Greece is a Mediterranean country of exceptional biological wealth. It is a mountainous country (66%) with a pronounced island character (9,800 islands, 18,400 km shoreline). The geographical position of the country, its complex topography, its geological and soil diversity, its landscape heterogeneity, and the impressive co-existence of several micro-climatic conditions explain the high biodiversity value of the country and its high degree of endemism, in the context of its geological and evolutionary history.