About Greece
Greece is a country known for its' social, artistic, political and scientific contributions. Greek cultural influence has continued into modern times, its ancient styles still being popular.
Officially known as the Hellenic Republic, Greece has a reputation of being fiercely independent. This is shown by its motto "Elefthereo I Thanatos" which means "Freedom or Death"; and by its national anthem "Ymnos eis tin Eleutherian" which means "Hymn to Liberty".
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History
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Greece is one of the earliest known advanced European cultures. At its' height ancient Greece reached south Italy, Asia Minor and the Black Sea. It was during this time that major cultural developments evolved. Eventually, under the leadership of Alexander the Great, a united Greece defeated the Persians. This victory led to the Hellenistic era.
Approximately two hundred years later, in 146 BC, Greece was conquered by the Romans. The Byzantine Empire, established in 330 AD at Constantinople (now Istanbul) was a blend of Hellenistic and Roman culture. This lasted for one thousand one hundred and twenty three years, until it was taken over by the Ottomans in 1453.
In 1821 Greece declared a war of independence on the Ottoman Empire, a war that lasted eight years until 1829, and was successful. After further political unrest Greece became the parliamentary republic it is today, and its capital is Athens.
On New Year's Day 1981, Greece became the tenth member of the European Union. After its admittance Greece's economy improved significantly. In 2004, Greece hosted the Olympic Games.
Considerations
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Drivers in Greece use the right hand side of the road. Like many European countries, measurements are based upon the metric system, temperature is in Celsius and voltage is 220V with 50Hz. A step up transformer is needed for any appliance that uses 120V.
The climate of Greece is Temperate to the northeast, Alpine to the northwest and Mediterranean everywhere else. On average, Greece's annual temperatures range from 57F to 86F. -
Geography
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Greece is a peninsular country with coastal islands. It is located in what is now southeastern Europe at the southern of the mountainous Balkan Peninsula.
To its' west is the Ionian Sea and to its' east and south is the Aegean Sea. The borders of Greece include Bulgaria, Turkey, Republic of Skopje and Albania.
Greece is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe, with the highest mountain in Greece being Mount Olympus. Greece's western side features wetlands and lakes, and the Pindus range. This range crosses through the western Peloponnese, the island Kythera, the island Antikythera, and continues through the Aegean until it ends at the island of Crete.
To the northeast there is Rhodope range which goes around Thrace and East Macedonia, a heavily forested area. Near Thrace and Central Macedonia there are large plains
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Misconceptions
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Most of Greece's population consider themselves to be part of the Christian Orthodox Church of Greece. This orthodoxy differs from the Greek Orthodox Church.
Though modern Greek has changed greatly from ancient Greek, the Greek alphabet (which was only uppercase) has remained unchanged since the ninth century BC. The lower case was invented by medieval scribes.
Significance
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Greece's major contributions to the world are democracy, Western philosophy, artistry, science, Western literature, politics, historiography, Western drama (including comedy and tragedy) and mathematics. Greece is also known as the originator of the Olympic Games, which still go on today.
Several Nobel Prize for Literature winners have come from Greece, and these are Odysseus Elytis and George Seferis, both poets.
Early technological and mathematical advances of Greece included the Antikythera device, an early analog computer.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Dbachmann
