100 Fun Facts about Greece from Past to Present

(Last Updated On: April 16, 2021)

There are many fun facts to know about Greece. Winston Churchill once said, “Thus, we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks.” This European country consists of a picturesque sea image, ancient ruins, white-domed white churches, Mediterranean houses, and islands. It commemorates Alexander, the beginning of democracy, Plato, Socrates, and the characters of the Bible. Greece certainly has a past of huge proportions. It is a fantastic country that has so much to offer tourists.

Here we are going to find out some of the fun facts about Greece, the tiny country with a rich past and present.

Fun Facts about Greece

The time period “Ancient Greece” normally refers back to the time between Homer (c. 750 B.C.) and the Roman conquest of Ptolemaic Egypt (Antony and Cleopatra, 30 B.C.), which is one of the fun facts about Greece.

The world’s third-leading producer of olives, the Greeks have cultivated olive timber since historical occasions. Some olive timber planted within the thirteenth century is nonetheless producing olives.

The saying “taking the bull by its horns” comes from the Greek fantasy of Hercules saving Crete from a raging bull by seizing its horns.

Democracy in Athens was considerably totally different from trendy democracies in that it was each more participatory and unique. There have been additionally no political events in Athenian democracy.

The Greeks would sacrifice 100 bulls to Zeus throughout every Olympics.

The Greek Temple of Artemis, constructed on the positioning of two earlier shrines relationship again so far as the eighth century B.C. in modern-day Turkey, was one of many Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was constructed around 550 B.C. and was destroyed in 356 B.C. by Herostratus.

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

Greece has more worldwide airports than most nations as a result of so many international vacationers wish to go to.

Continuously inhabited for over 7,000 years, Athens is without doubt one of the oldest cities in Europe. It can also be the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, political science, Western literature, historiography, main mathematical rules, and Western theories of tragedy and comedy.

Over 40% of the inhabitants live within the capital of Athens (Athina in Greek). Since turning into the capital of contemporary Greece, its inhabitants have risen from 10,000 in 1834 to three.6 million in 2001.

Greece has greater than 2,000 islands, of which roughly 170 are populated. Greece’s largest island is Crete (3,189 sq. miles) (8,260 sq. km.).

The ancestors of the Greeks have been Indo-Europeans who entered Greece around 1900 B.C. They lived alongside the Minoans for a lot of centuries earlier than giving rise to the Mycenaean civilization which ended abruptly within the twelfth century B.C. After a “dark ages” of 300 years through which the information of writing was misplaced, Greece gave delivery to one of the vital influential civilizations the world has ever known: Classical Greece.

According to Greek mythology, Athena and Poseidon agreed that whoever gave the town the very best reward would grow to be guardian over town. Though Poseidon gave the reward of water, Athena’s reward of an olive tree was deemed by the opposite gods to be more beneficial.

With a space of 50,949 sq. miles (131,958 sq. kilometers), Greece is roughly the scale of Alabama. The inhabitants of Greece is greater than 10 million individuals.—comparatively, the inhabitants of Alabama are around 4.5 million.

In the 1950s, solely about 30% of Greek adults may learn and write. Now, the literacy price is greater than 95%.

An old Greek legend says that when God created the world, he sifted all of the soil onto the earth by means of a strainer. After each nation had good soil, he tossed the stones left within the strainer over his shoulder and created Greece.

Greece is the main producer of sea sponges.

Greek ships make up 70% of the European Union’s complete service provider fleet. According to Greek regulation, 75% of a ship’s crew should be Greek.

A Spartan specialty was a black soup constructed from salt, vinegar, and blood. No one in the remainder of Greece would drink it.

Approximately 16.5 million vacationers go to Greece every year, greater than the nation’s whole inhabitants. Tourism constitutes almost 16% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

No one in Greece can select to not vote. Voting is required by regulation for each citizen who’s 18 or older.

Greece has zero navigable rivers due to the mountainous terrain. Nearly 80% of Greece is mountainous.

