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

Did you know that Greece has around 6,000 islands, islets and rocky islets? 2,000 of them are islands and only 107 of them are inhabited!

Crete, Greece’s largest island and birthplace of the Minoan Civilisation, is the most southern one, except for the little island of Gavdos!

The species and subspecies of the native plants in Greece are about 6,000, almost as much as 50% of the native plants of Europe!

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.

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.

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!

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

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).

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

Did you know that Greece hosts 50% of the brown bear population in western & southern Europe.

An old Greek legend says that when God created the world, he sifted all the soil onto the earth through a strainer. After every country had good soil, he tossed the stones left in the strainer over his shoulder and created Greece.

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.

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

Greece' s official name is Hellenic Republic. However Greeks call their country Hellas or Hellada.

Did you know that Greece is the 4th largest cheese producer worldwide. Greeks eat 28 kg per capita per year. And guess what, mostly feta cheese!

Τhe concept of democracy developed in Athens around the 6th century BC. The Greek word demokratia (δημοκρατία) meant “the power of the people”.

Did you know that most days of the year are sunny in Greece? 250, to be exact.

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.

Greece is a leading producer of sea sponges.