Thessaly (Thessalia) is the geographical department that occupies the central section of mainland Greece. It is surrounded by high mountain ranges encircling a low plain. It borders Macedonia to the north, Sterea Ellada to the south, Epirus to the west, and its eastern shoreline is on the Aegean. It has a higher percentage of flatland than any other district in Greece. The climate is continental; the winters are cold and the summers hot and the temperature differential between the two seasons are large. One of the characteristics of the climate of the plain of Thessaly are frequent summer rainstorms. These frequent rains amplify the fertility of the plain, often called the breadbasket of Greece.