32 Interesting Facts about Greece

1. Greece came third in Europe, when asking "Do you believe in God" -- 83% said yes. 
2. 80% of Greece is mountainous and 50% is covered by forests.
3. Greece is the 2nd largest mountainous country in Europe after Switzerland.
4. Greece has half the seismic activity of Europe.
5. Famous ancient Greeks are: Homer, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Cleopatra. 
6. Athens is the oldest city in Europe, and the birthplace of democracy.
7. Greece enjoys three climates: Mediterranean, Temperate and Alpine. 
8. Greece is the only country in the world that is officially Orthodox (Christian) 
9. Greece is the only country in Europe where state and religion is united.
10. Greece has the largest maritime fleet in the world. (15.5%) 
11. Greece has about 2,000 islands. (227 are inhibited).
12. Santa Claus is Greek. (St Nicholas was a rich Greek that used to donate his money to the poor)
13. Greece is considered 'the cradle of Western Civilization"
14. Interesting words that come from Greek are: Europe, Bible, Christ, telephone.
15. Greece is the only country in Europe that is considered 'Western' that is not geographically located in the Western part of Europe. 
16. Greece is home to the Olympic Games.
17. The Highest mountain in Greece is Olympus, in which the ancient Greek Gods live.
18. Greece has more international airports than most countries because so many foreign tourists want to visit.
19. The world’s third leading producer of olives, the Greeks have cultivated olive trees since ancient times. Some olive trees planted in the thirteenth century are still producing olives.
20. About 12 million people around the world speak Greek. They live mostly in Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Albania, Turkey, the United States, among other countries.
21. Greece’s largest island is Crete.
22. Greece has more archaeological museums than any other country in the world.
23. Retirement homes are rare in Greece. Grandparents usually live with their children’s family until they die. Most young people live with their families until they marry.
24. The city of Rhodes (the capital of the island of Rhodes) is the most popular location for tourists in Greece. The city is famous for housing one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Colossus of Rhodes (from which the word “colossal” is derived). This gigantic 98-foot (303-meter) statue of the god Helios, whose legs straddled the harbor, was destroyed by an earthquake in 226 B.C
25. Greece has one of the richest varieties of wildlife in Europe, including 116 species of mammals, 18 of amphibians, 59 of reptiles, 240 of bird, and 107 of fish. About half of the endemic mammal species are in danger of becoming extinct.
26. Greek has been spoken for more than 3,000 years, making it one of the oldest languages in Europe.
27. Greeks do not wave with an open hand. In fact, it is considered an insult to show the palm of he hand with the fingers extended. Greeks wave with the palm closed.
28. After giving a compliment, Greeks make a puff of breath through pursed lips, as if spitting. This is meant to protect the person receiving the compliment from the “evil eye.”
29. The word “barbarian” comes from Greek barbaroi, which means people who don’t speak Greek and therefore sound like they’re saying “bar-bar-bar-bar.”
30. Democracy in Athens was significantly different from modern democracies in that it was both more participatory and exclusive. There were also no political parties in Athenian democracy.
31. The Greeks would sacrifice one hundred bulls to Zeus during each Olympics.
32. The Greek Temple of Artemis, built on the site of two earlier shrines dating back as far as the eight century B.C. in modern-day Turkey, was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was built around 550 B.C. and was destroyed in 356 B.C. by Herostratus.