,336 km2 (3,219 sq mi), with a coastline of 1046 km. It is surrounded to the north by the Sea of Crete; to the south by the Libyan Sea; to the west by the Myrtoan Sea; and to the east by the Karpathion Sea. It lies about 160 km south of the Greek mainland.
Crete is characterized by a mountain range crossing from west to east, formed by three different subranges:
- The White Mountains or Lefka Ori (2,452 m);
- The Idi Range (Psiloritis (35°11′N 24°49′E / 35.18°N 24.82°E) 2,456 m);
- The Dikti Mountains (2,148 m)
These encompass fertile plateaus, such as Lasithi, Omalos and Nidha; caves such as Diktaion and Idaion; and gorges such as the Samariá Gorge. The protected area of the Samariá Gorge is the home of the Cretan goat, or kri-kri, while the endangered Bearded vulture or lammergeyer lives in the Cretan mountains and gorges.
Crete's rivers include the
Land use
- Arable land: 19.71%
- Permanent crops: 8.95%
- Other: 71.37% (2012 est.)
Irrigated land: 15,550 km2 (2007)
Environment
Greece is a mostly mountainous country with a very long coastline, filled with peninsulas and islands.
The climate can range from semi-desert to cold climate mountain forests.
Greece's natural hazards include severe earthquakes, floods, droughts and wildfires. Current environmental issues in Greece include air pollution and water pollution.
Gallery
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Volcanic crater, Santorini
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Mount Pelion
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Potidea Kanal, Chalkidiki
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Manganari beach,Ios (island)
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Landscape of Stymfalia with Mount Kyllini
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Palm beach of Vai (Crete)
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Navagio, Zakynthos
See also
- Geography of Europe
- Greek names of mountains
- List of earthquakes in Greece
- List of islands of Greece
- National parks of Greece
- Wildlife of Greece
References
- ^ "Greece topographic map". Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ "Meteoclub". Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ "UNITED NATIONS GROUP OF EXPERTS ON GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES: Working Paper No. 48" (PDF). UN. 2006. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ "The World Fact Book – Field Listing :: Coastline". CIA. Archived from the original on 13 June 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
- World Fact Book, [1]
- ^ Artificial Structures and Shorelines
- ^ Guinness World Records 2005: Special 50th Anniversary Edition
- ^ Schmitt A(1983)Nouvelles contributions à l'étude géologique des Pieria, de l'Olympe, et de l'Ossa (Grèce du Nord)[Ph.D. dissert.]. Mons, Belgium, Faculté Polytechnique de Mons
- ^ CIA. "Europe::Greece". The World Factbook. CIA. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
- ^ "Statistical Yearbook of Greece 2009 & 2010" (PDF). Hellenic Statistical Authority. p. 27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 December 2013.
- ^ Marker, Sherry; Kerasiotis, Peter (2010). "Greece in depth". In Nadeau, Mark (ed.). Frommer's Greece. Hoboken: Wiley. p. 12.
- ^ Poffley, Frewin (2002). Greek Island Hopping. Thomas Cook. p. 15.
- ^ Ellinikos Organismos Tourismou (EOT). "Greek islands". Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ "Top 77256838483top=tiltli3hf83urlob39498r[e8j". Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- ISBN 9041103260.
Further reading
This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook.