Greece, located in Southeast Europe on the Balkan Peninsula, is known as the birthplace of Western civilization and features a mountainous mainland and a large archipelago of islands. The country has borders with Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Turkey, and is surrounded by the Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean Seas. Modern Greece is a parliamentary republic and a member of the European Union, though its mountainous terrain and long history of foreign rule have influenced its economy and political development.