Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic (Greek: Ελληνική Δημοκρατία, Ellinikí Dimokratía ), is a country in southern Europe on the tip of the Balkan peninsula.
Greece has land boundaries with Bulgaria , the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania to the north; and with Turkey to the east.
The waters of the Aegean Sea border Greece to the east, and those of the Ionian and Mediterranean Sea to the west and south. Regarded by many as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy.
The capital of Greece is Athens .
conventional long form: Hellenic Republic
conventional short form: Greece
local long form: Elliniki Dimokratia
local short form: Ellas or Ellada
former: Kingdom of Greece