Geography of Greece

Northeast Aegean Islands

This is a group of islands in the northeastern Aegean Sea that includes Lesbos, Chios, and Limnos.

Dodecanese Islands

This is a group of islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea that includes Rhodes, Kos, and Karpathos.

Ionian Islands

This is a group of islands in the western Ionian Sea that includes Cephalonia, Corfu, and Lefkada.

Thermaic Gulf

This is a gulf on the northeast coast of Greece that empties into the Aegean Sea. It is between the mainland and Cape Kassandra, and Thessaloniki is a large port city on this gulf.

Saronic Gulf

This is a gulf on the southeast coast of Greece. It is across the Isthmus of Corinth from the Gulf of Corinth, and is connected to it by a narrow strait.

Gulf of Patras

This is a gulf on the western coast of Greece that feeds into the Ionian Sea. The Gulf of Corinth feeds into this gulf through the Strait of Rion.

Gulf of Euboea

This is a gulf that makes up part of the east coast of Greece. It is located between the mainland and an island of the same name, and is nearly divided by a narrow strait in its center.

Lake Prespa

This is a lake on Greece's border with Macedonia and Albania. It is south of Lake Ohrid, and together the two lakes make up a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Euboea

This is a large island off the east coast of Greece in the Aegean Sea. It is just barely separated from the mainland by the Euripus Strait, and is the second largest island in Greece.

Gulf of Corinth

This is a long gulf on the west coast of Greece that separates the mainland from the Peloponnesus Peninsula. A canal was created to connect this gulf to the Saronic Gulf on the other side of an isthmus of the same name as this gulf.

Rhodope Mountains

This is a mountain range in northeastern Greece that extends into Bulgaria as well. It is notable for its karst areas with deep river gorges and caves, namely Trigrad Gorge.

Pindus Mountains

This is a mountain range in northwestern Greece that extends into Albania. Often called the spine of Greece, this mountain range is the southern extension of the Dineric Alps.

Peloponnesus Peninsula

This is a peninsula in southern Greece that is connected to the mainland by the Isthmus of Corinth. It contained the Ancient Greek cities of Sparta and Olympia, the site of the original Olympics.

Evros River

This is a river that makes up the entire border between Greece and Tukey. It flows into the Aegean Sea, and is one of the routes into the EU for immigrants.

Sea of Crete

This is a sea between the Cyclades and Crete that is part of the Mediterranean. The Peloponnesus Peninsula makes up its western end.

Ionian Sea

This is a sea that makes up the west coast of Greece. This arm of the Mediterranean Sea has some of Greece's islands.

Mediterranean Sea

This is a sea that surrounds Greece on three sides. It is surrounded on almost all sides by land with its only outlet to the ocean being the Strait of Gibraltar, and it has been a crucial route for merchants of ancient times.

Cyclades

This is an island group in the southern Aegean Sea that includes Naxos, Andros, and Santorini.

Thassos

This is an island in the Aegean Sea at the northern end of the Northeast Aegean Islands. Its economy relies on timber, marble, and honey, and also tourism to some extent.

Samos

This is an island in the Aegean Sea at the southern end of the Northeast Aegean Islands. It was known for its wine as an Ancient Greek city-state, and is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Pythagoreion and Heraion of this island.

Rhodes

This is an island in the Aegean Sea in the Dodecanese Islands. It is just south of Anatolia, and is famous as the home to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Colossus of this island.

Chios

This is an island in the Aegean Sea in the Northeast Aegean Islands. It is close to the Anatolian coast, and is known for its production of mastic gum which has earned it the nickname of the Mastic Island.

Limnos

This is an island in the Aegean Sea in the northern part of the Northeast Aegean Islands. It was sacred to Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths and metals, to the Ancient Greeks.

Lesbos

This is an island in the Aegean Sea that is in the Northeast Aegean Islands. it is close to the Anatolian coast, and has an odd horseshoe shape.

Cephalonia

This is an island in the Ionian Sea in the Ionian Islands. It is the largest of the Ionian islands and is located at the mouth of the Gulf of Patras.

Corfu

This is an island in the Ionian Sea. It is the northernmost of the Ionian Islands, and is rich with Greek history. This island is home to the Ionian University.

Aegean Sea

This is sea that makes up the east coast of Greece. Most of Greece's islands are in this sea that is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea.

Athens

This is the capital and largest city in Greece, located in the southeast part of the country. It is situated on a plain north of the Saronic Gulf, and the Cephissus River runs through it. This city is home to famous landmarks such as the Acropolis and Parthenon.

euro

This is the currency of Greece.

Mount Olympus

This is the highest mountain in Greece, at 9,573 feet. It is located near the Pindus Mountains, and is famous as the home to the Ancient Greek gods.

Crete

This is the largest and southernmost of the Greek Islands, located in the Mediterranean Sea. It is situated south of a sea of the same name, and was home to the highly advanced Minoan Civilization.