Driving in Greece

Greece is made up of 1,400 islands at the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula with 169 of these currently being inhabited including the popular tourist destinations of Crete, Rhodes and Kos.

Greece covers an area of 131,900 sq km of land and over 400,000 sq km of water. Of the land belonging to the country, nearly 80% is made up of hills or mountainous terrain. This helps to contribute to the very varied landscape which is present in the country ranging from beautiful long beaches, open countryside, rich forests and mountains. Over 50% of the country is actually covered in forest land making it a very green country. It is also interesting to note that there are almost two different climates operating in Greece; with the western part of the country being dominated by an Alpine climate whilst the remainer is more mediterranean in climate and vegetation. Athens lies on the border of the two systems and so has an interesting mix of weather!

Perhaps a little-known face is that Greece is one of the most seismically active areas of the world!