Geography

Greece, officially known as the Hellenic Republic, is a state on the Mediterranean Sea, at the very tip of the Balkan Peninsula. It borders Albania, Bulgaria and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east. Its beaches overlook the Ionian and Aegean seas. There are some 3,000 islands under the Greek flag, which comprise about 19% of Greece's total area. The sun-soaked coastline stretches over 13,676km (8,498 miles), providing some of the most magnificent and attractive beaches in the world. Greece is a relatively underdeveloped country agriculturally. Only 23% of the land is arable, and, although in the past Greece boasted some of the most wonderful forests in the world, now only some 20% of the country's area is covered in woodlands and forest.

Greece's capital city, Athens,(Population: 3,072,922 ) is also its largest, and is served by Piréas, which is the country's main port.

Time Zone
Greece is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich mean time (GMT), or 2 hours ahead of London, 7 hours ahead of New York, 7 hours behind Tokyo, and 6 hours ahead of Buenos Aires.

Phone Code
The international telephone access code is 30; the city code for Athens is 01, for Thessaloniki 031, for Heraklian 081, and for Corfu 0661. Omit the zero if calling from abroad. For international dialing instructions given in English, French, or German, dial 169. For directory assistance, dial 131.