Greece, Hellas and Ελλάδα in Greek, is a beautiful country of Southeastern Europe, located on the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. It borders Albania, the Republic of Scopia and Bulgaria to the north and Turkey to the east.
It has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin and the 11th longest coastline in the world, featuring a large number of islands. 80% of the country is mountainous, with Mount Olympus being the highest peak at 9,573 ft. |
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Greece has been characterized as the ornament of the Mediterranean Sea. The scenery varies travelling along the mainland to the coastline from gorgeous canyons and valleys to leafy mountains and slopes which end in golden sandy beaches and islands with crystal clear waters of unique beauty. The population of Greece numbers approximately 11 million. The only spoken language is Greek as there is a national homogeneity in the country from ancient times. Many Greeks though, speak English and French or German as these languages are taught in all Grades at public schools. |
Τhe country is also known for the Mediterranean Diet. Many researches have done all over the world about the longevity of the local population that some places show, like the islands Crete and Ikaria, which proved that it is directly related with inhabitants' life style and diet. The healthy climate, the use of olive oil in cooking, the frequent consumption of fresh fish instead of red meat, the high quality of local produce and the positive attitude are among the key factors influencing the above phenomenon.
Greece is considered the cradle of Western Civilization, for being the birthplace of Democracy, Philosophy, Poetry and Drama, as well as the Olympic Games. Greek language has bequeathed the terminology and concepts of most of sciences and arts of modern western civilization worldwide. Greeks also completely developed the concept and the meaning of philoxenia (hospitality) and patriotism from ancient times. The rich historical legacy of Greece is reflected by its 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. |
HISTORY
Greece is said to be the birthplace of Democracy, due to city-states like Athens that's the capital of Greece nowadays, which had been the first to have elected their leaders and not to have had kings. Greek culture was one of the most advanced in antiquity and Greek history among the richest in the world. Some bright examples are philosophers, like Plato, Socrates and Aristotle, and great leaders like Pericles, Alexander the Great and Leonidas from Sparta. During the years of Alexander the Great, a huge Greek empire had been created that spread from modern-day Greece to Egypt and the most part of the Arabian world, as far as the borders of India. This historical period is called Hellenistic from the name Hellas, due to cultural role that the Greek civilization had played toward conquered peoples at that time. During this period uneducated peoples were civilized and improved significantly their living conditions. An example about the respect Egyptians show to the Hellenistic period is the large epigraph above the great columns in the entrance of the city of Alexandria with its name written with an ancient Greek font of letters, since it came from the founder of the city that was the Alexander the Great. A 2nd example is the fact that the legend about Alexander the Great is living in Iranian traditions and poetry. Also in some regions of Iran farmers narrate the legend of a Great King, that lived in the past and is called Alexandros. It is remarkable that the positive attitude they have toward him it is not a product of education as this people is unlettered but it has been caused by an historical collective memory that have survived through centuries during the past. It is worth to mention that the ancient Greek currency "drachma" although it began to disappear after the conquest of Greece by the Romans, it gave its name in many modern-day Arab currencies. So "dirham" is the currency in Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Libya and Qatar. A brilliant example of this great empire is the famous Library of Alexandria, which included countless classrooms, research workshops and reading rooms. It housed thousands of volumes of books without any limitation, outshining the wealth of manuscripts of any other well-known library of its time and past. It was named the first University in the world at that time. Unfortunately later this epic spiritual achievement in history of humanity burnt down and destroyed by Roman's emperors. And as it has been written in history, in the same place that there was the Library now there is the "desert". At that time Greek language became the 'lingua franca' of the Middle East that means the language that people around the Mediterranean Sea, North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula - who were not speaking the same language - used to communicate. exactly like English is used today as an international language. The Greek lingua franca lasted many centuries later. so the Gospel of Christ spread all over the world through the Greek language. After this period Greece was conquered by the Roman Empire, 2nd c. BC and as it's known, whereas Romans conquered Greece with arms, Greece captivated Rome with its culture. Then, a new civilization was created due to the greatest Greek cultural influence in the Romans that is known as Greek-Roman civilization. The new empire was gradually named Byzantium due to the name of an ancient namesake Greek city, above which Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor founded the capital of the empire, Constantinople. Constantinople became the most known city in the world, more famous even than that Rome. The most significant monument of the city is Agia Sophia that is a miracle of Architecture worldwide after Parthenon of Athens, and it was related with many Greek traditions and legends. While the Roman Empire was started collapsing and the Greek culture dominated the Romans the Greek language became the official language of the new empire, which included all the territories around the eastern Mediterranean - such as Constantinople, Cappadocia, Cyprus and around the Black Sea - where Greeks lived from ancient times. Later in the 15th century AD Byzantium was occupied by Turks for about 400 years. Constantinople is renamed "Istanbul" owing to a paraphrase from the Greek phrase "is tin Polin" that means "(going) to the Constantine's polis" in Greek. The War of Independence against Turks began in 1821 and Greece became an independent country again, in 1828. But its current borders were formed after many other wars from 1878 to 1947, and since then it enjoys freedom and peace. The Greek Orthodox Church rooted even in the 1st c. AD, helped Greece shape its modern identity and transmitted Greek traditions to the wider Orthodox World. In 1981 Greece became a member of the European Union, whereas it rejoined NATO in 1980. |