Athens is a city in SouthEastern Greece, the capital and largest city of the country. Athens dominates the economic, cultural, and political life of modern Greece.

Athens is a sprawling city located on the Attic Plain of SouthEastern Greece. Mountains rise in a semicircle around the city. They include the peaks of Parnitha (Párnis), Pendéli, and Hymettos (Imittós). At least one of these peaks can be seen from nearly every street in Athens.

Located about 8 km (about 5 mi) SouthWest of Athens is Piraeus (Pireás), Greece’s largest seaport. Piraeus overlooks the Gulf of Saronikós (Saronic Gulf), an arm of the Aegean Sea. Two rivers, the Kifisós in the West and the Ilisós in the East, flow through the city.

Athens is often called the cradle of Western civilization for its momentous cultural achievements during the 5th and 4th centuries BC. The city still holds a wealth of ancient buildings, monuments, and artwork from the classical age of Ancient Greece, as well as museums devoted to Greek art, culture, and history.