GREECE is a country located in Southeast Europe. Its population is approximately 10.7 million as of 2018; ATHENS is its largest and capital city, followed by THESSALONIKI.
   Situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, GREECE is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
  GREECE is considered the cradle of Western civilization, being the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, Western literature, historiography, political science, major scientific and mathematical principles, Western drama and the Olympic Games.
 From the eighth century BC, the GREEKS were organised into various independent city-states, known as poleis (singular polis), which spanned the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
  PHILIP II of MACEDON united most of present-day GREECE in the fourth century BC, with his son ALEXANDER the GREAT rapidly conquering much of the ancient world, from the eastern Mediterranean to INDIA.
  The country's rich historical legacy is reflected in part by its 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
  GREECE is founding member of the United Nations, was the tenth member to join the European Communities (precursor to the European Union) and has been part of the Eurozone since 2001 (Wikipedia).