40 interesting facts about Greece. Interesting facts about Greece. Unusual facts and legends

Traveling gives you the opportunity to look into the heart of each country, learn the secret and see with your own eyes the obvious. Greece is a place in the world that attracts tourists. They want to know about him. Numerous facts open up a lot of new things for the learner. What is it like, Greece? Let's look at everything in order.

1. Greece, with a population of more than 10 million people, is located on an area of 50,949 square miles, amounting to almost 132,000 square kilometers. For comparison, Alabama, which has almost the same territory, has a population almost 2 times smaller (4.5 million). But traveling around the whole country is not a problem, today many people use the service: transfer in Greece, for example, the Hellenic Taxi company provides a range of services from the first minutes of arrival in this wonderful country, in addition, the Hellenic Taxi company organizes excursions, rental of villas and yachts for guests of the country and much more.

2. Every year, almost 16.5 million tourists strive to get to Greece. In this country, tourism accounts for about 16% of the country's GDP.

3. Every citizen, upon reaching the age of majority, has the legal right to vote.

4. There are many international airports here due to the development of tourism.

5. Greece is in third place in world olive production. They have been growing olive trees since ancient times. Even trees that were planted in the 13th century bear fruit.

6. In Greek mythology, it is said that the gods, in order to determine the guardian of the city, told Athena and Poseidon to choose a gift. Poseidon gave water, Athena - an olive tree. It was this that, according to the gods, was the most valuable.

7. Greece is 80% rocky, with many mountains.

8. The English language is filled with many words that come from Greek. Common words are academy, apology, marathon, siren, alphabet, typhoon.

9. In the ancient legend talking about the creation of the world, it means that Greece appeared when God sifted the earth and threw the remaining stones in the sieve over his shoulder. They became the basis of this country.

10. Greece has more than 2 thousand islands, of which almost 200 are inhabited by people. The most famous island for tourists is Crete, it is the largest.

11. The capital of Greece is Athens. Almost half the population lives there. Many tourists flock here, considering Athens a tourist center.

12. Athens is not only a city that is nice to the eye. This is one of the oldest cities in Europe, the birthplace of democracy, philosophy, the science of history, and political science.

13. The Greek government annually allocates 6% of GDP for the needs of the army. Males must serve in it for 1 to 1.5 years while in the armed forces.

14. The prehistory of the country says that it was formed from one and a half thousand small city-states or policies. Each had its own laws, they constantly quarreled. Athens was the largest among them.

15. For a long time, until the end of the nineties of the 20th century, Türkiye and Greece divided Cyprus. After the earthquake in 1999, the countries improved relations.

16. Among the merchant ships of the European Union, Greece has 70%, and according to the country's legislation, 75% of the crew are Greek.

17. For lovers of archaeological museums, Greece is an abundance of places to visit. There is no country that can compare with it in this. Tourists should prepare for intense excursion programs.

18. Birthdays are not celebrated in this country. It is customary here to celebrate the “name day” of the saint whose name the owner bears.

19. The famous expression “taking the bull by the horns” has Greek roots (the myth of Hercules).

20. The city of Rhodes, which is the center of the island of the same name, is the most popular among tourists visiting Greece. If this city is not on your itinerary for visiting outstanding places, consider yourself missing a lot. Here you can see the Colossus of Rhodes. This is a statue of the god Helios, 303 meters high. It was destroyed by an earthquake.

21. It was in Greece that the first Olympic Games took place back in 776 BC, when the Greek nationality Cook became the first champion.

22. The issue of rights to the Parthenon marble sculptures in the London Museum is controversial. Greece claims their illegal sale to Great Britain, which claims the opposite.

23. In Greece, the Orthodox Church prohibited cremation. Therefore, the dead were buried, exhumed after 5 years, and the bones, after washing in wine, were placed in a crypt. On the one hand, the reason is quite logical – land shortage.

24. It is the Greek language that is one of the oldest, as it appeared more than three thousand years ago.

25. Mathematics was created on the basis of the knowledge and teachings of the famous Pythagoras, Archimedes, Apollonius.

26. The famous word “barbarian” has Greek roots. This is what the Greeks called people who could not speak Greek. Over time, everything has changed, now Greece is peaceful, its doors are open to visitors.

27. Sacrifices were common in this country. Richer people could afford to sacrifice animals, poor people - sweets.

28. The name "Greece" itself dates back to the advent of Homer and the Roman conquest of Egypt by Ptolemy (750 BC - 30 BC).

