How Physical Geography Affected Ancient Greece Geography of Greece How Physical Geography Affected Ancient Greece

Water, Water Everywhere Greece is a peninsula, which means that it is surrounded on three sides by water. Greece has a lot of smaller peninsulas sticking out from it, which means Greece enjoys many natural harbors.  This meant that most Greeks were seafarers. They fished and traded by boat.

Water, Water Everywhere Greece also has many islands. The easiest way to travel was by boat. Greeks became great sailors. They sailed around the Mediterranean, setting up colonies and outposts where they could.

Mountains About 80% of Greece is covered with mountains or hills. These served as barriers to travel and trade because they were difficult to cross.  These natural barriers isolated the city-states from each other and prevented national unity. Each city-state developed a different culture.

Climate The climate in Greece is Mediterranean. This type of climate is dry and warm. The temperature is mild and it rains in the winter.

Farming Even though the soil is fertile in Greece and the climate is ideal for farming, most of the land is covered in mountains or hills, so there isn’t much land available for farming. This caused conflict between city-states over control of scarce farmland.