Geography
Greece consists of a large mainland at the southern end of the Balkans; the Peloponnesus peninsula (separated from the mainland by the canal of the Isthmus of Corinth); and numerous islands (around 3,000), including Crete, Rhodes, Kos, Euboea and the Dodecanese and the Cycladic groups of the Aegean Sea as well as the Ionian Sea islands. Greece has more than 15,000 kilometres of coastline and a land boundary of 1,160 kilometres. Approximately 50% of the nation's territory is covered by forests.
Four fifths of Greece consist of mountains or hills, making the country one of the most montainous in Europe. Mount Olympus is the tallest mountain in the country, located in the northern Pieria prefecture, near Thessaloniki. Olympus has a height of 2,917 m at its tallest peak. Once considered the land of Gods, it is today extremely popular among hikers and climbers who deem its height as a challenge. Moreover, northeastern Greece features yet another high altitude mountain range, namely the Rhodope range, spreading across the prefectures of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace; this area is covered with vast, thick, century old forests including the famous Dadia.

Population
The population of Greece (11 million) is 98% Greek although Greece has various linguistic and cultural minorities. A non-comprehensive list of these would include Turks, Macedonian Slavs, Pomaks, and various Roma groups. A number of religious minorities exist, including the Muslim minority in western Thrace, which makes up about a third of that region's population.
The majority of Greeks (95-98%) have at least nominal membership in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Greek Muslims make up about 1.3% of the population, and live primarily in Thrace. Greece also has some Roman Catholics, mainly in the city of Patras, Corfu, and the Cyclades islands of Syros, Paros, Tinos, and Naxos; some Protestants and some Jews, mainly in Thessaloniki. Some groups in Greece have started an attempt to reconstruct Hellenic polytheism, the ancient Greek pagan religion.

Economy
Greece has a capitalist economy with the public sector accounting for a considerable part of GDP. The Greek tourism industry remains thriving and its contibution in the growth of the GDP is considered important through foreign exchange earnings. What is more, Greece is a global leader in shipping (ranking first in terms of ownership of vessels and third by flag registration). Exports of manufactured goods including telecommunications hardware and software, agricultural products, other foodstuff and fuels also account for a significant part of Greek income. Moreover, the country is the largest investor in southeastern Europe as far as the previous sectors are concerned. Since Greece became a full member of the European Union, back in 1981, it has been a beneficiary of cohesion funds, along with Portugal, Spain and Ireland. Those funds have proven to be particularly helpful in the nation's remarkable economic development of the last 25 years.