Greece (Greek: , Ellda, pronounced [elaa] (

listen)), officially the Hellenic

Republic( [elinici imokrati.a]
) and known since
ancient times as Hellas (/hls/; Greek: ), is a country in Southern
Europe and Balkans. According to the 2011 census, Greece's population is around 11
million. Athens is the nation's capital and largest city.
Greece is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa. It also
shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, the Republic of
Macedonia andBulgaria to the north and Turkey to the northeast. The country consists of
ninegeographic regions: Macedonia, Central Greece, the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Epirus,
the Aegean Islands (including the Dodecaneseand Cyclades), Thrace, Crete, and
the Ionian