Greece

Greece, officially known as the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe.

It sits on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula. The nation shares land borders with Albania to the northwest. It also borders North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north. To the east, Turkey marks the land border. Greece is surrounded by several significant bodies of water. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland. The Ionian Sea is to the west. To the south, the Sea of Crete and the Mediterranean Sea are located.

The country has the longest coastline in the Mediterranean basin. This is due to its thousands of islands and nine traditional geographic regions.

Greece is often called the cradle of Western civilisation. This title exists because many foundational ideas began there. It is the birthplace of democracy and Western philosophy. The region also produced early Western literature and historiography. Important scientific and mathematical principles were developed by ancient Greeks. They also created theatre and the Olympic Games. Ancient Greeks were organized into independent city-states called poleis. These poleis spanned across the Mediterranean and Black seas.

Early history in Greece involves several advanced civilisations. Neolithic settlements dating from the 7th millennium BC are the oldest in Europe. This is because Greece sits on the route for farming spreading from the Near East. The Cycladic culture flourished on Aegean islands around 3200 BC. They produced many marble figurines. On Crete, the Minoan civilisation became a major cultural centre. They were known for monumental palaces and colourful art. On the mainland, the Mycenaean civilisation developed around 1750 BC. They built large fortifications and used Linear B for writing.

Following the Mycenaean collapse, the Greek Dark Ages occurred. This period lacked written records. The end of this era is marked by the first Olympic Games in 776 BC. During the Archaic and Classical periods, many city-states emerged. In 508 BC, Cleisthenes instituted the first democratic system in Athens. This era saw a massive cultural boom in science and architecture.

However, political unity was rare. Frequent conflicts occurred between different Greek states. The Peloponnesian War was a devastating conflict between 431 and 404 BC. This war led to the demise of the Athenian Empire.

In the fourth century BC, the kingdom of Macedon rose to power. King Philip II united most of present-day Greece into the Hellenic League. His son, Alexander the Great, later conquered much of the known ancient world. His empire reached from the Near East to northwestern India. After his death in 323 BC, his empire fragmented into several kingdoms. This began the Hellenistic period. During this time, Greek culture and the koine language spread widely.

Later, Rome annexed Greece in the second century BC. It became part of the Roman Empire and then the Byzantine Empire. In the Byzantine Empire, Greek culture and language remained dominant.

Greece experienced significant political shifts in more recent history. After the Fourth Crusade in 1204, the Byzantine Empire was fragmented. Most Greek lands fell under Ottoman control by the mid-15th century. Greece fought a long war for independence starting in 1821. It emerged as a modern nation state in 1830.

The 20th century brought many challenges. Greece faced military occupation during World War II and a subsequent Civil War. A military dictatorship existed from 1967 until 1974. Since then, the country has functioned as a parliamentary republic.

Today, Greece is a developed country with an advanced high-income economy. This status resulted from record economic growth between 1950 and 1973. The population is over 10 million people.

Athens is the capital and the largest city. Thessaloniki and Patras are also major urban centres. The economy relies heavily on shipping and tourism. In 2024, Greece was the ninth most-visited country in the world.

Greece joined the European Union in 1981. The nation also contains 20 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, reflecting its deep historical legacy.