Amazing Facts about Greece

1. Amazing Facts about Greece Greece is one of the most popular tourist destinations around the world. In fact, this summer is expected to break records for the number of tourists visiting the country! From the stunning Greek island views, ancient history and civilization, and delicious food, it is surely a destination that should be on everyone's bucket list. With nearly 40% of Greek people living in Athens, it is the capital and heart of Greece. Athens is a dynamic and vibrant city that lands on the top 10 European Best Destinations list every year and has many awesome facts about it. It’s an ancient country with a lot of history, traditions and wonderful people.

2. List of Amazing Facts about Greece: 1. With an area of 50,949 square miles (131,958 square kilometers), Greece is roughly the size of Alabama. The population of Greece is more than 10 million people. comparatively, the population of Alabama is around 4.5 million. 2. Approximately 16.5 million tourists visit Greece each year, more than the country's entire population. Tourism constitutes nearly 16% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 3. No one in Greece can choose to not vote. Voting is required by law for every citizen who is 18 or older. 4. About 7% of all the marble produced in the world comes from Greece. 5. Greece has more international airports than most countries because so many foreign tourists want to visit. 6. Greece has zero navigable rivers because of the mountainous terrain. Nearly 80% of Greece is mountainous. 7. Approximately 98% of the people in Greece are ethnic Greeks. Turks form the largest minority group. Other minorities are Albanians, Macedonians, Bulgarians, Armenians, and gypsies. 8. About 12 million people around the world speak Greek. They live mostly in Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Albania, Turkey, the United States, among other countries. 9. Thousands of English words come from the Greek language, sometimes via the Roman adaptation into Latin and then to English. Common English words from Greek include “academy,” “apology,” “marathon,” “siren,” “alphabet,” and “typhoon.”

3. 10.In the 1950s, only about 30% of Greek adults could read and write. Now, the literacy rate is more than 95%. 11. An old Greek legend says that when God created the world, he sifted all the soil onto the earth through a strainer. After every country had good soil, he tossed the stones left in the strainer over his shoulder and created Greece. 12. 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. 13. The Athenian Democracy was a system dating back to the fifth century BC It was a system of direct democracy, where citizens with voting-rights voted directly on legislation and executive bills. However, participation at this point was not open to all residents. 14. Tzatziki, Feta Cheese, Moussaka, Gyros, Spanakopita, Souvlaki, Greek Salad, Calamari, Kleftiko and many more dishes are all Greek foods that you should try when you visit Greece. 15. While tourists mostly think of the islands, most Greeks actually live in the capital of Thessaloniki. 40% of the total population lives in Athens. Some of them also work on the islands during the summer, but many of them live in Athens.