Greece

Geography of Greece: Important Geographical Information about Greece

The Greek landscape is peppered with mountains and in fact, Greece is one of Europe’s most mountainous countries. The Pindus mountain range which divides the country in a northwest to southeast direction extends further across Peloponnesus and under the Aegean Sea to form many of the Aegean Islands as well as Crete. It joins the Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey. The central and western parts of Greece are characterized by several steep peaks, canyons and karst topography. The Vikos Gorges in the Pindus Mountains, on the southern slopes on Mount Tymfi is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the deepest gorge in the world. It is about 20 kilometers long, with a range of 450 meters to 1,600 meters in depth. Its width varies from 400 meters to only a few meters at its most narrow parts. Vikos Gorge is third deepest gorge after the Copper Canyon in Mexico and the Grand Canyon in the United States, with some parts plunging vertically to more than 1,100 meters deep. Thick forests cover some of the mountains. There are plains in Thrace, Thessaly and central Macedonia while lakes and wetlands can be found in Western Greece.

Greece lies on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula and comprise smaller islands and peninsulas on the northeast part of the Mediterranean Sea. Only 170 of the more than 2,000 islands of Greece are inhabited.

There are nine different geographic regions in Greece. The difference lies in topography and regional tradition. Six regions are in the mainland comprising Thrace, Epirus and Macedonia in the north and the south by Central Greece, Peloponnesus and Thessaly. The island regions are in Crete, the Aegean Islands and the Ionian Islands. For administrative and electoral purposes, these regions are further subdivided into a total of 51 prefectures.

:: Greece’s Regions ::

Thrace
The Greek portion of Thrace is called the Western Thrace. Its eastern border with Turkey is the Evros River, while the Nestos River defines the western border between Thrace and Macedonia. There are no major rivers flowing through Thrace except for those in the borders. A huge portion of the northern part of Thrace is occupied by the southern tier of the Rhodopes Mountains with the Thracian Plain running along the shore of the Aegean Sea and the Maritsa Valley. Plateaus cut the plain into three parts and the part that is on the easternmost section is very suited for agriculture due to the abundant water supply from the Evros River and the fertile soil of the Maritsa Valley. The soil in Rodopi and Xanthi are favorable to tobacco farming. Lake Vistonis, a bay of the Aegean Sea located between Xanthi and Rodopi is a source of commercially important species of fish. The statue of the Winged Victory of Samothrace, a marble statue of the Greek goddess Nike which is on permanent display at the Louvre Museum in Paris was discovered in this region. This is also the only region where the Muslims were allowed to remain during the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. The Muslim population is currently concentrated in Rodopi and Xanthi.

Macedonia
Greek Macedonia is to the west of Thrace and is the largest region of Greece with 13 prefectures and an autonomous area, the Monastic Republic of Mount Athos. The Greek Macedonia extends westward to the Albanian border from the Nestos River while the south is bordered by the Aegean coastline and the north is bordered by mountain ranges from the former Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. Macedonia has an agricultural center formed by the Plain of Drama in the far east and the valleys formed by the Vardar and Struma rivers. The second largest city and port in Greece, Thessaloniki is located between the mouth of the Vardar River and the Chalkidiki Peninsula. It is an important Greek port, second only to Piraeus in Athens.

Thessaloniki was the recipient of the epistles of Saint Paul and the Thessalonians form the two books of the New Testament. It is also the center of study of ancient architecture where Hellenistic and Byzantine church buildings can still be found.

Epirus
Epirus has been traditionally isolated since ancient times, being separated by the Pindus mountain range. There are no major river basins or valleys in Epirus and the steep ridges of the mountain range rendered the region only suitable for pasture. Grains are grown in the northern plains. Population is sparse and most of the inhabitants engage in animal husbandry. Corn is the chief crop in Epirus although oranges and olives are grown in the western lowlands. Tobacco is grown in the main city, Ioannina. The Egnatia highway now links Ioannina to Macedonia and the Aktio-Preveza Undersea Tunnel linking the southernmost of Epirus to western Greece reduced the region’s isolation. There are ferry services to Italy and the Ionian Islands. Two national airports provide airline services in Epirus, one in Ioannina and another one in Aetolia-Acarnania south of Preveza but the region does not have a railroad system.

Thessaly
Thessaly occupies the Pindus watershed on the east side. The region has several river valleys and river basins, formed by the southwest and northeast spurs of the Pindus mountain range including Mount Olympus while the easternmost end of the spur extends southward to the Aegean coast, ending at the Magnesia Peninsula that surrounds the Pagasetic Gulf. Thessaly has one major river, the Pineios. Thessaly is sometimes referred to as the breadbasket of Greece because of the fertile plains of Trikala and Larissa that benefit from the summer rains.

