The ecoregion covers most of mainland Greece, the Greek Aegean Islands (except for Crete), the western coast of Turkey, the southern Vardar river valley in North Macedonia, the southern Struma river valley at the extreme south-western corner of Bulgaria,[2] as well as Greece's Heptanese Islands in the Ionian Sea.

Maquis species include strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), Arbutus andrachne, sweet bay (Laurus nobilis), olive (Olea europaea), carob (Ceratonia siliqua), Erica arborea, Balanites aegyptiaca, Phoenix canariensis, Phoenix dactylifera, Vachellia flava, Vachellia tortilis, Cupressus sempervirens, Salix alba, Populus nigra, Pinus nigra, Senegalia senegal, Prosopis cineraria, Pinus halepensis, Aerva javanica, Prunus amygdalus, Corylus avellana, Ziziphus spina-christi, Quercus robur, Quercus petraea, Picea abies, Abies alba, Alnus glutinosa, Fagus sylvatica, Taxus baccata, Acer pseudoplatanus, Malus sylvestris, Viburnum lantana, Fraxinus excelsior, Tilia cordata, Aesculus hippocastanum, Rhamnus cathartica, Ulmus glabra, Ulmus minor, Populus alba, Pinus sylvestris, Betula pendula, Pistacia atlantica, Pistacia lentiscus, Pistacia terebinthus, Quercus brantii, Juniperus communis, and Spartium junceum.

[4] The oriental sweetgum (Liquidambar orientalis) is endemic to a limited area of southwestern Turkey and the island of Rhodes.

[4] Bozpırnal oak (Quercus aucheri) is another endemic tree, native to the islands of Rhodes and Kos and adjacent southwestern coastal Turkey.

[7] Mammals in the ecoregion include wild boar (Sus scrofa), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), golden jackal (Canis aureus), wolf (C. lupus), European badger (Meles meles), European hare (Lepus europaeus), northern white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus roumanicus), southern white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor), Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), Caucasian squirrel (Sciurus anomalus), and pine marten (Martes martes).