Flag of Greece

Greece is a state of southern Europe, in the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The continental part of the country is bordered to the West by the Ionian Sea, to the South by the Mediterranean, to the East by the Aegean Sea to the West.

The country borders Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey in the North-East. The total area is 131,940 km2. The population is estimated at 10.7 million (2009). Greece is a Republic Divided administratively into 51 prefectures (nomoi, singular : nomos). Capital: Athens. Other major cities : Thessaloniki, Piraeus, Patras, Kalamata, Agrinion, Larissa, Lamia, Kerkira.