Filed under Europe and more precisely Southern Europe, Greece is a sovereign state. The long form of the name is Hellenic Republic. The capital is Athens.
Its territory runs to 131,990 km², which ranks it 98th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Tajikistan and just ahead of Nicaragua. That makes it a fraction smaller than Nepal.
Some 10.4 million people call it home, placing it 94th of 250 by population — between Sweden above it and Azerbaijan below. Measured only against its own subregion, it is 3rd of 10 in size and 4th in population.
How Greece sits on the globe
Plotted on a globe it falls at 39.0° north, 22.0° east, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 4,341 km from the equator, in what geographers would call temperate latitudes.
Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach the United States, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
It borders 4 neighbours: Albania, Bulgaria, Türkiye and North Macedonia. The largest of them by area is Türkiye, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 96.2 million people.
With both a coast and land borders, it has the trade options a landlocked country does not.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
People, population and language
Spread across 131,990 km², that works out at about 79 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
People from Greece are called Greeks.
Officially it is monolingual: Greek. It shares that with Cyprus.
Inside Europe it places 15th of 53 by population, and it accounts for 7.9% of everyone living in Southern Europe.
Currency and codes
Money there is the Euro (€, EUR). That is a shared currency: 37 other entries use it, including Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria and Croatia.
Athens is the seat of government and the answer most quizzes are looking for.
Websites there use the .gr domain. Calls from overseas start with +30. Its ISO codes are gr and GRC, which is what most databases and flag files use.
As a sovereign state it is among the 193 UN members listed here. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Greece shares borders with 4 countries:
Fun facts about Greece
- Greek is official here and in 1 other entry worldwide.
- Its full official name is Hellenic Republic.
- Its capital city is Athens.
- It lies about 4,341 km from the equator, in temperate latitudes.
- Its currency, the Euro, is shared with 37 other entries.
- People from Greece are known as Greeks.
Greece — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Greece?
- The capital of Greece is Athens.
- Which countries border Greece?
- Greece borders 4 countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Türkiye and North Macedonia. Türkiye is the largest of them by area.
- How big is Greece?
- Greece covers 131,990 km², ranking 98th of 250 by land area. That makes it a fraction smaller than Nepal.
- What is the population of Greece?
- Greece has a population of about 10.4 million, which makes it the 94th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Sweden sits just above it and Azerbaijan just below.
- Is Greece a country?
- Yes. Greece is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- What currency does Greece use?
- Greece uses the Euro, written € (currency code EUR). It is shared with 37 other entries.
- What language is spoken in Greece?
- The official language of Greece is Greek. It is also official in 1 other entry on this list.
- Where is Greece located?
- Greece is in Southern Europe, part of Europe. Its reference coordinates are 39.0° north and 22.0° east, roughly 4,341 km from the equator in temperate latitudes.
