Greece Geography Profile 2009

Location

Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey

Geographic coordinates

39 00 N, 22 00 E

Map references

Europe

Area

total: 131,957 sq km
land: 130,647 sq km
water: 1,310 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Alabama

Land boundaries

total: 1,228 km
border countries: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Macedonia 246 km

Coastline

13,676 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate

temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Terrain

mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Olympus 2,917 m

Natural resources

lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential

Land use

arable land: 20.45%
permanent crops: 8.59%
other: 70.96% (2005)

Irrigated land

14,530 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources

72 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 8.7 cu km/yr (16%/3%/81%)
per capita: 782 cu m/yr (1997)

Natural hazards

severe earthquakes

Environment - current issues

air pollution; water pollution

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds

Geography - note

strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an archipelago of about 2,000 islands