Greece is comprised of the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula and several Islands in the Aegean Sea. Greece has been inhabited for at least 270,000 years. Having an advanced culture from around 3200 BC, the beginning of the Bronze Age, it is considered to be the birthplace of western civilization. Almost three quarters of the mainland is mountainous leaving a very small portion to be shared by agriculture and urban centres. The greater part of the population live in the three major cities of which Athens is the capital and largest city.