29. Interesting fact: the ancestors of the Greeks are Indo-Europeans. They lived near the Minoans for centuries. After a period of dark ages, Greece became the progenitor of one of the influential civilizations that later became Classical Greece.

30. Hellas is the official name of the Hellenic Republic.

31. The Greeks and the sea are inseparable. This country has one of the largest fleets in the world. The sea is amazingly beautiful. The beaches on the Greek islands are a favorite vacation spot for many tourists.

Grekoblog already wrote something about the Greek character, but the Greeks are too distinctive a nation to fit everything into one post. Therefore, we decided to return to the topic and find interesting facts about the Greeks that you may not have heard or thought about.

During a fight they do not wave their fists.

You will be very lucky if you manage to spy a Greek fight. For example, in case of a banal traffic accident. The spectacle is literally life-affirming, you can laugh for a long time and heartily - only unnoticed, so as not to hurt anyone’s feelings. What, you ask, is funny about a fight? Elementary: its absence! Emotional Greek men, getting turned on literally from half a turn, begin to jump on each other like roosters, pushing each other forcefully on the shoulders. All this, of course, to the accompaniment of choice swearing in their native dialect. Rough! Strong! Like a man! And, most importantly, without casualties. As they say, the wolves are fed and the sheep are safe.

Greek women are not spoiled with flowers

The hand washes the hand.

Greeks try to support each other, both morally and economically. What does this mean? For example, if you have a friend or relative who is a dentist, you will under no circumstances go outside for dental treatment, even if your dentist is no good. It’s okay, if you endure it, you’ll fall in love. If you, say, have a repair shop, then the same dentist simply does not have the right to resort to someone else’s services when he himself has problems with his car! And then you will take it out on him.

Or, for example, if the owner of a bar often visits the same tavern, then the owner of the tavern will, no, no, let his honorary regular have a glass. Thus, each entrepreneur creates a circle of regular clients, and they are firmly tied to each other through ties of kinship or friendship. Therefore, you can be sure that when you ask a Greek for advice regarding the quality services of a lawyer, realtor or barber, you will receive the phone number of his godfather or relative.

Flowers - as a last resort.

Lovers of beautiful courtship in Greece will have a hard time at first. The bouquet and candy period in the literal sense of the word never happened and never will... What can you do if the Greeks don’t give girls flowers! You won’t find a frozen boy here at the entrance to the metro with a rose in his hands... Firstly, only Athens has been privileged to see the metro. Secondly, not a single normal Greek youth would think of hanging around there and freezing, clutching a prickly flower with his numb fingers. If any of your friends see it, they will laugh! So the Hellenes only wear flowers to the maternity hospital and to funerals. The thesis defense, which is also customarily flavored with flowers, has been inexplicably inserted into this logical chain. But it is not customary to show up to a wedding with your own ikebana. The organizers choose the bouquet for the bride and for decorating the church themselves. A much more desirable wedding gift is money...

Exemplary fathers.

Maybe Greek men don’t pamper their chosen ones with flowers, but when they become fathers, they don’t disdain diapers. They participate in the care and upbringing of the child on an equal basis with mothers. Very often you can see a touching picture of a dad with a kangaroo bag and a baby in each hand, walking through the park on a Saturday morning, while mom and her friends are hanging out in a beauty salon. Local popes accept this kind of responsibilities without complaint, and even with pleasure!

Greek dads spend a LOT of time with their children.

To church - in front of the whole parade.

Caution: censorship!

This curious feature became relevant precisely in Greece and precisely in the last crisis years. For several months now, all the media have been actively chewing on the fact that Hellas owes its crisis to the item of expenditure that falls on the maintenance of the horde of government workers. Just a few years ago, no one would have imagined that this word - government employee - could become obscene language! However, having witnessed a curious scene on the bus between the Thessaloniki controller and a woman without a ticket, I heard her, burning with indignation, blurt out: “Yes, you... you’re just... a civil servant!” Having killed him outright with this exclamation, she left the bus, and the controller, not immediately finding the power of speech after the insult inflicted on him, shouted at the already closing doors: “Who, me?!” Yes, you yourself... a civil servant!!”

Probably not very much. For example, we all studied Greek history at school, and we are all familiar with Greek salad. But this sunny, extraordinary country constantly attracts tourists from all over the world. A few interesting facts about Greece will help us get to know it better.

