Greece (officially Hellenic Republic) is a country in
southeastern Europe,
situated on the southern end of the Balkan
Peninsula. It is bordered by Albania,
the Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria
to the north and by Turkey
to the east. The Aegean
Sea lies to the east and south of mainland Greece, while the
Ionian
Sea lies to the west. Both, parts of the eastern Mediterranean
basin, feature a vast number of islands. Although the
establishment of Roman
rule did not break the continuity of Hellenistic society and
culture, which remained essentially unchanged until the advent
of Christianity,
it did mark the end of Greek political independence.
