Geography
The Big Idea
Greece’s geography and its
nearness to the sea strongly
influenced the development of
trade and the growth of citystates.
Greek Mainland
 Physically, Greece is a land
of rough mountains,
narrow valleys, and no
major rivers. However, it
has a long coastline with
many inlets and bays.
The combination of
physical features had
several effects on Greek

character and history.

People settled in the flat
areas along the coast and 
in valleys.
• 3200 km of coastline
Small amount of fertile land
Fig vines and olives thrive
People also grew grain crops barley
 Few natural resources
 Relied on foreign trade
The mountains significantly
influenced Greek political
life. Mountains acted as a
natural partition among
Greek communities so
contact with other villages
was difficult. It was very
difficult to unite the country
under one government.
Therefore the Greeks were content to live in a collection
of small independent city-states (called polis) which
were often at war with each other.
Mountains made Greece a difficult territory to
conquer by land.
Mountains hindered communication and
transportation between city states. Rugged terrain
made transportation difficult. For example, the city
state of Sparta was only about 60 miles from Olympia,
the site of the Olympic Games. Yet it took Spartans
nearly a week to travel the distance.
Greece was never
able to feed a
large population.
It is estimated
that no more
than 2 million
people lived in
ancient Greece at
one time.
About three fourths
of Greece is covered
with mountains, the
highest of which is
Mount Olympus,
the towering, snowcapped “home of the
gods.”
Ancient Greek Diet
Note: Beef was very Expensive and Rare
Ancient Egypt Diet
Fruits and
vegetables could
grown in only a
few places. Meat
was rare because
the country lacked
grasslands to feed
large herds of
cattle or flocks of
sheep. The three
principal Greek
crops were grains,
grapes and
olives.
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea and
the neighboring
Ionian and Black
seas united the
Greek people. The
“watery ways.” As the
Greek poet Homer
called them, were the
links between most
parts of Greece.
Because travel was so
difficult on the
mainland, Greeks
turned to the seas on
all sides adn became
great shipbuilders
and fishermen.
Aegean Sea
 More than 2000 islands dot Aegean, remnants of






submerged mountain system
Some islands were rocky and infertile
Others had rich soils ideal for farming
Earliest Aegean civilization began on one of these fertile
islands, Crete
Spread to other islands and mainland Greece
Unlike river valley societies of Egypt and Mesopotamia,
Greek civilization was oriented to the sea
Sea was a vast blue highway linking all parts of the country
Sea Travel
 Geography forced Greeks to become fine sailors
 Greeks sailed from island to island across the Aegean
and around the whole rim of the Mediterranean
sharing products and ideas
 Sea travel had its dangers – violent storms and strong
prevailing winds could make navigation difficult
 The sea was a source of food as well as a way of trading
with other communities.
Sea travel was also a
link with other
societies. Even in small
ships and without
compasses, Greek
sailors could go from
one island to another to
reach the older, rich
civilizations of Asia and
Egypt. Sea travel and
trade were important
because Greece itself
was poor in resources
Crete
Across the southern
end of the Aegean Sea
lies the largest of the
Greek islands, Crete.
Here an elegant
civilization flourished
from about 2000 to
1400 BC. Scholars call
it Minoan after
Minos, a legendary
king of Crete
Crete was a land of
abundant agricultural
wealth. It is about 200 km
long and is divided into
regions by tall mountain
ranges. It has a semitropical climate.
Greece has a
Mediterranean
climate.
Temperatures
are moderate,
and rain falls
only in winter.