Much of the soils in Greece are made up of silty, sandy soil. Limestone is a characteristic type of soil found in this country. The soil is not very fertile. Only about 30 percent of the total land area in Greece can support crops. Most farms are small because there are no major valleys in Greece. Wheat is Greece’s main crop. Other major crops include corn and other grains, cotton, figs, olives, oranges, peaches, potatoes, sugar beets, tobacco and tomatoes. Greece is one of the world’s leading producers of olive oil and raisins. Some natural vegetation found in Greece is small shrubs and hardy pine trees. Greece has many mineral deposits. These are marble, clay, nickel, coal, bauxite, ore, and chromate. Greece has a total area of 131.957 km2 and occupies the southernmost extension of the Balkan Peninsula. The mainland accounts for 80% of the land area, with the remaining 20% divided among nearly 3000 islands. The Greek landscape, with its extensive coastline, exceeding 15,000 km in length, is closely linked with the sea, since only a small region in the northwest is further than 80 km from the sea. Approximately 25% of it is lowland, particularly the coastal plains along the seashore of the country.
Greek Natural Resources