Fun Facts About Greece
- Greece is roughly the size of Alabama and Greece's population is 10 million while Alabama's is about 4.5 million.
- Roughly 16.5 million tourists come to Greece a year. Tourism constitutes about 16% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
- If you are 18 or older you have to vote, its the law.
- 7% of the marble in the whole world is from Greece.
- Greece has more international airports then other countries because of all the tourists.
- World's third leading producer of olives. Some olive trees planted in the 13th century are still producing olives.
- According to Greek mythology, Athena and Poseidon agreed that whoever gave the city the best gift would be the guardian. Poseidon gave water but Athena gave the olive tree and that was deemed to be more valuable.
- About 12 million people all over the world speak Greek.
- In the 1950s only 30% of Greeks could write and speak Greek and now the literacy rate is over 95%.
- Greece has 2,000 islands and only 170 of them are populated.
- Over 40% of the population lives in the capital, Athens. The population rose from 10,000 in 1834 to 3.6 million in 2001.
- Athens is the oldest city in Europe being inhabited for over 7,000 years. It is also the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, political science, Western literature, historiography, major mathematical principles, and Western theories of tragedy and comedy.
- Greece has been "alive" for so long that it has had the time to try nearly all forms of government.
- Greece has 3,000 hours of sunshine a year.
- Ancient Greece was made up of about 1,500 different city-states. Each had its own laws and army, and they often quarreled. Athens was the largest city-state.
- The life expectancy for ancient Greek women was 36, and the average for males was 45. Only half of the children survived infancy. Currently the life expectancy for Greek females is 82 years and for men, 77 years. Greece is ranked #26 in the world for life expectancy rates.
- Leading producer of sea sponges.
- Soccer is the national sport of Greece.
- There are rarely any retirement homes in Greece because the kids love their parents.
- Blue is used a lot because of an ancient Greek belief that blue keeps evil away.
- The saying "taking the bull by it's horns" comes from the Greek myth when Hercules saved Crete from a raging bull by grabbing on to its horns.
- A long-standing dispute between Britain and Greece centers around the Parthenon Marbles, which are housed in a London’s British Museum. The British government believes that it acquired them fairly through its purchase from Lord Elgin, while the Greeks claim the purchase was illegal.
- Government corruption caused Greece $1 billion in 2009.
- It is considered an insult to show the palm of he hand with the fingers extended in Greece. Greeks wave with the palm closed.
- After giving a compliment, Greeks make a puff of breath through pursed lips. This is meant to protect the person receiving the compliment from the “evil eye".
- Ancient Greece soldiers wore up to 70 pounds of bronze armor.
- Greeks are often called the inventors of mathematics.
- The Peloponnesian War between Athens and the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta left ancient Greece in ruins and marked the end of the golden age of Greece.
- Ostracism allowed Athenian citizens to temporarily exile people thought dangerous to the public. The most popular person had to leave in 10 days for 10 years.
- The Greek flag is includes nine blue-and-white horizontal stripes, which some scholars say stand for the nine syllables of the Greek motto “Eleftheria i Thanatos” or “Freedom or Death.” Blue represents Greece’s sea and sky, while white stands for the purity of the struggle of freedom. In the upper left-hand corner is the traditional Greek Orthodox cross.
- Greece has the lowest divorce rates but one of the highest abortion rates.
- Greeks wouldn't eat beans because it was thought that they contained the souls of the dead.
- Greek men must serve one year to 18 months in any branch of the army.
- Ancient Greeks ate dinner while lying on their sides.
- Greek food is the same as it was 2,000 years ago except for slight variations like the addition of tomato.
- Greece has the lowest rate in Europe for cancer.
- The Minoan civilization appeared almost a millenium before the first Chinese civilization.
- Greece has the lowest crime rate in Europe and second in the world.
- During the World War II, Greece was the only country which had to fight 3 countries continuously (Italy, Albania, Germany). And it was the only country in which it held the most days of resistance. (219 days).
- Hitler referred to Greeks as the "bravest who fought with the highest disregard of death".
- Winston Churchill recalled them as "Greeks don't fight like heroes. Heroes fight like Greeks.".
- Santa Claus is Greek. (St Nicholas was a rich Greek that used to donate his money to the poor).
- Cleopatra was Greek. (She came from the famous Ptolemy family, and she was the only Greek ruler that spoke Egyptian).
- 100 bulls were sacrificed to Zeus at the Olympic games.
- An average Greek will drink 2-3 cups of coffee a day.
- Coffee is always served in a small espresso cup along with a matching saucer and a glass of iced water.
- Greek people don't celebrate birthdays, the celebrate "name days". This is the birthday of the saint they are named after.
- Greek people eat four times a day.
- Wine was the main drink, only when it was watered down. Drinking it straight out was viewed as barbaric.
- Bread was used as a napkin and once used it was thrown to the dogs.
- A Spartan speciality was a soup made from salt, vinegar and blood. None of the Greeks would drink it.