Download The Geography of Greece

World History – Mr. Ali
Due Dates
Feb. 28/March 1
1
The Geography of Greece
Where on Earth is Greece?
Location: Southern Europe bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea,
between Albania and Turkey
Greece is located on a peninsula (A piece of land that projects into a body of water and is connected with
the mainland by an isthmus) that extends into the Mediterranean Sea. Greece is almost completely
surrounded by water. Many islands can be found around the peninsula. The large island at the bottom of the
map is Crete.
1. Where is Greece located?
2. What is a Peninsula? And Greece is completely surrounded by__________
World History – Mr. Ali
Due Dates
Feb. 28/March 1
2
What does the land in Greece look like?
Much of Greece was rocky and barren and bad for agriculture. Most Greeks lived along the coast where the soil
was good for farming. There were many mountains and valleys. The climate was hot and dry, and rainfall was
limited to the winter months. With a shortage of land for farming, the Greeks came to rely upon trade with
other countries for food, building supplies, and other goods.
3.Why was Greece “bad” for agriculture?
4.Why did the Greeks have shortage of land for farming, and what did they rely on instead?
How would I get from place to place in Greece?
Since there weren't many roads in ancient Greece, most people walked when they needed to go somewhere.
However, some people had horses and carts, and the richest Greeks rode on horseback.
The Impact of Geography
Compared with Mesopotamia, and Egypt, Greece is small. It is a Peninsula about the size of Louisiana. It is
made up of small plains and river valleys surrounded by high mountains. The mountains influenced
Greek history, because they separated Greeks from each other. This caused different Greek
communities to develop their own ways of life. The small size of these communities encouraged people to
be involved in politics. But rivalry between the communities led to warfare. The sea also influenced Greek
history. Greece has a long seacoast with many harbors, so the Greeks become seafarers. Greeks also lived
on many islands off the Greek mainland. They sailed into the Aegean, The Mediterranean, and the Black
Seas. They later established colonies that spread Greek civilization throughout the Mediterranean world.
5.What isolated Greece from others?
6.This caused Greeks to develop _______________
World History – Mr. Ali
Due Dates
Feb. 28/March 1
3
Geography of Ancient Greece How Geography Affected Greek Civilization
Greece has numerous short mountain ranges and no major rivers.
This facilitated the development of numerous small city-states called Polis, but it also hampered the
development of any sense of unity. The Greek mainland and islands were close to the sea, which made trade
easier; consequently, the Greeks became fishermen, sailors, and traders. The terrain of Greece in most
places made farming difficult. They could not grow enough food so they were forced to trade in items that
they could produce, e.g. olives, wine, and wool.
7.What geographic feature(s) limited the development of unity among city-states?
Cultural Attitudes
Because of its poor land for agriculture and its population explosion, the Greeks were forced early in their
history to become a country of seafarers and merchants. The Greeks settled and colonized areas outside of
mainland Greece
8. Why did the Ancient Greeks become seafarers and merchants?
Although exposed to numerous cultures and adopting ideas from many of them, the Greeks regarded nonGreek as barbarians and most things Greek to be vastly superior to what their neighbors had.
The Greeks had a common language, religion, and festivals that united them (culturally speaking).
The Greeks maintained that they were also descended from the same ancestors with the same heritage and
history.
City states, however, differed widely from democratic Athens to militaristic Sparta. City-states had independent
calendars, money, weights and measures and to great extent citizens of one polis regarded citizens of other polis
as outsiders and foreigners. Due to limited farmland, the Greek spent much time fighting among themselves as
had the Mesopotamian city-states. Ancient Greek culture was essentially more male dominated, and anti-women
than the other civilizations that we have studied. (Sparta perhaps is an exception) In the city-states, women were
citizens, but they were citizens for the purpose of marriage and procreation and lacked any independent status.
While largely a celebration of male individuality and freedom, the Greeks valued and respected the role of the
individual citizen and his rights as a free citizen.
9. Why do you think limited farmland might lead to fighting between city-states?
World History – Mr. Ali
Due Dates
Feb. 28/March 1
4