Greece is a small country in the southeastern part of Europe. It is made up of a peninsula of land and numerous small islands. To the east of Greece is the Aegean Sea, to the west the Ionian Sea, and to the south the Mediterranean Sea. Greece is almost completely surrounded by water.

Look at the map below, locating the Adriatic and Aegean Seas. Also, be sure to find Crete on the map. You will need to know where these places are later. 

map from Boundless - Introduction to Ancient Greece

You can see that the coastline of Greece would provide many natural harbours. Because of their geography, it made sense for the Greeks to become skilled seafarers. 

The rugged terrain made it difficult to grow large quantities of grain. Two crops that did grow well, though, were olives and grapes. These became the most important crops for the Ancient Greeks. Olives and grapes were not only used as food, but were also turned into other products. Olives were pressed and their oils served for cooking, as lamp fuel and even as soap. Grapes were turned into wine. Both wine and olive oil became trade items for the Ancient Greeks.