This map, produced by the Greek Military Geographical Service in 1999, shows Greece's territorial expansion since its independence. It was created as a gift from the Greek army to the country's parliament. Multiple copies of the map were produced and distributed and sold throughout Greece.
Between 1821 and 1830, Greece fought its War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire, with the help of France, Russia and the United Kingdom. In 1822, a provisional government was established, and between 1827 and 1832, the First Hellenic Republic was unilaterally declared. Following the London Conference of 1832, the Kingdom of Greece was definitively established.
This map already shows the Kingdom of Greece as the starting point, in yellow, and other colours represent Greek territorial expansions up to 1947:
- In pink, 1864: The United Kingdom returns the Ionian Islands to Greece.
- In green, 1881: Following the Constantinople Conference, Greece acquires Thessaly.
- In red, 1913: At the end of the Balkan Wars, in the Treaty of Bucharest, Greece acquires Crete, Epirus and Macedonia.
- In purple, 1920: In the Treaty of Sèvres, Greece obtains Thrace from Bulgaria.
- Purple striped, 1923: Under the Treaty of Lausanne, Greece returns Eastern Thrace and Ionia to the newly created Turkey.
- In green, 1947: Italy cedes the Dodecanese to Greece after the end of the Second World War.
The lower right-hand corner also includes a brief summary of the history of Cyprus, implying to some extent the historical rights that Greece might have over the island. This can be understood, in part, as propaganda on the part of the map's creators.
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