Map Of Italy And Greece

When looking at a map of Italy and Greece you can tell both countries are amazingly beautiful with a lot of gorgeous cities and towns. Both countries are situated along the Ionian Sea so, the beautiful coastlines stretch far across both countries and are home to many people.

To learn all about the maps of both countries, populated cities, and even interesting facts about Italy and Greece check out this guide.

I’ve always wanted to see what Egypt was like when they were building the pyramids or Rome at the height of the empire or Greece – more specifically, Crete before it was destroyed. Why? Because I’m curious how we all hung out on a day to day basis, what was the chit chat, etc. Reading things in a book never gives you the feel. – Albert Hammond, Jr.

Italy And Greece: Maps And Information

Map of Greece

A map of Greece from Google Earth.

As you can see in the map above, a large majority of the country of Greece is situated along the coast of the Aegean Sea. Greece has thousands of islands included as part of the country, but only a small number of those islands are actually populated.

Major cities

Greece’s most populated city is Athens with a population of 3 million people. Athens is also the capital of the country and is actually one of the oldest cities in the entire world. It has been around for over 3,400 years (people began settling here before Christ). A big reason Athens is so popular (both historically and now) is the fact that it is right on the water. Historically, cities placed on the water usually thrive because water, be it oceans or rivers, makes trade and travel easier. With the capital city being right on the water trade was easier and provided jobs for people to do. The more jobs it had the more people moved there, and the city naturally grew. Historically, Athens was home to the very first “modern” Olympics in the late 1890s and then again in 2004.

“It takes a lifetime for someone to discover Greece, but it only takes an instant to fall in love with her.” — Henry Miller

Greece has at least 2,00 islands (some believe there are over 6,000 so there is some sort of debate) but less than 500 of those islands are actually home to people. The largest island that Greece has is Crete, where the cities of Heraklion and Chania are located. These islands are actually grouped together in different clusters, including:

• The Argo-Saronic Islands
• The Cyclades
• The North Aegean islands
• The Dodecanese islands
• The Sporades
• The Ionian Islands

Cool and Interesting Facts

Now let’s go over some pretty cool facts about the country of Greece:

• Greece’s official name is the Hellenic Republic
• Greece is no bigger than the state of Alabama
• Voting is actually required by law
• The popular phrase “taking the bull by the horns” came from the Greek myth of Hercules
• 80% of Greece is mountainous (just like in Italy)
• It is estimated that only 12 million people in the world can speak Greek
  • Common Greek words used in the English language are:
  • Apology, marathon, academy, alphabet, and typhoon
• The literacy rate is at 95%, over 60 years ago the literacy rate was a little less than 30%
• There are over 2,000 Greek islands (170 of which are populated)
• Soccer (or football for our European readers) is the most popular sport in Greece
• Greek families do not often send their parents into retirement homes
  • Instead, they live with their kids and their families until they pass away
• The very first Olympic games happened in Greece in 776 BC
  • A Greek cook, Coroebus, was the first Olympic champion
• Greece has a very low divorce rate

Map of Italy

Map of Italy (Pexels)

The map above is of the country of Italy. Note the major city of Rome, the island of Sardinia, and the distinct book look the country has. Italy is one of the most recognized countries in Europe because of its boot-like look.

Major cities

Italy is another European country rife with history; fossil records have placed Neanderthals in Italy as far back as 200 thousand years ago, with modern humans appearing as far back as 40 thousand years ago. Rome is one of the oldest and most well-known cities the country has since it was the starting point of the great Roman Empire in the 8th century BC. Rome is founded on the river Tiber, which connected the city with trade and travel (just like Athens). The other Roman cities are also extremely historic and important to Western civilization and religion alike.

“Italy is a dream that keeps returning for the rest of your life.” — Anna Akhmatova

Italy is a very volcanic country because it is the point where the African and the Eurasian tectonic plates meet. There are a total of 14 volcanoes, with 4 that are actually active. The active volcanoes are; Etna, Stromboli, Vulcano, and Vesuvius (which is responsible for the Pompeii disaster). These volcanoes have led to many small islands that have popped up along Italy’s long coast.

Map Of Italy And Greece

Finally, let’s go over some interesting facts about the country of Italy.

• The name Italy translated to “beautiful country”
• The literacy rate is quite high at 98% of people can read and write
• The country is primarily Christian
• Colors of the flag represent something
  • Green = hope
  • White = faith
  • Red = charity
• Italy’s official name is the Italian Republic
• 4/5 of the country is mountainous
• The nation’s unofficial animal is the Italian Wolf
• The University of Rome is the oldest universities in the world
  • Was founded in 1303 AD
  • The university has 120,000 students
• Italy has 2 independent cities
  • The Republic of San Marino
  • Vatican City (comes in at a whopping size of 1008 acres)
• Italy has the most earthquakes in Europe
• Italy is very volcanic and has the most amount of volcanoes out of any country in Europe