
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!
In Greece, people celebrate the “name day” of the saint that bears their name in a similar way to their own birthday.
Greece has more archaeological museums than any other country in the world; in-fact they are around 196!
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!
Continuously inhabited for over 7,000 years, Athens is one of the oldest cities in Europe.
Τhe concept of democracy developed in Athens around the 6th century BC. The Greek word demokratia (δημοκρατία) meant “the power of the people”.
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.
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.
Did you know that in Greece you can enjoy skiing with a sea view?
Did you know that Greece is the third largest producer of olive oil in the world? Greeks have cultivated olive trees since antiquity. Some of the olive trees that are still producing olives date back to the thirteenth century.
Greece' s official name is Hellenic Republic. However Greeks call their country Hellas or Hellada.
Greece has historically engaged in wine making. Take for example Dionysus, the son of Zeus, the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking and wine. His face is seen today on the sommelier’s pin which is a symbol of respect to wine’s contribution throughout history.
Greece is a leading producer of sea sponges.
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.
About 7% of all the marble produced worldwide comes from Greece.
Greek is one of the oldest spoken languages in Europe since it has been spoken for more than 3.000 years.
Did you know that Greece hosts 50% of the brown bear population in western & southern Europe.
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.
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.
The very first sprint race of the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C. was won by Coroebus of Elis, a cook!