Interesting Facts about Greece

Μετάφραση Greek Version

Interesting Facts about Greece

  • Greece isn’t really the country’s name. Greece’s official name is the Hellenic Republic. It is known as Hellas or Ellada. 
  • Greece enjoys more than 250 days of sunshine -or 3,000 sunny hours- a year making it one of the sunniest countries in the world
  • No point in Greece is more than 85 miles or 137 kilometers from water. 
  • The Greek flag includes nine blue-and-white horizontal stripes, which stands for the nine syllables of the Greek motto “Eleftheria i Thanatos” 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 corner is the traditional Greek Orthodox cross. 
  • Greece contributes 7% to the marble produced in the whole world. 
  • Greece has more varieties of olives than any country in the world. It is the world’s 3rd leading producer of olives. 
  • Greece is also known for its Feta Cheese, which is one of the country’s most important exports
  • Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world.
  • Greece is the leading producer of sea sponges.
  • Greek society name days are equally important to birthdays. Most of the Greek names are derived from religious saints and the name day is a great celebration for the family.
  • The Easter Holiday is of greater importance than the Christmas Holiday. For the Orthodox Church, the resurrection of Christ is the biggest celebration of the year.
  • Greece has more archaeological museums than any other country in the world.
  • There are more than 2000 islands in the Greek territory, but only 170 are populated. 
  • Greece has one of the biggest coastlines in the world with over 6000 beaches. You could visit a different beach every day for over 17 years.
  • Newborns are not given a name at birth, but are baptized around their first birthday. The name that will be given to the child is an important issue for the Greek family. Usually, the baby is named after the name of a grandparent, so that the legacy of the family is continued. 
  • During summertime, there are more tourists in Greece than Greeks. 
  • Athens is the oldest capital in Europe
  • Greece has one of the richest varieties of wildlife in Europe
  • Greek is the oldest written language still in existence
  • The Olympic Games originated in Ancient Greece.
  • The Ancient Greeks invented the theatre
  • The Odyssey is one of the world’s most famous books
  • The evil eye is a common superstition
  • Greece is home to 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
  • Greece is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe, and 80% of the country is mountainous.
  • Greece has five active volcanoes
  • There are over 4,000 official traditional dances throughout Greece.
  • Athens has more theatres than any other city in the world. There are 148 theatrical stages in Athens, which total more than New York’s Broadway or London’s West End.
  • The very first nude scene in European cinematic history was in a Greek film in 1931.