THE PELOPONNESE

The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus (Greek: Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnisos), is a large peninsula, located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth. During the late Middle Ages and the Ottoman era, the peninsula was known as the Morea (Greek: Μωρέας, colloq. Μωριάς), a name still in colloquial use. It was here that the Greek War of Independence began; the Peloponnesians have had a dominance of politics and government in Greece since then.

The Corinth Canal (Greek: Διώρυγα της Κορίνθου) is a canal that connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnesian peninsula from the Greek mainland, thus effectively making the former an island. The builders dug the canal through the Isthmus at sea level; no locks are employed. It is 6.4 kilometres in length and only 21.3 metres wide at its base, making it unpassable for most modern ships. It now has little economic importance.

Rich in its diversity of landscapes, alive with the variety of its flora and fauna, the Greek countryside is astoundingly beautiful – a place where the soaring peaks of craggy mountains sit juxtaposed against the lush softness of the rural landscape, which is set off y the sparkling sea, sometimes deep blue, at other times azure, clear and limpid. The small towns and villages with their terracotta roofs peeking through the lush green of the pine trees makes for picturesque settings where one may read Homer!

This post is part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Mandarin Orange meme.