Approximately 98% of the individuals in Greece are ethnic Greeks. Turks kind the most important minority group. Other minorities are Albanians, Macedonians, Bulgarians, Armenians, and gypsies.[3]

About 12 million individuals around the globe converse Greek. They reside largely in Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Albania, Turkey, the United States, amongst different nations. This is one of the trivia about Greece.

Until the late 1990s, the best risk to Greece was Turkey, as the 2 nations have had historic disputes over Cyprus and one other territory for many years. After coming to one another’s assist after a devastating earthquake that hit each nation in 1999, their relationship has improved.

The life expectancy for historical Greek girls was 36, and the common for males was 45. Of the youngsters born, solely half survived infancy. Currently, the life expectancy for Greek females is 82 years and for males, 77 years. Greece is ranked #26 on the earth for all times expectancy charges. The United States is ranked #49.

Retirement properties are uncommon in Greece. Grandparents normally reside with their children’s households till they die. Most younger individuals reside with their households till they marry.

Many Greek buildings comparable to doorways, windowsills, furnishings, and church domes are painted a turquoise blue, particularly within the Cyclades Islands. It is used due to an ancient perception that this shade of blue retains evil away. They are known as the color kyanos, which the phrases “cyan” and “cyanide” are derived from.

Thousands of English phrases come from the Greek language, generally by way of the Roman adaptation into Latin after which to English. Common English phrases from Greek embrace “academy,” “apology,” “marathon,” “siren,” “alphabet,” and “typhoon.”

Greece has more archaeological museums than every other nation on earth.

Football, or what Americans name soccer, is the national sport of Greece.

Some students say that the Greek civilization has been around for therefore lengthy that it has had an opportunity to strive for almost every type of government.

Feta, which is made from goat’s milk, is Greece’s national cheese. It dates again to the Homeric ages, and the common per-capita consumption of feta cheese in Greece is the best on the earth.

The national anthem of Greece has 158 verses.

By regulation, the one individuals eligible for citizenship in Sparta have been direct descendants of the unique Doric settlers. Because of this, there have been by no means greater than about 6,000-7,000 male residents in Sparta, in contrast with as much as 40,000 in Athens. This is one of the facts about Sparta and Athens.

Currently, Greek males should serve from one 12 months to 18 months in any department of the armed forces. The government spends 6% of the annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on the army.

Ancient Greece was not a single nation like trendy Greece. Rather, it was made up of about 1,500 totally different city-states or poleis (singular, polis). Each had its personal legal guidelines and military, and so they usually quarreled. Athens was the most important city-state.

The first Olympic Games occurred in 776 B.C. The first Olympic champion was a Greek cook dinner named Coroebus who gained the dash race. This is one of the ancient Greece facts for kids.

Slaves made up between 40% and 80% of historical Greece’s inhabitants. Slaves have been captives from wars, deserted youngsters, or youngsters of slaves.

An extended-standing dispute between Britain and Greece facilities across the Elgin Marbles (the Greeks desire to name them the Parthenon Marbles), that are housed in London’s British Museum. The British government believes that it acquired them pretty by means of its buy from Lord Elgin, whereas the Greeks declare the acquisition was unlawful.

Greece has one of many richest kinds of wildlife in Europe, together with 116 species of mammals, 18 amphibians, 59 reptiles, 240 birds, and 107 fish. About half of the endemic mammal species are at risk of becoming extinct.

Greek’s highest elevation is the legendary residence of Zeus and different Olympian gods and goddesses, Mount Olympus at 9,750 toes (2,917 meters). Its lowest elevation is the Mediterranean Sea or sea stage. This is one of the Olympia ancient Greece facts.

Alexander the Great was the primary Greek ruler to place his personal face on Greek cash. Previously, Greek cash had proven the face of a god or goddess.

The Parthenon (“Place of the Pantheons,” from parthenos or “virgin”) was constructed virtually 2,500 years in the past and sits on the Acropolis above the town of Athens. It really featured colorful sculptures and a big gold-and-ivory statue of Athena. It took 15 years to construct.

The Greeks revolutionized the artwork of sculpture. Instead of stiff poses and clean faces, Greek artists started to carve statues of those that confirmed each motion and emotion.

