GREECE

Bordering countries are Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey Bordering bodies of water are Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, Sea of Crete

Capital is Athens

Mountains cover most of Greece, land is rocky with little fertile soil, summers are hot and dry

Winter – ¾ of rain falls, mild and wet Summer – hot, dry, very sunny

Greece is a seafaring country because you are never far from the sea, 1/5 of Greece is islands, land is not very good for farming

A city-state is the city/town and the surrounding villages and farmland

Greek city-states were independent, small in size, quarreled among themselves

The Ancient Greeks were: patriotic shared a common language, religion, and culture prized their freedom and way of life creative thinkers

Greece became independent in 1829

What happened in Olympia, Greece in 776 BCE? What is Greece’s capital city called? How many letters make up the Greek alphabet? What is Greece’s national cheese? What is the currency used in Greece? How many Greeks work in agriculture? What two major geographic features shape Greece? How many islands are apart of Greece? What religion do ninety-eight percent of Greeks belong to? What is a major holiday in Greece? First Olympics Athens 24 feta Euro One in five Mountains and Seas 2000 Greek Orthodox Church ~ Christian Easter and Christmas

Passport to Ancient Greece

GREECE’S GEOGRAPHY

Peloponnesus Peninsula and numerous islands in the Aegean Sea 2)They were separated from one another by rugged mountains, bays and inlets, and by being on an island 3) Most Ancient Greeks were farmers

4) A Mediterranean climate – mild winters with hot, sunny summers 4) A Mediterranean climate – mild winters with hot, sunny summers . . . you can grow crops all year round . . . similar to southern California 5) Mainly grow grapes and olives Grow small amounts of wheat and barley

6) Main disadvantage is that only ¼ of the land is level so they could only grow small amounts of grain crops and, therefore, they had to trade with others to get more grain

7) Main advantage is the sea – it connected all Greeks to one another and Greece to other civilizations so that they could trade and get what they needed

LOCATION Greece is located in southern Europe between Albania and Turkey. It borders the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. It has a population of 10,964,020. Athens is its capital.

AREA Greece has a total area of 131,940 sq km. That means it is slightly smaller than Alabama

CLIMATE Greece has a Mediterranean climate with plenty of sunshine, mild temperatures and a limited amount of rainfall.

SUMMER In summer, the dry hot days are cooled by seasonal winds called the meltemi, while mountainous regions have generally lower temperatures.

WINTER The winters are mild in lowland areas, with a minimum amount of snow and ice, yet, mountains are usually snow-covered.

TERRAIN Greece consists of a mountainous and craggy mainland jutting out into the sea. Four-fifths of Greece consist of mountains or hills, making the country one of the most mountainous in Europe. Greece has the tenth longest coastline in the world.

LAND USE About 20% of Greece is farmable. Farmers grow olives, figs, fruit, grapes, and very little grain.