Welcome to Greece

1. Welcome to Greece

2. Official Name: Hellenic Republic Form of Government: Parliamentary republic Capital: Athens Population: 10,722,816 Official Language: Greek Currency: Euro

3. Greece is located in southeast Europe, close to both Africa and Asia.

4. The Greek flag is includes nine blue-and-white horizontal stripes, which some scholars say stand for the nine syllables of the Greek motto “EleftheriaiThanatos” or “Freedom or Death.” Blue represents Greece’s sea and sky, while white stands for the purity of the struggle of freedom. In the upper left-hand corner is the traditional Greek Orthodox cross.

5. The Pindus mountain range on the mainland contains one of the world's deepest gorges, Vikos Gorge, which plunges 3,600 feet.

6. Path to monastery Greek monasteries are located in steep rocks, cliffs, on windy slopes above the sea, lush green valleys and olive groves. These monasteries are actually witnesses of human efforts to come closer to God through silence, simplicity and harmony. They played a valuable role in different periods of Greek history protecting and sometimes preserving the Greek language, arts and tradition through generations of monks.

8. The area of Meteora was originally settled by monks who lived in caves within the rocks during the 11th Century. As times became more unsure during an age of Turkish occupation and lawlessness, they climbed higher up the rock face until they were living on the inaccessible peaks. They were able to build the first monasteries by bringing material and people up with ladders and baskets. This was also how the monasteries were reached until the 1920s. Now there are roads, pathways and steps to the top.

10. The majority of Greek people who are religious are Greek Orthodox (98% of the country).

11. The first great civilization in Greece was the Minoan culture on the island of Crete around 2000 B.C. Wall paintings found at the ruins of the palace Knossos show people doing backflips over a charging bull. The Minoans were conquered by the Myceneans from the mainland in 1450 B.C.

12. A monkis a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decided to dedicate his life to serving all other living beings, or  who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many religions and in philosophy.

13. Greece has the longest coastline in Europe and is the southernmost country in Europe. The mainland has rugged mountains, forests, and lakes, but the country is well known for the thousands of islands dotting the blue Aegean Sea to the east, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Ionian Sea to the west.

14. Continuously inhabited for over 7,000 years, Athens is one of the oldest cities in Europe. It is also the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, political science, Western literature, historiography, major mathematical principles, and Western theories of tragedy and comedy.

15. Athens became the most powerful city, and in 508 B.C., the people instituted a new system of rule by the people called democracy. But during that time, only men could vote!

16. Mount Olympus is Greece's highest mountain at 9,570 feet above sea level. Ancient Greeks believed it was the home of the gods. Mount Olympus became the first national park in Greece.

17. The Greeks had some strange superstitions about food – some wouldn’t eat beans as they thought they contained the souls of the dead!

18. Family life is a very important part of life in Greece. Children often live with their parents even after they get married.

20. Greece has the 10th longest coastline in the world.

21. The Greeks put statues of their gods inside temples, the most famous of which is the Parthenon.

22. The Greek National Anthem contains 158 verses.

23. No one in Greece can choose to not vote. Voting is required by law for every citizen who is 18 or older.

24. Greece has zero navigable rivers because of the mountainous terrain. Nearly 80% of Greece is mountainous.

25. About 10% of a Greek worker’s pay is taken for taxes and another 10% for national health care. The government provides free hospitals and other medical services.

26. About 10% of Greek adults are unemployed. Even with a college education, it’s hard to find a job.

27. The first Olympic Games were held in Olympia in 700 B.C. to honor Zeus, the king of the gods. Only men could compete in the events such as sprinting, long jump, discus, javelin, wrestling, and chariot racing.

28. Those taking part in the wrestling event had to be the toughest, as there were hardly any rules – and they had to compete naked.

29. The Ancient Greeks played an important part in the development of the alphabet. The first two letters of the Greek alphabet - alpha and beta - have given us the word 'alphabet'. 

31. Olive trees have been cultivated in Greece for over 6,000 years. Every village has its own olive groves.

32. Greece abolished their monarchy in 1975 and became a parliamentary republic. Under the new constitution, there is a president and a prime minister. The prime minister has the most power, and is the leader of the party that has the most seats in the parliament. The president selects cabinet ministers who run government departments.

33. Greeks live long lives and it is thought that their varied diet of olives, olive oil, lamb, fish, squid, chickpeas, and lots of fruits and vegetables keep them healthy.

34. Greece was once a mass of rock that was completely underwater. When a tectonic plate crashed into Europe, the collision created Greece’s mountainous ranges. The plate is still moving and causes earthquakes all around the Aegean.

35. The city-states were often at war, but just before the Olympics, a truce would be called so  that everyone could travel to Olympia safely.

36. In Greece, the dead are always buried because the Greek Orthodox Church forbids cremation. Five years after a burial, the body is exhumed and the bones are first washed with wine and then placed in an ossuary. This is done in part to relieve the shortage of land in Greek cemeteries. *Anossuary is a chest, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains.

37. Greek has been spoken for more than 3,000 years, making it one of the oldest languages in Europe.

38. Greek food is diverse. Typical Greek ingredients are: olive oil, herbs, vegetables, grains, bread, chicken, rabbit, pork, fish, bread, cheese, eggplant and yogurt. Greek deserts commonly include nuts, honey and filo pastry.

39. The country is divided into three geographical regions: the mainland, the islands, and Peloponnese, the peninsula south of the mainland.

40. Greece was ruled by foreigners for over 2,000 years beginning with the Romans conquering the Greeks in the 2nd century. Then, after almost 400 years under Turkish rule, Greece won independence in 1832.

41. Nearly two-thirds of the people live in large cities. Athens is the largest city, with over 3.7 million people crowding the metropolis. Smog is a big problem in Athens. The Parthenon, the temple to goddess Athena atop the Acropolis, is deteriorating due to pollution and acid rain.

42. Did you know that the Ancient Greeks invented the theatre? They loved watching plays, and most cities had a theatre – some big enough to hold 15,000 people! Only men and boys were allowed to be actors, and they wore masks, which showed the audience whether their character was happy or sad. Some of the masks had two sides, so the actor could turn them around to change the mood for each scene.

44. Only boys and men were actors in ancient Greek plays. They wore large masks so audience members could see what part they were playing. Theater staff carried big sticks because sometimes the huge audiences would get excited by a play and would riot.

45. According to Greek mythology, Athena and Poseidon agreed that whoever gave the city the best gift would become guardian over the city. Though Poseidon gave the gift of water, Athena’s gift of an olive tree was deemed by the other gods to be more valuable.

46. Most Ancient Greeks wore a chiton, which was a long T-shirt made from one large piece of cotton. The poor slaves, however, had to make do with a loincloth (a small strip of cloth wrapped around the waist)!

47. The Greeks revolutionized the art of sculpture. Instead of stiff poses and blank faces, Greek artists began to carve statues of people that showed both movement and emotion. About 7% of all the marble produced in the world comes from Greece.

48. Greek folk dancing ties Greeks to their past and to their future. Greek folk dancing is very much an active art, both in Greece and throughout the world where Greeks have immigrated. Dancing is a vivid expression of everyday life and everyone of all ages dances at important occasions – weddings, baptisms, family celebrations and community social events.

49. Greece enjoys more than 250 days of sunshine—or 6,000 sunny hours—a year.

50. Currently, Greek men must serve from one year to 18 months in any branch of the armed forces. The government spends 6% of the annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on the military.