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.

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.

In Greece, people celebrate the “name day” of the saint that bears their name in a similar way to their own birthday.

The very first sprint race of the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C. was won by Coroebus of Elis, a cook!

Feta, which is made from sheep and goat’s milk, is Greece’s national cheese. It dates back to the Homeric ages, and the average per-capita consumption of feta cheese in Greece is the highest in the world!

Greece is a leading producer of sea sponges.

Did you know that Epirus is the most mountainous territory of Greece and the poorest in the EU; however it has a unique natural wealth!

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.

Greek is one of the oldest spoken languages in Europe since it has been spoken for more than 3.000 years.

Crete's history as well as the inhabitants' personality were affected by the island's mountainous landscape.

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.

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 has more archaeological museums than any other country in the world; in-fact they are around 196!

On Anafi Island, lies the rock of Kalamos, the second highest monolithic limestone after Gibraltar; a must-see for climbers who will enjoy a great challenge here.

The first philosopher is considered to be Thales of Miletus (c. 624 – 425 B.C.). He is credited as giving the first explanation for the origin of the world that was not mythological.

Alexander the Great, one of history’s greatest warriors and leaders of all time, was Greek. Alexander the Great conquered land all the way from Greece to Asia. His achievements and conquests gave rise to the later Hellenistic period (323 BC - 31 BC).

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.

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.

About 7% of all the marble produced worldwide comes from Greece.

Did you know that Greece has the biggest EU consumption of olive oil per capita, with around 12 kg per person per year?