Mariann McFall, age 13, of Biloxi, Miss., for her question:
ARE THERE MANY GREEK ISLANDS?
Greece, the small country where the first European civilization started more than 2,000 years ago, is bordered by the Mediterranean and Black seas. Much of the land is composed of limestone, either bare or with thorny, woody shrubs. About 20 percent of the country is made up of 437 Greek islands.
The Aegean Islands are located to the east in the Aegean sea. They are generally rocky, especially in the south. The northern islands include Khios, Lesbos, Linmos, Samothrace and the Northern Sporades group.
To the south in the Aegean Island group are the Cyclades Islands, one of the least developed areas of Greece, and the Dodecanese Islands. Historic Rhodes, the largest Dodecanese island, is a major tourist attraction.
To the west in the Ionian Sea lie the Ionian Islands. The largest and most heavily populated ones are Cephalonia, Corfu and Zante. Another of the islands is Ithaca, the home of Ulysses in the Odyssey of Homer.
The main crops on the Ionian Islands are grains, grapes, olives and vegetables. Sheep and goats graze on the mountains of this island group.
Crete is one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located to the south of Greece's mainland. Although it consists chiefly of hills and mountains, there are a number of fertile valleys on the large island.
A narrow plain extends along the northern coast of Crete, which has the largest cities and some light manufacturing. Along the southern coast, mountains slope steeply to the sea.
The southeastern uplands of Greece include mountains, hills and many small valleys. The region also includes Euboea and may other offshore islands. This part of the country makes up about a sixth of Greece, but has nearly a third of the total population. Athens, the nation's capital, is located here.
To the west of Athens is Peloponnesus, a large peninsula with rugged mountains, small valleys and sandless coasts. The Corinth Canal cuts through the narrow isthmus that connects the region with the rest of the mainland, making it almost an island.
Peloponnesus is one of the most historically famous parts of Greece. Ancient temples stand among the ruins of Corinth, Olympia and other historic sites.
Tourism accounts for an important part of Greece's national income. Most tourists visit the Greek islands when they go to Greece.
No part of Greece is more than 85 miles from the sea. The Greeks have always been seafaring people.
A famous Greek island tells the story that God sifted the earth through a strainer while He was making the world. He made one country after another with the good soil that sifted through, and threw away the stones left in the strainer. According to the legend, these stones became Greece.