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.

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.

The species and subspecies of the native plants in Greece are about 6,000, almost as much as 50% of the native plants of Europe!

Greece has one of the richest varieties of wildlife in Europe, including 116 species of mammals, 18 of amphibians, 59 of reptiles, 240 of birds, and 107 of fishes.

Did you know that Greece is the 4th largest cheese producer worldwide. Greeks eat 28 kg per capita per year. And guess what, mostly feta cheese!

The very first sprint race of the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C. was won by Coroebus of Elis, a cook!

No part of Greece is more than 137km from the sea.

Did you know that Greece has around 6,000 islands, islets and rocky islets? 2,000 of them are islands and only 107 of them are inhabited!

Athens is one of the few coastal cities worldwide that is surrounded by mountains. These are Mt. Hymettus, Mt. Penteli, Mt. Parnitha and Mt. Aigaleo.

Continuously inhabited for over 7,000 years, Athens is one of the oldest cities in Europe.

Did you know that Greece has the biggest EU consumption of olive oil per capita, with around 12 kg per person per year?

Greece is the place where democracy was born. But democracy in ancient Athens was significantly different from modern democracies. It was both more participatory and exclusive, and there were no political parties in Athenian democracy.

700 plant species of Greece are endemic, meaning that they may be found only in Greece; approximately 20% of those are aromatic or medicinal plants.

In Greece, people celebrate the “name day” of the saint that bears their name in a similar way to their own birthday.

On Anafi Island, lies the rock of Kalamos, the second highest monolithic limestone after Gibraltar; a must-see for climbers who will enjoy a great challenge here.

Crete's history as well as the inhabitants' personality were affected by the island's mountainous landscape.

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

Crete, Greece’s largest island and birthplace of the Minoan Civilisation, is the most southern one, except for the little island of Gavdos!

Did you know that most days of the year are sunny in Greece? 250, to be exact.

Did you know that Greece hosts 50% of the brown bear population in western & southern Europe.