GREECE, Modern (Greek Hellas), a king dom in the southeast of Europe, bounded on the north by Bulgaria, Serbia and Albania, and on all other sides by the sea — the Ionian Sea on the west, the Mediterranean proper on the south, and the .?Egean Sea on the east. The mainland forms two chief portions, united by the narrow Isthmus of Corinth; a northern, called Northern Greece or Livadia, and a southern peninsula, called the Peloponnesus or Morea. By far the largest of the immediately adjacent islands is Eubcea, only separated from the main land of Livadia by the narrow channel of Eu ripo. The other islands form several groups: The northern Sporades on the northeast of Eubcea including Skiathos, Skopelos, Khilio dromia, Pelagonisi, Sarakinon or Peristeri, and Skyros; the western Sporades, chiefly in the Gulf of Egina, or between it and the Gulf of Nauplia, including Hydra, Spetsm, Poros, Egina, and Salamis or Koluri; the Cyclades; the Ionian Islands, and the great island of Crete, the annexation of which by Greece was recog nized by the Powers at the close of 1913. ,The capital and largest town is Athens.
Physical Features.— See GREEC ANCIENT.
Divisions, Area and Population.— The ac quisition of new territories by Greece, obtained as the result of the war with Turkey from 17 Oct. 1912 to 30 May 1913, and with Bulgaria from 30 June to 10 Aug. 1913, have given the country a total area of 41,933 square miles with an estimated total population (1914) of 4,821, 300. The new territory is 16,919 square miles in extent. The Powers, in accordance with the treaties of London and of Athens, have decided that Greece shall retain all those ./Egean islands
which she occupied during the war, and Greece is in occupation of all the islands. In Novem ber 1914, Greece, with the consent of the Great Powers, occupied North Epirus (see ALBANIA) and, in March 1916, formally took possession of the district. Pop. about 250,000. The names or departments into which Greece is divided, with their populations, are as fol lows: Generally speaking the climate resembles that of the other Mediterranean countries. The elevated portions, however, do not enjoy the subtropical climate of the rest of the country. There are great extremes of heat and cold. The sirocco blasts from Africa ren der part of the summer far from enjoyable and in winter the cold north winds are equally disagreeable. The lowlands have little snow or frost but in the mountain regions there is much snow, the first falling in October and the last in April. In the western and mountainous sec tion there is considerable rainfall, but in the eastern section excessive droughts prevail, all the minor streams become dried up, and irri gation is necessary for the growth of farm crops. The autumn and winter rains are often excessive, often causing the streams to over flow their channels and laying considerable tracts under water. In this way stagnant pools and marshes are occasionally formed, which give rise to intermittent fevers. Compare GREECE,