isthmus

harbor

A small strip of land, withwater on both sides, thatconnects two larger areas ofland.

A sheltered place with deepwater close to shore.

Important Vocabulary

• Greece is located on the Balkan Peninsula insouthern Europe.

• Seas – The Aegean to the east betweenGreece and Turkey

The Mediterranean Sea to the south

The Ionian Sea to the west

• The southern part of Greece is thePeloponnesus and is connected to themainland by an isthmus.

• About 2000 islands in the surrounding seaswere part of Greece.

• The largest island was Crete, southeast ofthe mainland.

• Colonies of Ancient Greece spread acrossthe seas and were located on the coastsof Northern Africa, Spain, Italy, andAsia Minor.

• ¾ of the land is covered by mountains• The Pindus Range runs north and south

through the center of Greece.• There are narrow valleys and small plains• Inland travel/trade was very difficult• Rivers often dried up making travel

impossible• Villages were very independent and had

little contact with other Greek villages.

• Mt. Olympus was thought to be the homeof Zeus – the most powerful of the gods.

• The sea brought people together.• Greece had many natural harbors.• The sea was a source of food.• Trade was possible.• The sea made it possible to form new

colonies and to trade ideas.

• Conflicts with other nations over trade andand colonization made it necessary forGreece to develop fighting skills andships.

• Large ships for fighting were called triremes.• The culture of Greece was influenced by the

sea.• The sea allowed travel and connected Greeks

to the outside world.• Many Greeks became fishermen and traders.

• Greece had thin soil and a dry climate.• Only 1/5 of the land was good for farming.• Small amounts of wheat and barley were

grown.• The main crops were grapes and olives.• Olive oil was traded for other products.