The Geography of Ancient Cities - Rome vs Athens

SBCC Human Geography 102 Five Themes Project

Millions of tourist, plan trips to Europe and specifically the Mediterranean annually. Deciding where to go for the classic historical experience is a common conundrum for any tourist. Often its a toss up between the ancient cities of either Rome or Athens. The choice between these two cities of antiquities, that date back thousands of years, can be difficult. Comparatively, Italy receives 48.6 million visitors a year. Greece receives 22 million tourists, per year. Each city is the capital city, of its representative country.

Both Rome and Athens are major cities in their respective countries of Italy and Greece. Both cities have famous, historical landmarks and amazing culinary reputations. Also, both are located in southern Europe with tepid climates and coastal influences. Each has a strong Christian expression with Rome housing the Vatican City, of the Roman Catholic Church an Athens serving an integral part of the state religion of Greece, known as the Greek Orthodox Church. Italy and Greece are both known for their exceptional agriculture and amazing art and architecture. On the surface, they seem quite similar. 

A look at the map of Southern Europe will help to locate our subject countries: 

    

Maps of the individual countries:

Italy: 

Both Italy and Greece are surrounded by the warm waters of the Mediterranean. Although Greece is surrounded by multiple seas, including the Aegean Sea, the Ionian Sea, and the Crete Sea. Both countries have exceptional islands.

City map comparisons between Rome and Athens: 

Athens:

Rome:

Works Cited: 

"Athens." Visit Greece/ Athens, Greek National Tourism Organization, 2017,
www.visitgreece.gr/en/main_cities/athens.

Furian, Peter Hermes. "Mediterranean Sea Region Political Map."Dreamstime, 
Dreamstime, 2017, www.dreamstime.com/stock-illustration-mediterranean-sea-region-polital-map-land-around-south-europe-north-africa-near-east-capitals-national-borders-image53897289.

"Greece Map. "Blogspot, 2017, 
4.bp.blogspot.com/)638XFFF4pCo/S8Cy4Z3A5ql/AAAAAAAAAUY/YSHKaN00lwM/s1600/greece-map.gif.

"Hotel Map of Athens, Greece." Hotels Accommodation Austrailia, Hotel Accommodation.com.au,2015,www.hotelsaccommodation.com.au/Athens-Map-Greece/.

"Regions of Italy." Regions of Italy/Map of Italy Regions - Maps of the World, Maps of the World, 2015, www.mapsoftheworld.com/italy/regions.html.

Planet, Lonely."Athens." Lonely Planet, 2017, 
www.lonelyplanet.com/greece/athens.

Planet, Lonely. "Rome." Lonely Planet, 2017,
www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/rome.

“Rome Map.” Rome, Italy City Center, World Atlas.com, 2017, www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/romemap.jpg.

Sawe, Benjamin Elisha. "The Most Visited European Nations." WorldAtlas, World Atlas, 1 Aug. 2016, www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-most-visited-european-nations.html.