Greece is located in southeast Europe on the Mediterranean. The mainland includes the following regions: Central Greece, Peloponnese, Thessaly (east/central), Epirus (west), Macedonia (north/northwest) and Thrace (northwest). Euboea, the second-largest of the Greek islands, lying to the east of the central region, is also considered to be part of the mainland region. The Peloponnese peninsula is estranged from the northern mainland by the Isthmus of Corinth. The northern mainland is dissected by high mountains (such as the Pindus) that extend southwards towards a landscape of pine-forested uplands and craggy, fertile plains, scrub-covered foothills. The islands account for one-fifth of the land area of the country. The majority are thickly huddled in the Aegean between the Greek and Turkish coasts. The Ionian Islands are the exception; they are spread along the west coast in the Ionian Sea. The Aegean archipelago includes the Northeast Aegean group, including Chios, Ikaria, Lemnos, Lesvos and Samos; the Dodecanese, lying off the Turkish coast, of which Rhodes is the best known; the Sporades, off the central mainland; and the Cyclades, comprising 39 islands (of which only 24 are inhabited). Crete, the biggest island, is not included in any formal grouping. For detailed descriptions of these regions and islands, see the Resorts & Excursions section.

Government

Republic.

Head of State: President Konstantinos Stefanopoulos since 1995.

Head of Government: Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis since March 2004.

Language

Greek (Ellenika). Most people connected with tourism and those of a younger generation will speak some English, German, French or Italian.

Religion

97 per cent Greek Orthodox, with Muslim, Roman Catholic and Jewish minorities.

Time Zone

GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Electricity

220 volts AC, 50Hz. Round two-pin plugs are used.