claim: Therasia is a European island.
evidence: Greece -LRB- Ελλαδα , -LSB- eˈlaða -RSB- -RRB- , officially the Hellenic Republic -LRB- Greek  : Ελληνικη Δημοκρατια , -LSB- eliniˈci ðimokraˈti.a -RSB- -RRB- , historically also known as Hellas -LRB- Ελλας , -LSB- heˈlas -RSB- , modern pronunciation Ellas -RRB- , is a country in southeastern Europe , with a population of approximately 11 million as of 2015 .. Greek. Greek people. southeastern Europe. southeastern Europe. Athens is the nation 's capital and largest city , followed by Thessaloniki .. Athens. Athens. Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki. Greece is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe , Asia , and Africa .. Situated on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula , it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest , the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north , and Turkey to the northeast .. Balkan peninsula. Balkan peninsula. Albania. Albania. Republic of Macedonia. Republic of Macedonia. Bulgaria. Bulgaria. Turkey. Turkey. Macedonia. Macedonia ( Greece ). Greece consists of nine geographic regions  : Macedonia , Central Greece , the Peloponnese , Thessaly , Epirus , the Aegean Islands -LRB- including the Dodecanese and Cyclades -RRB- , Thrace , Crete , and the Ionian Islands .. geographic regions. geographic regions of Greece. Macedonia. Macedonia ( Greece ). Central Greece. Central Greece. Peloponnese. Peloponnese. Thessaly. Thessaly. Epirus. Epirus ( region ). Aegean Islands. Aegean Islands. Dodecanese. Dodecanese. Cyclades. Cyclades. Thrace. western Thrace. Crete. Crete. Ionian Islands. Ionian Islands. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland , the Ionian Sea to the west , the Cretan Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the south .. Aegean Sea. Aegean Sea. mainland. Geography of Greece. Ionian Sea. Ionian Sea. Cretan Sea. Sea of Crete. Mediterranean Sea. Mediterranean Sea. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin and the 11th longest coastline in the world at 13676 km in length , featuring a vast number of islands , of which 227 are inhabited .. Mediterranean Basin. Mediterranean Basin. 11th longest coastline in the world. list of countries by length of coastline. islands. List of islands of Greece. Eighty percent of Greece is mountainous , with Mount Olympus being the highest peak at 2918 m.. Mount Olympus. Mount Olympus. Greece is considered the cradle of Western civilization , being the birthplace of democracy , Western philosophy , the Olympic Games , Western literature , historiography , political science , major scientific and mathematical principles , and Western drama .. Western civilization. Western culture. democracy. Athenian democracy. Western philosophy. Western philosophy. Olympic Games. Olympic Games. Western literature. Western literature. historiography. historiography. political science. political science. scientific. History of science in classical antiquity. mathematical. Greek mathematics. Western drama. Drama. From the eighth century BC , the Greeks were organised into various independent city-states , known as polis , which spanned the entire Mediterranean region and the Black Sea .. polis. polis. Mediterranean region. Mediterranean region. Black Sea. Black Sea. Philip of Macedon united most of the Greek mainland in the fourth century BC , with his son Alexander the Great rapidly conquering much of the ancient world , spreading Greek culture and science from the eastern Mediterranean to the Indus River .. Greek. Greek people. mainland. Geography of Greece. Philip of Macedon. Philip of Macedon. Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great. rapidly conquering much of the ancient world. Macedonian Empire. Indus River. Indus River. Greece was annexed by Rome in the second century BC , becoming an integral part of the Roman Empire and its successor , the Byzantine Empire , wherein the Greek language and culture were dominant .. Greek. Greek people. annexed. Roman Greece. Rome. Roman Republic. Roman Empire. Roman Empire. Byzantine Empire. Byzantine Empire. The Greek Orthodox Church also shaped modern Greek identity and transmitted Greek traditions to the wider Orthodox World .. Greek. Greek people. Greek Orthodox Church. Greek Orthodox Church. Orthodox World. Eastern Orthodox Church. Falling under Ottoman dominion in the mid-15th century , the modern nation state of Greece emerged in 1830 following a war of independence .. Ottoman dominion. Ottoman Greece. nation state. nation state. war of independence. Greek War of Independence. Greece 's rich historical legacy is reflected by its 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites , among the most in Europe and the world .. UNESCO World Heritage Sites. List of World Heritage Sites in Southern Europe. most in Europe and the world. Table of World Heritage Sites by country. Greece is a democratic and developed country with an advanced high-income economy , a high quality of life , and a very high standard of living .. developed country. developed country. high-income economy. World Bank high-income economy. quality of life. quality of life. standard of living. Human Development Index. A founding member of the United Nations , Greece was the tenth member to join the European Communities -LRB- precursor to the European Union -RRB- and has been part of the Eurozone since 2001 .. European Union. European Union. United Nations. United Nations. European Communities. European Communities. Eurozone. Eurozone. It is also a member of numerous other international institutions , including the Council of Europe , the North Atlantic Treaty Organization -LRB- NATO -RRB- , the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development -LRB- OECD -RRB- , the World Trade Organization -LRB- WTO -RRB- , the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe -LRB- OSCE -RRB- , and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie -LRB- OIF -RRB- .. Council of Europe. Council of Europe. North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. World Trade Organization. World Trade Organization. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Greece 's unique cultural heritage , large tourism industry , prominent shipping sector and geostrategic importance classify it as a middle power .. tourism industry. Tourism in Greece. prominent shipping sector. Greek shipping. geostrategic importance. Geostrategy. middle power. middle power. It is the largest economy in the Balkans , where it is an important regional investor .. largest economy. List of sovereign states in Europe by GDP ( nominal ). Balkans. Balkans