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Greece, officially known as The Hellenic
Republic, is the southernmost country on the European mainland.
With an area of 131.940 square kilometres, Greece is about
the same size as England or New York state. Greece's longest
border is with the sea. Over 2,000 Greek islands are scattered
about the eastern Mediterranean, roughly 200 of them inhabited.
The Greek mainland shares land borders with Albania, the
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Bulgaria
and Turkey.
The
climate is mostly dry and temperate, though it snows in
the mountains and in the north. The mild weather and sheltered
valleys of the region, along with the early development
of seafaring, contributed to the rise of Ancient Greek Civilisation.
Greece has a long and eventful history. It was part of each
of the great empires - the Roman, the Byzantine and the
Ottoman - that ruled the region.
Greece
has strong historical ties with southeastern and western
Europe, Asia and Africa. At the crossroads of so many civilisations,
Greece is gifted with a rich and fascinating cultural heritage.
The country's turbulent history has had remarkably little
effect on the Greek language. Modern Greek is easily recognisable
as the language of Plato.
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