Only boys and males have been actors in historical Greek performances. They wore giant masks so viewers members may see what half they have been enjoying. Theater employees carried huge sticks as a result of generally the large audiences would get excited by a play and would riot.

The Greek flag is included 9 blue-and-white horizontal stripes, which some students say stand for the 9 syllables of the Greek motto “Eleftheria I Thanatos” or “Freedom or Death.” Blue represents Greece’s sea and sky, whereas white stands for the purity of the battle for freedom. In the higher left-hand nook is the standard Greek Orthodox cross. This is one of the things in ancient Greece.

Greek staff gets not less than one month of paid trips yearly.

About 10% of Greek adults are unemployed. Even with a university schooling, it’s arduous to discover a job.

The phrase “tragedy” is Greek for “goat-song” as a result of early Greek tragedies honored Dionysus, the god of wine, and the gamers wore goatskins. Tragedies have been noble tales of gods, kings, and heroes. Comedy or “revel,” then again, have been about lower-class characters and their antics.

Greece’s most well-known trendy author is Nikos Kazantzakis (1883-1957). His novels Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ have been each made into films, although the Greek Orthodox Church expelled him for The Last Temptation of Christ.

Greece’s official title is the Hellenic Republic. It is also called Ellas or Ellada.

Greece has two main political events: the Socialists (Panhellenic Socialists Movements or PASOK) and the Democrats (the New Democracy Party). Both have been based in 1974 after Greece’s army dictatorship collapsed.

Greece has one of many lowest divorce charges within the EU.e Greece historically additionally has the best abortion charges.

Throughout history, Greeks have cherished the ocean. With greater than 1,800 service provider ships in service, Greece has one of many largest fleets on the earth. Aristotle Onassis and Stavros Niarchos (“The Golden Greek”) are among the better-known Greek delivery businessmen.

About 10% of a Greek employee’s pay is taken for taxes and one other 10% for national health care. The government offers free hospitals and different medical companies.

In Greece, individuals have fun the “name day” of the saint that bears their title relatively than their very own birthday.

Thousands of birds cease in Greece’s wetlands on their migrations. As many as 100,000 birds from northern Europe and Asia spend their winters there.

The metropolis of Rhodes (the capital of the island of Rhodes) is the preferred location for vacationers in Greece. The metropolis is legendary for housing one of many Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Colossus of Rhodes (from which the phrase “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.

The monk seal has been part of Greek’s natural and cultural heritage and is described in The Odyssey. This is one of the Greek culture facts. The head of a monk seal was even discovered on a coin dated 500 B.C. Now, nevertheless, solely 250 monk seals are left.

After giving praise, Greeks make a puff of breath by means of pursed lips, as if spitting. This is supposed to guard the particular person receiving the praise from the “evil eye.”

No level in Greece is greater than 85 miles (137 kilometers) from water. Greece has about 9,000 miles of shoreline, the 10th longest on the earth.

Greece was as soon as a mass of rock that was utterly underwater. When a tectonic plate crashed into Europe, the collision created Greece’s mountainous ranges. The plate remains to be transferring and causes earthquakes throughout the Aegean.

Soldiers (hoplites) in historical Greece wore as much as 70 kilos (33 kilograms) of bronze armor.

The historical Greeks are sometimes known as the inventors of arithmetic as a result of they have been the primary to make it theoretical self-discipline. The work of Greek mathematicians comparable to Pythagoras, Euclid, Archimedes, and Apollonius lies on the foundation of contemporary arithmetic.

Greece organized the primary municipal dump within the Western world around 500 B.C. This is one of the ancient Greece interesting facts.

During the Nazi occupation of Greece in WWII, most Jews have been taken to focus camps throughout Europe. The Jewish inhabitants in Greece fell sharply from 78,000 to lower than 13,000 by the tip of the warfare.

In Greece, the useless are at all times buried as a result of the Greek Orthodox Church forbids cremation. Five years after a burial, the body is exhumed and the bones are first washed with wine after which positioned in an ossuary. This is finished partly to alleviate the scarcity of land in Greek cemeteries.

