Greece is a nation in Europe and is considered part of “western” Europe, although, strictly following the map, it would normally be assigned to the south or southeast of Europe and would be part of the Balkan nations.
To the north, Greece borders Albania, FYROM / Macedonia and Bulgaria. In the northeast, Greece shares a border with Turkey. Turkey is also on the other side of the water for many Greek islands; In many cases, these islands are closer to Turkey than to Greece.
South of the large Greek island of Crete, separated by a long stretch of the Libyan Sea, are Libya and Egypt, both a couple of days away by boat.
Distances from Greece
The following distances from Greece are from Athens unless otherwise noted. Different locations in Greece will naturally give different results. The island nation of Cyprus is not part of Greece, although much of it is culturally Greek. Its position on the eastern tip of the Mediterranean puts it a little closer to some hot spots in the Middle East.
Afghanistan
Alexander the Great may have conquered parts of Afghanistan, but today Greece is a long way from the mountainous nation. Athens is about 2,525 miles from Kabul, which is the capital of Afghanistan.
- Athens Location: 38: 01: 36N 23: 44: 00E
- Kabul Location: 34: 34: 01N 69: 13: 01E
Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula
Greece is far southwest of Crimea and the rest of Ukraine. Crimea’s main city, Simferopol, is 722 miles away. Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, is 926 miles away from Athens.
- Athens Location: 38: 01: 36N 23: 44: 00E
- Simferopol Location: 44 ° 57′30 ″ N, 34 ° 06′20 ″ E
- Kiev location: 50 ° 27′16 ″ N, 30 ° 31′25 ″ E
Egypt
Greece is separated from Egypt by the Mediterranean Sea. Cairo is less than 700 miles from Athens.
- Athens Location: 38: 01: 36N 23: 44: 00E
- Cairo Location: 30.0500N 31.2500E
Gaza Strip
The area of the Gaza Strip is between Egypt and Israel. It is about 750 miles from Athens.
I ran
Greece is not close to Iran. More than 1,500 miles separate Athens and Tehran.
- Athens Location: 38: 01: 36N 23: 44: 00E
- Tehran Location: 35.6719N 51.4244E
Iraq
Greece is far from Iraq. While Turkey, across the Aegean to the east, shares a border with northern Iraq, Greece is well isolated by distance.
Athens is approximately 1,203 miles from Baghdad.
- Athens Location: 38: 01: 36N 23: 44: 00E
- Baghdad Location: 33: 14: 00N 44: 22: 00E
Israel
Athens is about 746 miles from Tel Aviv, less than 780 miles from Jerusalem.
Lebanon
Greece is not close to Lebanon. Athens is about 718 miles from Beirut.
- Athens Location: 38: 01: 36N 23: 44: 00E
- Beirut Location: 33: 53: 00N 35: 30: 00E
Libya
Greece is separated from Libya by the Mediterranean Sea. The southernmost point of Greece, the island of Gavdos, is about 170 miles from Tobruk, which is a city on the north coast of Libya. The part of the Mediterranean Sea above Libya is called by geographical convention the Libyan Sea and this stretch of water washes against Crete, Gavdos and Gavdoupoula, but none of these islands is close to Libya. When the conflicts in Libya were shown on television, maps of the north coast of Libya sometimes included the island of Crete on the far right.
Greek ships from Crete were used to transport thousands of Chinese workers, who were brought to Crete and then assisted to return to China; This effort further solidified ties between Greece and China.
Syria
Athens is about 768 miles away from Syria. Some islands are somewhat closer, but Greece is not close to Syria.
- Athens Location: 38: 01: 36N 23: 44: 00E
- Damascus Location: 36.300N 33.500E
Other distances to Athens
Athens is approximately:
- 567 miles from Nicosia, Cyprus.
- 646 miles from Rome, Italy.
- 1,303 miles from Paris, France.
- 1,486 miles from London, England.
- 3,110 miles from New Delhi, India.
- 4,741 miles from Beijing, China.
- 4,934 miles from New York City, New York.
- 5,919 miles from Tokyo, Japan.
- 5,989 miles from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- 6,907 miles from Los Angeles, California.
- 9,528 miles from Sydney, Australia.
- The state of Cyprus
Cyprus is sometimes mistakenly believed to be a Greek island and part of Greece. While this divided nation is generally considered culturally Greek, it is independent. The island is divided into an occupied Turkish area in the north and the Greek-speaking area in the south.
Cyprus is located in the eastern Mediterranean, so it is sometimes used as a way station for evacuations by Middle Eastern nations, putting it in the news in connection with those conflicts.
