"Cape Sounion of Attiki, a chunk of Greek land in the direction of the Cyclades surrounded by the Aegean Sea.  As one passes the cape there is a harbor; there atop the cape the Sounias temple of Athena. Sailing on, you will find the port city of Lavrion, where the Athenians once had silver mines ...''
Thus begins the description of Pausanias who arrived in Attiki by sea in about 145 AD.  The prefecture of Attiki is located at the eastern edge of Central Greece. Bordering the prefecture of Boeotia to the west, and that of Korinthia to the south, the rest is surrounded by sea.
According to one tradition, it was named after the first king of the region, Aktaios.  A competing explanation is that its name derives from a corruption of 'aktiki', i.e. coastal.  Plausible enough, as it's largely surrounded by sea with its coastal line featuring many harbors, bays and beautiful beaches.
 You cannot step on the Attic land without feeling the richness of centuries that has been imprinted on each point. According to findings in a cave on Mount Aigaleo, Attiki was inhabited at least 10,000 years ago. The origin of local residents is lost in mythology, but considers the Pelasgian Aktaios to have been the first king of Attiki; however it appears to be a blending of indigenous peoples, and Achaian, Dorian, and Ionian colonists who settled in the area.
Attiki combines mountains and plains, and the favorable temperate climate contributes to the famous Attic sky. The capital of the prefecture, and of Greece in general, is at Athens.  The city's residents have burdened the region by their sheer numbers, coupled with a serious lack of environmental care.  The famous Greek architect Pikionis once said: "This Attic land lies here as though the formerly beautiful body of a divine creature, of which a disease now devours its flesh."
Apart from Athens and Piraeus, Attiki is home to dozens of smaller villages and settlements.  Many of these outlying locales have been slowly absorbed into the metropolitan complex.