Government corruption price Greece about $1 billion in 2009. Currently, Greece’s national debt is bigger than the nation’s financial system.

Greek has been spoken for more than 3,000 years, making it one of many oldest languages in Europe. This is one of the Greece history facts

Greece enjoys more than 250 days of sunshine—or 3,000 sunny hours—a year.

Greeks don’t wave with an open hand. In reality, it’s thought-about an insult to point out the palm of the hand with the fingers prolonged. Greeks wave with the palm closed.

The first Greek tragedy was carried out in 534 B.C. and was staged by a priest of Dionysus named Thespis. He additionally wrote and carried out a component separate from the standard tragic refrain, which additionally designated him as the primary actor. In reality, the phrase “thespian” (actor) derives from his title.

At its top, Greek colonization reached so far as Russia and France to the west and Turkey to the east. This is one of the ancient Greece fun facts.

Pre-Socratic Greek thinker Anaximander (c. 610-546 B.C.) is credited with writing the primary philosophical treatise and making the primary map of the known world. This is one of the history of Greece for kids. He will also be thought-about the primary scientist who recorded a scientific experiment.

Spartan warriors have been known for his or her lengthy, flowing hair. Before a battle, they’d fastidiously comb it. Cowardly troopers would have half their hair and half their beards shaved off.

The first Greek thinker is taken into account to be Thales of Miletus (c. 624-546 B.C.). He was the first to present a pure clarification of the origin of the world relatively than a mythological one, which is one of the fun facts about Greece.

The first historian is taken into account to be the Greek author Herodotus (c. 484-425 B.C.), the writer of the primary great book of history on the Greco-Persian Wars. Herodotus’ book is a serious image within the novel The English Patient. Facts about Athens Greece.

The Peloponnesian War (431-404 B.C.) between Athens and the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta left historical Greece in ruins and marked the tip of the golden age of Greece. This is one of the fun facts about Athens.

The British poet Lord Byron (1788-1824) was so enamored with the Greeks that he traveled to Greece to combat the Turks within the Greek War of Independence. He contracted a fever there and died at the age of 36. The Greeks think about him as a national hero. This is one of the ancient Athens facts.

The phrase “barbarian” comes from Greek barbaroi, which suggests individuals who don’t converse Greek and due to this fact sound like they’re saying “bar-bar-bar-bar.”

One of the dishes loved by historical Greek males at feasts was roast pig filled with thrushes, geese, eggs, and oysters. Most feasts have been for males solely, although there have been feminine entertainers (this was not thought-about a good occupation for ladies).

Wealthy individuals would sacrifice animals in the temples. Poor individuals who couldn’t afford reside animals provided pastry ones as an alternative.

Ostracism allowed Athenian residents to quickly exile individuals thought harmful to the general public. If it was voted that ostracism was crucial, every citizen inscribed a reputation on a chunk of pottery or ostracon in a secret poll. The particular person with essentially the most names needed to go away city in 10 days for 10 years.

Greece’s currency, the drachma, was 2,650 years old and Europe’s oldest currency. The drachma was changed with the Euro in 2002. This is all about Greece.

When the Roman Empire cut up in two in A.D. 285, the jap half, together with Greece, grew to become referred to as the Byzantine Empire. In 1453 A.D., Greece fell to the Ottoman Empire. Greece wouldn’t obtain independence until 1829, which is one of the fun facts about Greece.

The Olympic Ringgris is the home country of the Olympic Games. The most recognizable date for its origin dates back to 6 776 BC. The ancient Olympics were a religious and athletic festival every four years in the Sanctuary of Olympus Zeus, Greece. The ancient Olympics came to an end around the 4th and 5th centuries. The modern Olympics began at the end of the 19th century, again in 1896 in the Greek capital of Athens, the Olympic Games were held every four years. This is one of the Olympia Greece facts.

Most countries nowadays follow democracy. Greece is the birthplace of democracy, not just democracy, it is also the birthplace of Western philosophy, history, political science, western literature, major mathematical principles, and Western theories of tragedy and comedy, which is one of the fun facts about Greece.