Greece - the most interesting facts about the country

Greece is located in southern Europe on the Balkan Peninsula and numerous adjacent islands, the largest of which is the legendary one. The capital, Athens, is home to more than 40% of the total population of Greece. More than 16.5 million tourists visit the country every year - this is even more than the entire population of Greece. In general, tourism is the leading sector of the country's economy.
Mountains occupy about 80% of the entire territory of Greece. Because of this, there is not a single navigable river here.
Almost the entire population of Greece is Greek; Turks, Macedonians, Albanians, Gypsies, and Armenians also live here.
All Greek men must serve in the army for 1-1.5 years. At the same time, the state spends 6% of GDP on the needs of the army.
Today, the average life expectancy of Greek women is 82 years, and for men 77 years. In terms of life expectancy, Greece ranks 26th in the world.
Getting higher education in Greece is quite difficult due to its high cost. Therefore, most often Greeks leave for other countries - it costs less.
Gasoline in Greece is very expensive. There are no gas stations in cities; they can only be found on highways. In cities, there are private gas stations located on the first floors of residential buildings. Neither pedestrians nor drivers follow traffic rules here.
An unusual fact about Greece is that there are no nursing homes in the country: all elderly people live with the families of their children and grandchildren, and children live with their parents until they get married. There are no registry offices in Greece either. Young people get married, this is the official wedding procedure. Moreover, only baptized people can get married. After marriage, a woman cannot take her husband’s surname, but must certainly leave her own. Children can be given the surname of either their father or mother. There are practically no divorces in Greece.
An interesting fact about Greece: its residents are very hospitable and will definitely feed the guest. However, it is not customary to come empty-handed here: you need to bring a watermelon or other sweets. But on New Year's Day, the Greeks always give relatives and friends an old stone, symbolizing wealth. And at the same time they want the recipient’s money to be as heavy as this stone.
“Hot” Greeks gesticulate desperately when talking, and when meeting, they always kiss on both cheeks, even men.
An interesting fact about Greece: when you go to a cafe and order any drink, you will receive free sweets, and while you are waiting for your order, you will be offered a free glass of water, and for good reason: the service here is not very fast.

A few facts about the nature of Greece

The entire territory of the country is washed by five seas: Mediterranean, Ionian, Cretan, Thracian and Aegean.
From any place in Greece to the seashore will be no more than 137 km.
In the famous Valley of the Butterflies, located on the island of Rhodes, you can admire many of these amazing creatures that flock here in the summer.
In the sea, through the clearest layer of water, you can see crabs crawling along the bottom. Many migratory birds from Europe and Asia winter here in marshy areas.

Interesting facts about Ancient Greece - sounds intriguing, especially for history buffs. Modern history owes a lot to Ancient Greece. This civilization had a great influence on our world and the development of human history. It was in Greece that art, medicine, literature, and much more originated.

Politics came to the modern world from ancient Greece. When elections were held, people were paid to participate in them. It is for this reason that all residents of Greece actively took part in the elections. This is how democracy began.
The ancient Greeks were not as fearless as history describes. They were very afraid of water, most of them did not know how to swim. They sailed on ships only along the coast. Because of this fear, they had many water gods, whom they prayed for help and salvation if they found themselves far from the shore.
Ancient Greece - the birthplace of theater. But Greek theater was very different from modern theater. All the productions were very tragic, there was a lot of death and suffering. Only men could play in the theater; they played both male and female roles. Only men could go to see performances.
The Greeks had special armor, they were called "linothorax". Such armor was made from linen in several layers. This armor was truly unique; it provided excellent protection from sword and bow attacks.
The ancient Greeks were absolutely not shy, they were not ashamed. For quite a long period of time, participants in the Olympic Games ran completely naked. This happened after one runner's loincloth fell off and he ran the race naked. And in ordinary life they could afford to walk naked.
At the first Olympic Games there was only one event - running..
It was not customary for rich, wealthy Greek women to study and work. Their favorite pastime was looking at decorations.
Women who were educated and smart were called “hetaeras”. Such women were not valued, they were not even wanted as wives.
The ancient Greek philosopher Plato was an athlete. He participated in the Olympic Games, namely in the wrestling competition, and even won them twice.
Our modern word school comes from the Greek language. Only then in ancient times it had a different meaning. For the Greeks it was leisure and relaxation. Benches were made in public places in Greece; they were made for people to rest; in such places there were always gatherings of citizens. Over time, various speakers began to gather there; they had many listeners. There was a lot of debate and discussion in such conversations, and this became an ongoing tradition. This is how the need for an educational institution, a school, arose.
The Greeks were pious and believed in an afterlife. According to their beliefs, in order to get to the world of the dead, the shadow or soul of the deceased must pass through one of the rivers surrounding the kingdom of Hades. The carrier of shadows was called Charon. For his services, he charged a fee from each shadow. So that the shadow could cover the costs of transportation, the relatives of the deceased placed a coin under his tongue. If the coin was not placed, the soul of the deceased was doomed; it could not enter the kingdom of the dead.
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There is a legend that all the goddesses of Greece had blue eyes. And all Greek women mostly had brown eyes. Women wanted to look at least a little like goddesses, and to achieve this they poured copper sulfate into their eyes. This actually gave my eyes a blue tint, but it had a very negative impact on my health.
The name of the gemstone Amethyst was coined in Greece. The meaning of this word is non-intoxicating. The ancient Greeks made vessels for wine from amethyst, and it was believed that if you drink from such a vessel, it is impossible to get drunk.
In ancient Greece, the national currency was the drachma. And what’s most interesting is that it was changed to the euro only in 2002, so the drachma remained the main currency of civilization for almost 3,000 years.
Ancient Greece was not one single state. Each city in Greece had its own personal laws, rules, and army. Very often conflicts and misunderstandings arose between cities.