Central Greece
Central Greece is located south of Thessaly and Epirus and includes the island of Euboea. Central Greece is separated from the mainland by a narrow waterway at the city of Chalkis just north of Athens. It is the second largest island in Greece, formed by the extension of the Pindus spur. Fertile valleys in Euboea are planted with olives, grapes and different grains. The east coast that faces the Aegean Sea is rocky. Central Greece has two harbors, the Vorios Evvoikos and Petalion gulfs. Mount Parnassus, the mythical home of the Muses can be found in Central Greece’s southern shore. Two major rivers flow into Central Greece, the Kifisos that empties into the Vorios Evvoikos Gulf and the Acheloos River that empties into the Ionian Sea. These two rivers form a very fertile plain where grapes, olives and tobacco are grown.

Peloponnesus
Peloponnesus is another mountainous landmass in mainland Greece that is connected to Attica by an isthmus that is only about six kilometers wide at some parts. It is also cut by the Corinth Canal that was completed in 1893, allowing sea vessels to move between the Ionian and Aegean sea, passing the gulfs of Patras and Corinth, which shortened the voyage to Peloponnesus by 325 kilometers. Peloponnesus has fertile inland river valleys and mountain basins fed by springs, although the plains still require irrigation because the rivers dry up during the summer months. Sparta in located several kilometers inland near the Evrotas River, while Corinth, the origin of the word currant because Corinth was once a major exporter of the crop is currently just a small city that is relatively unimportant. The largest city and one of the two major ports is Patras located on the northeast. The southwest port is located in Kalamai.

Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands comprise many uninhabited rocks, islets and the islands of Corfu, Leucas, Cephalonia and Zacynthus. Kefallinia or Cephalonia is the largest island, mountainous and rocky, where olives and currants are grown just like in its closest neighbor, Ithaca. Ithaca was where Odysseus, from the legend of Homer, returned after the Trojan War. Corfu or Kerkira lies off the coast of the Albanian side of Epirus and the Greek Epirus and is the northernmost of the four major islands. Its fertile lowland is planted with figs, olives, grapes and citrus fruits. Currants are the main crop of the very fertile Zakinthos (Zacynthus), the third largest island. Lefkada or Leucas is the smallest island with hilly inland terrain and with valleys and forests closer to the east coast. Leucas produces olive oil, red wine and currants as its main crops.

Aegean Islands
The islands are geological extension of the mountains from the Greek mainland that once formed a land bridge to Asia Minor. The Cyclades is a group of 24 islands clustered closer together southeast of Peloponnesus. Most of these are very rocky and dry and not suitable for agriculture, except Naxos and Syros where the provincial capital of Ermoupolis is located have adequate fertile land for vegetables and fruits. The island of Delos or Dilos is uninhabited although according to legend, this is the mythical birthplace of Apollo, attracting tourists and archeologists.

The Dodecanese Islands comprise 14 inhabited and 18 uninhabited islands. The largest of these islands are Rodos (Rhodes) and Kos. The inland valleys and coastal plains of Rodos are rich enough for grains and pasturage. The other islands have very poor drainage and have been deforested. Rhodes was once part of the ancient Minoan civilization and this is where a bronze statue of Helios, the sun god was erected at the harbor entrance to the city. Main produce of Rhodes are fruits, grains and wine. The island of Cos on the other hand has fertile lowland planted with tobacco, fruits, vegetables and olive trees.

North of the Dodecanese group are the islands of Samos, Ikaria and the island group of Fournoi. Samos is very fertile and its main crops are grapes and olives. The south and east parts of the island of Chios are fertile enough for grapes and other fruits. The well-irrigated foothills and lowlands of Lesbos, the third largest island produce olives while Lemnos is only suitable for goat and sheep rising while Ikaria and Fournoi have infertile lands.

Crete
Crete, technically part of the Aegean Islands is administered separately. It is the largest island in Greece and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean. It has many rugged mountains rising from the sea, forming a rocky coastline on the south while the mountain slopes on the north formed natural harbors and fertile plains. Rising from almost the center of Crete is Mount Ida, which is 1,456 meters high. The mountains break part of Crete into four segments, with the Mesara Plain as the major flatland, suitable for agriculture. Crete has one fresh-water lake and six rivers.

Crete once produced copper, lead, zinc and iron but now only yields limestone and gypsum. Twenty percent of the total land area of Crete is unproductive while 48% can only be used for grazing. Some parts are suitable for agriculture, yielding major crops such as citrus fruits, carob, almonds, grapes and olives. Crete’s capital is Heraklion which is an important port and tourist attraction. Other smaller cities include Chania, Agios Nikolaos, Lasithi and Rethymno.

:: References ::

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Greece
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikos_Gorge
http://wiki.phantis.com/index.php/Greece