Greece brings history and fun together in one country. Ancient cities, innumerable islands, gastronomy and entertainment of the first order in the sunny Mediterranean. Visiting Greece is a luxury and with these 50 Curiosities of Greece , the cradle of Western culture, you will learn more about the past and current idiosyncrasy of this country of Europe .
Before visiting the weirdest of Greece, let's know the basics: the official name of Greece is "Hellenic Republic". It is a Mediterranean country of the European Union in which approximately 11 million people live. Its capital, Athens, is the most populated city in the country and it is home to 40% of Greeks. We hope you like the following others curiosities of Greece !
50 Curiosities of Greece
1. Greece It has almost 11 million inhabitants and every year it is visited by more than 16 million tourists, which greatly exceeds its population. Tourism represents 16% of GDP.
2. Going to vote in Greece is not optional. Citizens over the age of 18 are required by law to cast their vote.
3. Another of the curiosities of Greece is that from its quarries is extracted 7% of the marble from all over the world.
4. Greece has more than 2,000 islands, however only 170 of them are inhabited.
5. The largest island in Greece is Crete .
6. The most touristic island is Rhodes. In which in ancient times you could see in it the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the 7 Wonders of the World .
7. Another of the curiosities of Greece is that about 80% of the Greek soil is mountainous. The legend says that God created the world by sifting the earth in a large sieve and when he finished, he threw the stones that were left in it. This is how Greece was formed.
8. Greece is the country in the world that produces the most marine sponges
9. Greece is an eminently maritime country. In the merchant fleet of the European Union 70% of the boats are Greek and in them 75% of the crew must be of Greek nationality.
10. If you travel to Greece you will see that one of the curiosities of Greece is that the jambs of doors and windows, the sills, the domes of the churches, etc. they are painted a turquoise-like blue called "kyanos". The use of this color is due to the old belief that this shade of blue keeps evil away.
11. The Greek Orthodox Church forbids the cremation of corpses and therefore burials are the most common. Due to the scarcity of space in the cemeteries, five years after the burial the corpse is exhumed and the bones, after being washed with wine, are transferred to an ossuary.
12. The Greeks greet with the closed palm, never open, since it is considered an insult to show the palm of the hand with outstretched fingers.
13. If a Greek compliments or praises someone, he will purse his lips and make a gesture as if he were going to spit. With this he is simply trying to protect the one who receives the evil eye compliment.
14. The Greek flag has nine blue and white horizontal stripes. Blue represents the Greek sea and sky and white represents the purity of the struggle for freedom. The nine stripes are the nine syllables of "Eleftheria i Thanatos" the Greek motto which means "freedom or death". Also on the upper left side there is a Greek Orthodox cross.
15. The Greek food It is one of the pillars of the so-called "Mediterranean diet". Includes vegetables such as aubergines, tomatoes, onions, beans, peppers etc. all well watered with olive oil. The most used meat is lamb.
16. Olive oil is essential in the Greek food . Greece is the third world producer of olives and in its fields we can find olive trees that date back to the 13th century and still produce olives.
17. The majority of Greek cheeses used in the Greek food They are made with goat's milk. Feta is the most popular and is considered the national cheese of Greece.
18. The gods of Greece they lived according to their mythology on Mount Olympus which is the highest height in Greece (2,917 m.).
19. At 12 gods of Greece The main ones were known as the "12 Olympic". Zeus It was the most important of the gods of Greece .
20. The Art of Greece It is so important because it represented a revolution. They changed the rigid postures and the inexpressive faces by movement and emotions.
21. A part of Art of Greece It was lost forever. The paintings of the ancient Greek artists disappeared during the first centuries of our era as they were not protected and were made mainly on wooden panels.
22. The Oracle of Delphi in Greece It was very popular for centuries and was frequently consulted by powerful characters. The pitonisa or pitia gave answers to the consultations one day a month and a priest picked them up and translated them. Recently it has been discovered that the trance state of the fortune tellers could be due to leaks of ethylene gas produced in that mountainous area.
