The southern part of mainland Greece, known as Morea, consists
of the large Peloponnese Peninsula, now divided from the mainland
by the Corinth Canal. The peninsula plays host to virtually every
tourist that comes to Greece, because most of the country's
important and imposing ancient sites are found on its landmass,
which is dominated by two mountain ranges, the Taygetos and Parnon.
The peninsula is a playground, too, for the Greeks themselves.
Summer sees thousands of Athenians heading south at weekends to
enjoy the seaside resorts and beaches of the Peninsula. Besides
ancient ruins, the fertile coastal strip of the Peloponnese also
serves as Greece's market garden and centre for wine production.
Many tourists enter Greece by sea from Italy and other
Mediterranean ports through the Peloponnese port of Patras, the
third largest town in Greece. The Olympic torch is ritually lit at
Olympia by a high priestess, just as it was in ancient times, and
carried across the continents of the world to the host country to
mark the start of the Games.
