1. With an area of 50,949 square miles (131,958 square kilometers), Greece is roughly the size of Alabama. The population of Greece is more than 10 million people.-comparatively, the population of Alabama is around 4.5 million.
2. Approximately 98% of the people in Greece are ethnic Greeks. Turks form the largest minority group. Other minorities are Albanians, Macedonians, Bulgarians, Armenians, and gypsies.
3. The capital and largest city in Greece is Athens. Other major cities include Thessaloniki, Patras and Heraklion.
4. Greece features thousands of islands, including destinations such as Santorini and Mykonos.
5. Athens most recently hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 2004.
6. Greek food is diverse. Typical Greek ingredients are: olive oil, herbs, vegetables, grains, bread, chicken, rabbit, pork, fish, bread, cheese, eggplant and yogurt. Greek deserts commonly include nuts, honey and filo pastry.
7. The life expectancy of a modern day Greek person is relatively high: Males: 75.66 years old, Females: 81.88 years old.
8. A popular Greek tradition is called 'name day'. Each name that come from a religious saint has a given day each year which is celebrated by the church. People who share the same name also celebrate the day, often receiving gifts from their friends and family. Name days are even more important than birthdays in Greece!
9. One of the most famous Greek Temples is the Parthenon. It was built in 438 B.C. for Athena, who was the Greek goddess of war. The Parthenon is one of the most popular attractions for Greek tourists.
10. Events at the Ancient Greek's Olympics included wrestling, boxing, long jump, javelin, discus and chariot racing. But those taking part in the wrestling event had to be the toughest, as there were hardly any rules - and they had to compete naked. Eek!
11. Only boys and men were actors in ancient Greek plays. They wore large masks so audience members could see what part they were playing. Theater staff carried big sticks because sometimes the huge audiences would get excited by a play and would riot.
12. The term "Ancient Greece" usually refers to the time between Homer (c. 750 B.C.) and the Roman conquest of Ptolemaic Egypt (Antony and Cleopatra, 30 B.C.).
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Myths and Mortals (Greek Mythology)
FantasyDo you know your Artemis from your Aphrodite? Can you name the god of the Underworld, the sea, the sun? Which god rules them all, holding a thunderbolt in his hand, or claw, when he transforms into an eagle? Or what monsters lurk in the depths of Ta...
