Greece is the southernmost country
in Europe. Its mainland
bulges into the Mediterranean like a wedge. To the north,
Greece
shares a common border with Albania, Yugoslavia, and
Bulgaria.
The country is bordered on the east by Turkey. The sea
accounts
for the remainder of Greece's borders.
Greece's land area covers
50,944 square miles ( 131,944 square
Kilometers). The greatest distances on its mainland are:
from
north to south, 365 miles ( 587 kilometers ), and from
east to west,
345 miles ( 555 Kilometers ).
No where in the country
is one more then 85 miles ( 137
Kilometer ) from a seacoast. The Lonioan Sea spreads
to the west
and the Aegean washes Greece's eastern shores. Though
Greece is
about the size or the state of Florida, it has more miles
of coast line
then the entire United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii).
The nation's territory
includes 437 islands, which are scattered
about its adjacent seas. Many of the islands are rocky
and treeless.
Only 216 of them are inhabited. Some of the islands harbors
are
quaint which makes them a haven for artists and
writers.
The largest of the Greek islands is Crete, a land steeped
in history.