Geographic Greece :: essays research papers

Geographic Themes of GreeceLOCATIONoAbsolute-Latitude 3900 North-Longitude 2200 East of the prime meridianRelative muddleoSpatial-borders the countries Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-Borders the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean SeaRelative LocationoDirection and standoffishness-6241 miles NE of Dallas, Texas -324 miles S of Sofia, Bulgaria-457 miles SSW of Buch arst, Romania-646 miles ESE of Rome, ItalySize Greece = AlabamaMercator part of Greece ca. 1598Conic Map of GreeceoEquidistant Conic Projection Planar Map of Southern Europeo Using azimuthal equidistant projectionPLACEPhysical CharacteristicsPhysical CharacteristicsoLAND USE-8% ageless crops-41% permanent pastures-20% forest and woodlands-19 % arable land-12% other useVegetationoOlive TreesoCapersoGrapesoGrassesoFig TreesoLemon TreesoCypress TreesoEucalyptus TreesVegetationoOrange TreesoOrange woodletPlantsoPalm TreesClimateoMild, wet wintersoHot, dry summersoAverage T emperature 64 degrees FahrenheitYear-Round Average Temperatures & Precipitation bemireoFertileoVolcanicoA Greek legend claims that God distributed all of the available soil through a strain and used the stones that remained to build Greece.Bodies of WateroThe Corinth Canal in Greece joins the Ionian and Aegean SeasoThe Mediterranean Sea borders southern GreeceNatural ResourcesoBauxiteoLigniteoMagnesiteoPetroleumoHydro PoweroPumiceoMarble oThe Parthenon on the Acropolis was built with solid Greek marbleLandformsoMostly plenteousnessous with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islandsIslandsoOver 3000 islands and outcrops surround the Greek mainland, including Crete, Corfu, Rhodes, and MykonosMountainsoMount Olympus is the highest mountain in GreeceoMount Parnassus near DelphiEarthquakes in GreeceoOn February 24, 1981, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurred in the Eastern Gulf of Corinth region of Greece, followed a few hours later by a magnitude 6.3 aftershock in the same region. oMarch 4 another shock of magnitude 6.2 occurred 25 kilometers to the northeast, cause loss of lives and extensive damage to towns on the Perachora Peninsula and along the Saronic and Gulf of Corinth coasts.Island of TheraoThis island is often racked by earthquakesHuman CharacteristicsPopulation DistributionPopulation Characteristicso98% Greek, 2% otheroPopulation growth rate 0.21%oBirth rate 9.82 births/ one thousand populationoDeath rate 9.64/1000 populationoLife expectancy 78.44oOfficial Language Greek oLiteracy 95%SettlementoTotal population 10,601,527o5 million live in AthensOccupationsoServices 59.2 %oAgriculture 19.8%oIndustry 21%OccupationsMore OccupationsIsland OccupationsoFishing, sponge-fishing and handicrafts are important occupations on many Greek islandsRecreationoGreeks enjoy music, dancing, snow skiing, sailing, water sports, eating and smoking.On the Beach and On the SlopesOlympics oThe accepted Olympic Games were first held in Greece in 776 B.C. , and they will host the next Olympics in 2004Beliefs and IdeasoMany ancient cultures created Evil Eye charms to mimic the eye of the gods, believing that the charms could ward off evil spirits and deflect the Evil Eye, a belief still popular in the Mediterranean today.