GREECE (Regions)

In Greece geography and history are very related to each other. Nearly 8000 years old history of civilizations on this land has naturally shaped the people and their interaction with the land in a very special way.The traces of these  ancient   civilizations  are  virtually   everywhere.   Human-made landscape is a dominant scenery on the mainland and the islands as well. You can expect to  see signs  of thousands of years of Greek settlements on every corner and under every piece of rock.

Although you will notice a  common  Greek  character  of great hospitality everywhere in Greece but this is more noticeable at remote corners of the country. In  recent years the high influx of mainly European tourists has naturally eroded the  traditional Greek  hospitality  in crowded metropolitan areas. But still most of the Greeks accept tourists as guests.

We try to  give  some  basic  information  on our pages,  about the  history of Greece and some quick hints to help you know more about the country  and  its  people before you travel and enjoy a unique Mediterranean holiday.

The Greek peninsula, Europe's southeastern tip, has an area of 131,944 square kilometers, and consists of mainland Greece (Attica, the Peloponnese, Sterea Ellada, Thessaly, Epirus, Macedonia, Thrace) and the islands of the Aegean and lonian  seas.  Geographically  it belongs to Europe since it forms the most southerly extremity of the Balkan peninsula but it also has a special link with Europe through the small  entity of the lonian Islands which form a chain off Greece's western shores in the lonian sea.

 In contrast, there are  the  numerous  islands  of  the Aegean sea, some isolated like Crete in the south, and some in groups like the islands  of the Northeast Aegean,  the  Sporades, the Cyclades,  and  the  Dodecanese.

The Cyclades consist of 39 islands of which only 24 are inhabited.

The Sporades lie off the eastern shores of mainland Greece and Euboea (Evia) and retain their genuine island characteristics and unchanged local traditions.

The Dodecanese group consists of twelve major islands and a number of smaller islands, each with its own distinctive features and peculiarities.

Finally, the Saronic Gulf which is the stretch of sea linking the shores of Attica to those of the Peloponnese, contains a further group of small islands which adds its variety to the general surroundings.

Vegetation and climate conform with the variations in the geographical area. The multiplicity of plants is exceptional, some  6,000  indigenous species having so far been recorded, 250 of  which  flourish on  Crete  alone.  It is an impressive  figure that is due to Greece's geographical position between Europe and Africa.

Plants associated with the joys of life  are  the country's countless vineyards. Major vegetation is likewise peculiar and above all made to human measures. The trees are of medium height and vary from pine, oak, fir, olive and mulberry trees to fruit and palm trees. Another result of the country's geographical location is also seen in its climatic range with mild winters and sub tropically warm summers cooled by a system of seasonal breezes popularly called "meltemia". Lastly, an outstanding feature of the Greek climate is its ample sunshine. It is exaggeration to state that the sun shines in Greece for 3,000 hours per year.