Minerals of Greece. The Relief and Nature of Greece

What do we know about the nature of Greece, in addition to walnuts and famous olive groves? The purpose of this article is to describe in as much detail as possible the relief, geographical position, landscapes and minerals of Greece. What is mined today from the depths of the southern European republic?

Where is Greece located?

Greece is a state occupying the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula with a fairly rugged coastline. A complete list of all the Greek islands includes over 1,400 names. And only a seventh of them are inhabited by people. The Republic is washed by the waters of three seas: the Mediterranean, the Aegean and the Ionian.

Greece is considered the cradle of European culture, the birthplace of democracy and Western philosophical thought. On its historical lands were born great thinkers of antiquity - Plato and Aristotle, Socrates and Heraclitus. It was from the Greek alphabet that Cyrillic and Latin letters came out.

Modern Greece is one of the most popular tourist countries in the world. Every year, it is visited by millions of travelers from different corners of the earth. Foreign tourists are attracted not only by historical and cultural monuments, but also by the beautiful nature of Greece, the gentle sea and an abundance of first-class resorts. And, of course, an ideal subtropical climate. For 300 days a year the sun shines in Greece!

Landscape diversity and relief of Greece

Greek landscapes are extremely diverse. They are a combination of alternating rocky mountains, almost treeless hills and densely populated valleys. High seismicity and dense dismemberment of the earth's surface - this is what is characteristic of this southern country.

The soil zoning is clearly expressed in the soil-vegetation cover of Greece. Plains and foothills are covered with evergreen subtropical vegetation - groves of cypresses, pines and plane trees. Above grow deciduous trees, which are closer to the mark of 1000 meters are replaced by coniferous trees. In the highlands (1800-2200 meters) pine forests and oak-beech groves predominate.

The relief of Greece is mainly mountainous. Mountains and uplands occupy about 80% of its territory. This feature is easily explained by the fact that Greece is entirely located in the zone of young alpine folding.

In the western part of the country, young mountains are built, composed of limestones and marls, in the east - the more ancient crystalline massifs. They are usually low (up to 1800 meters). The mountains of Greece do not have pointed peaks, but they differ in rather steep slopes.

The formation of the country's relief was greatly influenced by the processes of volcanism. Greece is one of the most seismically active regions in Europe. All volcanoes here are located along the southern tip of the chain of the Cycladic islands. Another characteristic feature of the Greek relief: mountain ranges within the country are deeply rugged by well-developed river valleys.

The main part of Greece's mineral resources is concentrated in mountainous areas. The mineral wealth of the country will be discussed further.

Marble and silver Greece

Greece is not only the sea, olives and ruins of ancient cities. Few people know that this country is considered the oldest center in Europe for mining.

Ancient Greece was famous for its copper mines. One of its cities is called - "Copper City" (we are talking about Chalcis, which is on the island of Euboea). The forge of the ancient state of Europe was Laconia. But the main wealth of this country was, of course, silver. It was mined both on the mainland and on the islands adjacent to Greece. It is known that silver began to be mined in Greece almost 3,500 thousand years ago.

Another wealth of Ancient Greece is marble. It was mined on the island of Paros and exported to various parts of Europe. Greek marble was distinguished by high quality and a wide variety of color scales - from milky white to bluish and lilac shades.

What is mined in Greece today? And where are the largest mineral deposits in this country?

Greece's minerals: list and main deposits

The mineral and resource potential of modern Greece is quite large and diverse. Deposits of minerals, though not very rich, but numerous.

Of the fuel resources in the country, brown coal, as well as oil and gas (in small quantities) are being actively mined. Near Athens and on some islands from the bowels of the earth extract iron ore, in the north of the country - manganese, nickel and chrome ore. But most of all Greece is famous for its non-metallic minerals. Thus, magnesite, pumice, limestone, sandstone, and also marble of very high quality are mined here in large volumes. On the island of Naxos, the world's largest emery stone is being developed.

In general, the top ten minerals in Greece are as follows:

1. Bauxite
2. Baryta
3. Iron ore
4. Gold
5. Cobalt
6. Manganese ore
7. Nickel
8. Copper
9. Oil
10. Marble.

Another mineral wealth of Greece, which can not be ignored is the bauxite. According to the reserves of this valuable raw material for the aluminum industry, the country occupies one of the first places in Europe. Bauxite deposits are located in central Greece, as well as in the north of the country (near the city of Florina).

Larimna - the "nickel capital" of Western Europe

For the past 90 years, active extraction of nickel has continued in Greece. In a small resort town called Larimna there is a large full-scale production plant belonging to the Larco corporation.

From mines located in the vicinity of the city, nickel ore is mined. A certain part of it is immediately shipped to the port and exported, and the rest goes to the combine, where it produces ferronickel (nickel-iron alloy).

To date, the plant in Larimna is the largest producer of ferronickel in Western Europe. It was founded in 1963 by the famous Greek tycoon and industrialist Atansiadis Bodossakis.

Finally…

Greece is a mountainous country with picturesque landscapes and ancient history. The mountains occupy three quarters of its territory. And it is with them that the largest deposits of the main minerals of this country are connected.

Since ancient times, copper, silver and marble have been mined in Greece. In one of the oldest mines in the world, on the Greek peninsula of Attica, and today silver and lead ores are mined. To date, Greece is one of the largest producers of bauxite and ferronickel. The deposits here, though not particularly rich, but very numerous.