Basically everything that makes Greece worth visiting is its collection of islands, beaches and complex ancient temples. Here we are talking  about the places where democracy was born, the origin of western philosophy and political science, actual science, mathematics, people writing about history, the first olympic games, drama and dramatic people and even some dramatic principles too! Besides this, Greece is filled with culture and lifestyle, in abundance. In this post, we have catered some interesting fun facts about Greece, that you can picture what living in Greece means in reality, heart and in all spirits.

  • Population:- The latest United Nations estimation of Greece’s population is 11,122,375. From that number the 3,154,52 inhabitants are in Athens. 

  • Government:- Greece’s government form is the Unitary Parliamentary Republic. The government of Greece is directly elected through the election process. By law, every Greek citizen who is above 18 years old, is required to vote. 

  • Currency:- Greece adopted the euro, the EU’s common currency. Before that, Greece’s currency was drachma and was Europe’s oldest currency. 

  • Since 1981, Greece has been a member of the European Union and of NATO since 1952.

  • Greek is one of the oldest spoken languages in Europe since it has been spoken for more than 3.000 years. 

  • Greece has about 9,000 miles of coastline. 

  • The first Olympic Games took place in 776 B.C. 

  • Greece is the place where democracy was born. But democracy in ancient Athens was significantly different from modern democracies. 

 

GREECE ALSO HAS SOME FIRSTS IN THE FIELD OF SCIENCE AND ARTS

  • The first philosopher is considered to be Thales of Miletus (c. 624 – 425 B.C). He is credited as giving the first explanation for the origin of the world that was not mythological. 

  • The first historian is considered to be writer Herodotus (c. 484 – 425 B.C). He is the author of the first great book of history on the Greco-Persian Wars. 

 

GREECE ALSO CARRIES SOME OF THE MOST INTERESTING FACTS

  • Greece has the benefit of enjoying more than 250 days of sunshine -or 3,000 sunny hours- a year. 

  • No point in Greece is more than 85 miles or 137 kilometres from water. 

  • The Acropolis of Athens was a runner-up for the New 7 Wonders of the World. 

  • 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. 

  • The national drink of Greece is ouzo and if you want to say “Cheers' ', you say “Stin igia mas' ' or just “Gia mas' '. 

  • Military service is compulsory for all young Greek men and lasts from six to nine months. 

  • Coming to names, in 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. The whole country laments the death of Christ, before the mood turns festive with Easter Sunday being the climax of the celebrations.

  • Greek coffee is made with a fine grind of coffee that is boiled in a tall, narrow pot known as briki. The three main parts of Greek coffee are the grounds, the thick and strong liquid coffee and the creamy foam at the top or crema. It is meant to be sipped slowly with the grounds slowly settling at the bottom. It is usually accompanied by a traditional spoon sweet preserve. Do not drink the bottom part! 

  • Greece is the leading producer of sea sponges. Kalymnos island is especially famous for producing sea sponges. 

  • 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. 

 

Some Other Fun Facts About Greece

The evil eye is a common superstition. Wearing blue eye charms or blue beads can ward away the “evil eye”. The same applies to the blue-painted housetops in Cycladic architecture. They painted the roofs and the shutters in the blue colour to keep away the evil.  

  • Greece has more varieties of olives than any country in the world. It is the world’s 3rd leading producer of olives. 

  • The island of Ikaria is one of the five Blue Zones with one of the longest lifespans in the world. Around 30% live well into their 90s, which is on average 10 years longer than those in the rest of Europe and America. People in Ikaria lead a simple village life, vastly different to the corporate stress of city life. They take a siesta during the middle of the day and get together to socialise over homegrown glasses of wine regularly. 

  • The capital of Greece is named after the goddess Athena. 

And last but not the least Greece’s official name is the Hellenic Republic. It is known as Hellas or Ellada. 

Besides the history and the islands, Greece has a lot more beauties waiting to be discovered. The way of living is one of the most important beauties of Greece. This list of the facts about Greece is just an introduction to the Greek lifestyle. If you want to explore more of what Greece has in it, book your tickets with us and start your journey today, Kales Diakopes!