23. The Greek civilization it is considered to be the germ of all Western civilization.
24. Athens, in particular, is the birthplace of Greek civilization , since it is where democracy, philosophy, politics, western literature, tragedy and comedy, the main mathematical principles, the Olympic Games and historiography were born, among many other things.
25. Ancient Greece and Modern Greece were different. The former was made up of about 1,500 state cities, with their laws and army, which often came into conflict. Athens was the largest city-state.
26. The first Olympic Games were held in 776 a.C. in the city of Olympia, in Greece.
27. In each Olympiad the Greeks sacrificed 100 bulls to Zeus.
28. One of the curiosities of Greece Most striking is that it has no navigable rivers.
29. The saying "take the bull by the horns" comes from the Greek culture and refers to the myth of Hercules when he saves Crete from a bull, taking it by the horns.
30. The literacy rate among adults among Greek adults was 30% in the decade of the 50s. Today, it has risen to 95%. A great change!
31. Athens is one of the oldest cities in Europe. It has been inhabited for 7000 years in a row.
32. Life expectancy has also changed a lot in Greece. During the time of the ancient Greeks, it was 36 years in women and 45 years in the case of men. Today, it is 82 years old in women and 77 years old, in men.
33. Another of the curiosities of Greece that makes a lot of sense if you think about its incredible history is that it is the country with the most Archaeological Museums in the world.
34. In Greece, traditionally, the day of the Saint is given more importance, from which they receive the name than on the birthday.
35. The slaves they accounted for a large percentage of the population in Ancient Greece, so much that they accounted for between 40% and 80% of the inhabitants.
36. The first municipal dump was designed and managed by the Ancient Greeks, about 500 BC. C.
37. Greek has been spoken for more than 3 millennia. Therefore, it is considered one of the oldest languages that remain in Europe.
38. Greece is a very sunny country, to the point that they have on average more than 250 sunny days per year.
39. The soldiers of Ancient Greece or hopplitas must be very strong, since they wore bronze armor that reached 33 kilos.
40. Greece is one of the countries with one of the lowest divorce rates in the European Union.
41. Greece has one of the largest fleets on the planet, with more than 1,800 merchant ships.
42. The drachma was, before being replaced by the euro, the oldest currency in Europe, with 2,650 years.
43. During the New Year celebrations, the Greeks eat a special cake called Vasilopita . While preparing, a coin is added to the dough. The person who finds it in their cake portion will be very lucky during the year that starts!
44. There are thousands of different traditional dances throughout the Greek territory.
45. The first scene with a nude of European cinema appeared in a Greek film: "Daphnis and Chloe". It was the year 1931.
46. In Greece you will see dolphins and monk seals. It is one of the European countries with a more diverse nature!
47. In Greece, compulsory military service is established for men between 16 and 45 years of age. It lasts 9 months.
48. Greece's national sport is football.
49. The national animal of Greece is the dolphin. Although they also have one of mythological origin, which is the phoenix.
50. The first Olympic champion -of which the victory was officially registered- was, of course, Greek. He was Corebo de Élide, a baker who competed and won a speed race.
Other curiosities of Europe | By countries
What do you think about the previous curious facts about Greece? If you still want to know more curiosities of Europe , do not miss the following ones, gathered by countries! Explore the secrets of some of the most emblematic nations of Europe:
- Curiosities of Spain
- Fun Facts of England
- Curiosities of Scotland
- Curiosities of Ireland
- Curiosities of Germany
- Curiosities of Switzerland
- Curious facts of France
- Curiosities of Italy
- Curiosities of Austria
- Curiosities of Luxembourg
- Iceland Curiosities
- Curiosities of Norway
- Curiosities of Sweden
- Curiosities of Denmark
- Curiosities of Belgium
What do you think of these curiosities of Greece ? Did you know that it was the country where the Olympics originated? Or that the first Olympic champion was a cook? Undoubtedly, each of the data of this sunny Mediterranean country has surprised us as much, as the endless islands that it has. Do you feel like visiting Greek territory? If you know more information about this country, do not hesitate to leave us a comment!