Greece
Greece is officially known as the Hellenic Republic and has been historically known as Hellas. This country is in Southeastern Europe and the capital of Athens is their largest city. Over eighty percent of Greece is covered with mountains and hills, which makes it the most mountainous country in all of Europe. Western Greece has a lot of wetlands that include numerous lakes, so that section of the country is slightly different than the rest.
The weather in Greece changes with the seasons, but the winters are mostly mild and wet while the summers are hot and dry. The Pindus mountains affects how much precipitation each area of the country receives and those to the West of the mountains find that they have more rain than those to the East.
While many of the locals use Greek as their main language, some of them in Southeastern Peloponnese speak the Tsakonian language.
The culture of the country has evolved over the years, but many people credit the Greek War of Independence with their current culture and traditions. Visual arts began during the time of ancient Greece and while not all the art work is represented as well as others, it shows that art has been a part of Greece since the beginning.
Interesting and Unique Facts about Greece:
· Everyone who is 18 and older has to vote – no one is allowed to opt out of the voting process
· The Greek island of Kalymnos is where natural sea sponges are found and then shipped to stores
· Waving with an open palm is insulting – instead people greet one another with a closed palm and a fist bump
· Grandparents never move out and they live with their children until their death
· No one can wear high heels or other shoes that can damage historic sites – it’s an actual law
· A cook named Coroebus won the first Olympic medal during the first Olympic games in 776 B.C. – it was a sprint race
· There are approximately 2,000 islands in Greece and only 170 have people living on them
· They are the third leading producer of olives in the world – some of their olive trees were planted during the 13th century and they are still producing olives
· Greece has the most international airports
· Athens is the one of the oldest cities in Europe – it’s been lived in for more than 7,000 years
· Every Greek male must spend at least a year to eighteen months serving in the military
· People in Greece celebrate name day instead of their birthdays – Name day is the day that celebrates the saint that bears their name
Greece is amazing country to visit and there is quite a bit of history and archeologic features and sites that people can explore.