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One of the most interesting parts of the world is Greece. A rich history, which is permeated with hundreds of interesting myths and legends, the world-famous rulers of the mythical Mount Olympus and the unique tradition of the competitions of the same name - all this is an integral part of the sunny country. But our impressions of Greece will not be complete until we get acquainted with the most interesting and unique facts and events from the vibrant history of this country.

Review of the best resorts in Greece in our article.

The territory of modern Greece is approximately equal to the territory of the American state of Alabama. At the same time, the number of Greeks living is 10 million people, which is more than twice the population of the mentioned state. This is facilitated by a favorable climate, developed infrastructure and a variety of unique attractions.

Greece is one of the most visited countries in the world. Every year, 16.5 million tourists from all over the world arrive to plunge into the world of the ancient Hellenes. Despite these impressive figures, tourism revenues account for just over 16% of the country's total GDP. Another interesting fact is connected with tourism. The fact is that Greece boasts the largest number of airports in the world.

Greece has a special attitude towards expression of will. No citizen entitled to vote in elections has the right to refuse to vote. This is a sacred duty of the Greeks, which everyone over 18 must perform. Remember, the Australians have the same approach? in our article.

Greece is famous for its marble. At least 7% of the world's marble is mined in the local quarries. Moreover, Greek marble is considered to be of the highest quality and is associated with luxury.

Another leading position of this country is associated with the production of olives. As you know, the Greeks have been cultivating these glorious trees since ancient times. Just imagine, there are real old-timers throughout the country. Olive trees, which were planted in the 13th century, still produce a very good harvest. Therefore, Greece rightfully ranks third in the world in terms of the number of olives and olive products produced.

Unusual facts and legends

According to one of the ancient Greek legends, each city had to have its own patron from among the gods. The Olympic rulers organized entire competitions for individual cities. The famous Athens was of considerable interest among the inhabitants of heaven. The right to become the patron of the city was chosen by the goddess Athena, who presented a better gift than her main competitor Poseidon. It was the olive tree that was offered as a gift.

Athens in one day - a guide for independent tourists.

Since the territory of all of Greece is lined with mountain ranges, there is not a single navigable river. Not every country in the world can boast of such reliefs as those located in Greece. Only a fifth of the country is represented by plains. The rest of the territory is covered with mountains.

In general, the Greeks are very fond of all kinds of myths. And we must admit that local legends are very interesting and original. For example, according to one of them, when God created the world, he sowed the soil through a sieve, and threw the remaining handful of stones over his shoulder. This is how Greece appeared.

The Greek language is very rich. Many of the words we are familiar with are of Greek origin. Although many of us don’t even know about it.

Greece is considered the most educated country. 95% of Greeks have a sufficient level of education. And this despite the fact that back in 1950 the literacy rate of the local population did not exceed 30%.

For those who don't know, Greece is not only represented by the mainland. A huge territory of the country is occupied by islands. There are more than 200 of them, of which approximately 85% are inhabited by people.

Athens is considered not only one of the most ancient cities in the world, but also the cradle of democracy. It was in Greece that equality was born, politics became competitive, and science was born. The most important discoveries in the fields of mathematics, physics and philosophy were made by the Greek sages.

Greece has the largest fleet. Merchant ships alone account for up to 70% of all ships in the European Union. An interesting rule applies here. The crew on each vessel must be 75% Greek.

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