Athens has been the capital city of modern Greece since 1835. Located near the southern end of Greece, Athens is the country's political and cultural center.

This view of the city of Athens was collected on Space Shuttle Mission STS-90 in the spring of 1998. Several hills dot the central region of the city.

In this enlarged portion of the Space Shuttle photograph, the arrow points to the Acropolis ("high city") on which stand the remains of the Parthenon, the famous temple constructed from 447-431 B.C. to honor the goddess Athena. These ruins are perhaps the most famous symbol of the "Golden Age" of ancient Greece. Also visible is the adjacent city of Piraeus, the port of Athens. The third largest city in Greece, Piraeus is one of the most important shipping centers of the Mediterranean.