Greece is located in Southeastern Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The country is considered the birthplace of democracy, philosophy, science, theater, and the Olympic Games, and is therefore known as the cradle of Western civilization. Beginning in the 8th century BC, several city-states (called poleis) arose on the territory of modern Greece. The most important were Athens, Sparta and Thebes. After the Macedonian king Philip II united almost all the city-states in the Corinthian League in the 3rd century BC, his son Alexander the Great (356–323 BC) extended his dominion to India by conquering the Persian Empire and thus to a large part of the then known world. In 146 BC, Greece became part of the Roman Empire, with Roman culture taking over much from the Greek. The division of the empire created the Byzantine Empire in 395, which adopted Greek as its official language and lasted until it was conquered by the Ottomans in 1453. Greece gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830. Today's Third Hellenic Republic was confirmed by a referendum in 1974 after the abolition of the monarchy.
Facts:
- Capital and largest city: Athens
- Official language: Greek
- Area: 131,957 km2 (50,949 sq mi)
- Population: 10,497,595 (2023 estimate)
- Independence from the Ottoman Empire: 3rd February 1830 (recognized)
The longest coastline on the Mediterranean
Located at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, Greece comprises over 200 inhabited and thousands of uninhabited islands in the Aegean and Ionian Seas. The country is therefore also referred to as "transcontinental". At 13,676 km (8,498 mi), its coastline is the longest in the entire Mediterranean. Furthermore, the island of Gavdos in the Libyan Sea is geographically the southernmost point in Europe. Between 1881 and 1893, the Peloponnese peninsula was separated from the mainland by the gigantic, almost 6.5 km (4 mi) long Corinth Canal in order to spare ships the long detour.
Greek mythology and Homer's epics
Seafaring has played a particularly important role for the Greeks since ancient times. Many of the islands are known around the world not only as fantastic vacation destinations, but also from mythology and ancient poetry. Homer's famous epics of the Trojan War and the journey of Odysseus are considered to be the first works of European literature. The stories of the Greek gods, heroes and mythical creatures are still told today and are the source of numerous anecdotes, metaphors and sayings.
Mount Olympus
Greece's nature is not only characterized by the Mediterranean Sea. Around 80 percent of the country's territory is covered by mountains. The largest mountain massif in the country is Mount Olympus on the east coast of the mainland at 2,9178 m (9,573 ft). Due to its unique flora and fauna, it was declared a national park in 1938, the first in Greece. In mythology, Mount Olympus was associated with the seat of the twelve most important gods.
Olympic Games
The name may be similar, but Olympia, the venue of the ancient Olympic Games, is not near the mountain, but on the Peloponnese. The competitions were part of the so-called Panhellenic Games. According to tradition, they were held every four years from 776 BC to 393 AD in honor of the god Zeus between athletes from the various Greek city-states. Even before the founding of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) by the Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin (1863–1937) in 1894, the entrepreneur Evangelos Zappas (1800–1865) organized the revival of sporting events in Athens in 1859. The first modern Olympic Games under the IOC then took place in 1896, also in Athens.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Greece is one of the most visited vacation destinations in the world, thanks to both its paradisiacal islands and its cultural heritage. The ancient ruins, such as the Acropolis of Athens or the temples and competition sites of Olympia, are significant in many ways: as a reminder of historical eras, such as the Greco-Persian Wars or the time of Alexander the Great, as tangible evidence of Greek mythology and as symbols of important human achievements. UNESCO has so far declared 19 World Heritage Sites in Greece, of which 17 are cultural heritage sites and two are mixed sites.
