Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

244

Greece is a land of wild mountains, remote

valleys, and scattered islands. Most people make

their living by farming; olives can grow on the

dry hillsides and hardy sheep and goats thrive in

the rugged landscape. Greece is the world’s third-

largest producer of olive oil, and also exports citrus

fruits, grapes, and tomatoes. With one of the largest

merchant fleets in the world, Greece is a seafaring

nation—people and goods travel by boat. Millions of

visitors are attracted to Greece by its landscape, and

by its rich history as the birthplace of democracy in

the 5th century bce. in recent years, the

global financial crisis has

hit Greece hard, and

has left the country

with crippling debt.

lying at the eastern end of the

Mediterranean, Greece is

surrounded by the Mediterranean,

aegean, and ionian seas. it consists

of a mainland, the Peloponnese

peninsula, and over 2,000 islands.

orthodox Priests

the eastern orthodox church was founded

in constantinople (istanbul) in the 4th

century ce. the Greek orthodox church

became independent in 1850 and is the

official religion of Greece, with more

than 10 million faithful. distinctively

dressed priests are a common sight.

statistics

area: 50,949 sq miles

(131,957 sq km)

Population: 10,776,000

capital: athens

Languages: Greek,

turkish, Macedonian,

albanian

Religions: Greek

orthodox, Muslim

currency: euro

Greece

athens

the ancient city of athens, the cultural center

of Greece in the 5th century bce, is generally

believed to be the birthplace of western

civilization. the fortified acropolis (above) rises

328 ft (100 m) above the city. it is crowned by

the Parthenon temple, dedicated to the city’s

patron goddess athena, and built in 432 bce.

today, this busy modern city is a major

commercial, shipping and tourist center,

and the seat of the Greek government.

Find out more

archaeology

christianity

democracy

Greece, Ancient 245-

octoPus

octopuses are

a Greek delicacy,

but they are becoming

scarce due to overfishing

in the Mediterranean.

the Greek islands

the Greek mainland is

surrounded by many islands.

ships and ferries unite these

scattered communities. in 

the summer, the islands, with

their warm climate, fishing

villages, and beautiful

beaches, are major tourist

centers, attracting over nine

million visitors. in the winter, the

small islands are deserted by summer

residents, who return to the mainland.

Volcano Mountain Capital

city

Large

city/

town

Small

city/

town

Ancient

monument

Lake

Prespa

Pineios

Ax

ios

Ali

akm

onas^

Nestos

Str

ymo

nas

Alfei

os

Th

ya

mi

s^

Ev

ro

s^

Mirtoan

Sea

Gulf of Corinth

Thermaic

Gulf

Thracian

Sea

(^) S Sea of Marmara
tr
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Milos IosAstypalaia
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Syros
Rhodes
(Rodos)
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Kalymnos
Leros
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Tinos
Tzia
Ikaria
Andros Samos
Chios
Euboea
(Evvoia)
Skyros
Skiathos
Skopelos Lesbos
(Lesvos)
Limnos
Samothraki
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Cyclad
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Karpathos
Crete (Kriti)
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P
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Mount Olympus
2917m
Komotini
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Drama
Lindos
Chalkida Chios
Mytilini
Myrina
Kozani
Rethymno Agios Nikolaos
Chania Karpathos
Kalamata Sparti
Tripoli
Pyrgos Nafplio
Corinth
Keri (Korinthos)
Poros
Lamia
Arta Karditsa
Trikala
Corfu
Mesolongi
Karpenisi
Rhodes
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Ioannina
Samos
Ermoupoli
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Kavala
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Patra
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salonica
(thessaloniki)
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(Peiraias)
atHENs
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t U R K E Y
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B
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ia
0
0 50 100
50 100
scaLE BaR
km
miles
N
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W E
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