Greece is one of the world’s largest marble growers. About 7% of all marble produced in the world comes from Greece. In 2015, Greece made $ 131.8 million in exports of marble. This is one of the Greece facts for kids.

Greece is the third-largest olive grower after Spain and Italy. Greece produces 2,232,412 metric tons of olives annually. In Greece, about 60% of the land is used for olive production. About 65% of olive oil production in the country occurs in the Peloponnese region and after Crete and Aegean and the Ionian Islands.

Greece is one of the leading tourist destinations in Europe and was ranked 9th in Europe while traveling to Greece. In 2015, Greece received 26.5 million tourists worldwide, which is one of the fun facts about Greece. Famous tourist destinations in Greece are Capital City Athens, Santorini, W, Mykonos, Fira Islands, etc. Tourism accounts for about 5% of the total domestic production. This is one of the facts about Athenians.

More than 5% of Greece’s territory is covered with mountains and makes the country one of Europe’s most mountainous countries. Mount Olympus, the mythological home of the Greek gods, reaches 2,918 meters (9,573 feet) to the top of the highest mythicus in the country. This is one of the interesting facts about Greece.

In the 1950s, about 30% of Greek-born adults could read and write. The literacy rate is now more than 5%, which is one of the fun facts about Greece.

Greece enjoys more than 250 days of sunshine 3 or 3,000 sunny days a year. The climate in Greece is the Mediterranean with light and rainy winters, relatively warm and dry summers, and typically with extended periods of sunshine most of the year.

Greece is the country of Alexander the Great, who has been unbeaten all his life. Alexander is considered one of the best rulers in the world. The empire of Alexander extends from western Europe to the northwest of India, which is one of the fun facts about Greece. Learn about the largest 150+ Empires who once ruled the world.

Greece is a country full of ancient architecture. The ancient architecture includes the Acropolis of Athens, the city of Aigai, the Sanctuary of Delphi. There are 18 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Greece. This is one of the ancient Greece facts

Parthenon is the eastern time of the Athenian Acropolis in Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the Athenians regarded as their patron. Its construction began in the year 7 BCE when the Athenian Empire was at the peak of its power. Construction was completed in 438 BC. Learn about the Byzantine Empire, Turkey.

The Museum of Greece is a country. Almost every region of the country has museums; Most museums are archaeological. Acropolis Museum, Delphi Archaeological Museum, National Archaeological Museum, Heraclion Archaeological Museum, Grand Master’s Palace, etc. The National Archaeological Museum is one of the largest. This is one of the vital Greece facts.

The ancient Greece Empire was one of the world’s best scholars. It is the land of the Thales of Militas, Herodotus, Archimedes, Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Anaximander, Erotostinis, and many more, which is one of the fun facts about Greece. The skills of these scholars are in mathematics, philosophy, astrology, science, history, geography, etc. Learn many interesting facts about the Persian Empire.

Greece is one of the European nations where military service is mandatory for those who are at least 18 years of age. Greek men must serve in any branch of the armed forces from one year to 18 months. The government spends% of the annual gross domestic product (GDP) on the military.

In Greece, the dead are always buried because the Greek Orthodox Church forbids cremation. Five years after the burial, the body is euthanized and the bones are washed first with wine and placed first in the asbestos (in a container or room where the bones of the dead man are placed). This was done in the Greek graveyard as part of the land crisis. This is one of the ancient Greece facts and information.

Thousands of English words have come from the Greek language, sometimes in Latin through Roman adaptation and later in English, the common English words include Greek “academy,” “forgiveness,” “marathon,” “siren,” “alphabet,” and “typhoon.” Learn interesting facts about the Roman Empire.

The currency of Greece, Darchma, is 2,650 years old and is the oldest currency in Europe. The play was replaced in 2002 with the Euro, which is one of the fun facts about Greece.

Greece has the lowest divorce rate in the European Union. Greece also has the highest abortion rate traditionally, which is one of the fun facts about Greece.