Greece has more archaeological museums than any other country in the world; in-fact they are around 196!
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.
In Greece, people celebrate the “name day” of the saint that bears their name in a similar way to their own birthday.
About 7% of all the marble produced worldwide comes from Greece.
Do you know what rakomelo is? It is a Cretan hot cocktail! A delicious mixture of honey, spices and the alcoholic beverage tsikoudia. Bottoms up!
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.
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.
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!
The very first sprint race of the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C. was won by Coroebus of Elis, a cook!
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.
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 in Greece, 47 mountains are over 2000m., 105 mountains between 2000 and 1500m., 155 mountains are between 1500m. and 1000m. The number of mountains under 1000m. have yet not been recorded.
Crete's history as well as the inhabitants' personality were affected by the island's mountainous landscape.
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.
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.
Continuously inhabited for over 7,000 years, Athens is one of the oldest cities in Europe.
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).
Greece's national drink is ouzo. Ouzo is a dry anise-flavoured aperitif. Cheers, "stin igia mas" in Greek!
Did you know that most days of the year are sunny in Greece? 250, to be exact.