Greece is a European country.
Greece -LRB- Ελλάδα , -LSB- eˈlaða -RSB- -RRB- , officially the Hellenic Republic -LRB- Greek : Ελληνική Δημοκρατία , -LSB- eliniˈci ðimokraˈti.a -RSB- -RRB- , historically also known as Hellas -LRB- Ἑλλάς , -LSB- heˈlas -RSB- , modern pronunciation Ellás -RRB- , is a country in southeastern Europe , with a population of approximately 11 million as of 2015.
Athens is the nation 's capital and largest city , followed by 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.
Greece 's rich historical legacy is reflected by its 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites , among the most in Europe and the world.
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.
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.
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-.
