Geography
Piraeus is situated in the southwest part of the central plain of Attica, also widely known as the Attica Basin, which the Athens agglomeration (urban area) sprawls across. Piraeus is bounded by the Mount Egaleo to the northwest, and the Saronic Gulf to the south and west, and connected with the rest of the Athens Urban Area to the east and northeast. The "city proper" of Piraeus consists of a rocky peninsula, originally an island, featuring three natural harbours. In addition to the central one, called Kantharos in ancient times, the smaller harbours to the east are still in use : Zea, also known as Pasalimani, and Munichia, the smallest of the three and widely known as Mikrolimano. Nowadays, the Piraeus larger urban area includes the suburban harbours of Drapetsona, Keratsini and Perama. The central harbour is a hub of commercial and passenger shipping, whereas the two smaller ones cater to recreational and fishing craft as well as passenger hydrofoils.
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