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ABOUT GREECE
Official name of Greece is Hellenic Republic.
The country is located in southeastern Europe, on the southern end of Balkan
Peninsula and extends over 131,940 sq. km. Greece consists of a mainland and
numerous islands (1400, only 227 if them are inhabited).
Greece has land boarders as well as sea borders. Greece is boarded by the Ionian
Sea in the west, by the Aegean Sea and Turkey in the east, by Albania, Macedonia
and Bulgaria in the north and by Mediterranean Sea in the south.
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The capital of the city is Athens with the
population of 3,566,060 people.
The other major cities of Greece are Thessaloniki (1,057,825 people), Piraeus
(880,529 people), Patras, Iraklion, Larissa.
The climate in Greece is Mediterranean, the winters are wet, the summers are hot
and dry.
Greece is a member of European Union, NATO, WEU, ESA, OECD.
Government & Politics
Greece is a republic with the Parliament and Constitution drawn up in 1975. The
President of the Republic has got a nominal position and is elected by the
Parliament every 5 years. The president's duties are ceremonial, and all the
political and strategically important decisions are taken by the Prime Minister
who will appointed by the President in the formal way and who is also the head
of Government.
According the Constitution the executive power is represented by the President
and the Government, legislative power is represented by the unicameral
Parliament. The judicial power is independent and includes 3 Supreme courts: the
Court of Cassation, the Council of State and the Court of Auditors.
The Judiciary system is represented also by civil courts, administrative courts
and administrative authorities.
Nowadays the political system in Greece is dominated by 2 parties:
liberal-conservative New Democracy (ND) and social -democratic Pan-Hellenic
Socialist Movement (PASOK). The other significant parties in Greece are
represented by the Coalition by the Radical Left (SYRIZA), the Popular Orthodox
Rally (LAOS) and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE).
Greece Religion
97% of the Greek population call themselves Greek orthodox. Muslim confident
population (300,000 Muslims are estimated) is mostly concentrated in Thrace.
Other small religious groups in Greece are Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Old
Calendar Orthodox and Mormons.
Greece Languages
Greece is a multilingual country today, however the majority of population in
Greece use their native language Greek as their primary language. As for the
Muslim community, generally Turkish, Bulgarian and Romani are spoken. There are
some small groups speaking Macedonian, Ladino and the Pontic dialect.
Greece Culture
Greece culture is a combination of different cultures and is influenced first of
all by its location between East and West, thus the life style of the Greek
population is also influenced by various cultures and traditions. Greeks are
very religious people and the institute of marriage plays an important role in
Greek society. There is a lot if religious festivals which Greeks celebrate with
great pleasure. Greek Festivals have a common name "panagiri" in the country.
The panagiri are celebrated in different seasons and are always connected with
Greek traditions. Among all the festivals some many events can be pointed out:
- Summer cinemas in
Greece: open-air cinemas show the public different movies in the open area from
May till September.
- Easter in Greece:
the Easter's celebration lasts for 1 month in Greece, from April till May. The
tradition of celebrating Easter includes the Epitaph on Good Friday and the
colossal celebration with music, good food and dance.
- Greece carnivals:
the mostly of them are organized for fun and entertainment and marked with
dance, music, shows of art and culture. However some of the festivals are
dedicated to some traditional and religious events in Greece: epiphany, Greek
Independence day (Greece' liberation from the Ottomans on 25th of March 1821),
the NO (28th of October, the day where Metaxas said no to the Italians who
intended to invade the country).
-Greek traditions
come usually from religion or paganism, it differs from region to region. Here
are some of them:
-Bread. In villages
bread is thought to be a gift of God, old women bless bread crossing the sign
upon it with the knife before slicing.
-Knifes. Greeks
never hand knifes from hand to hand directly. They believe that if they do it,
they will fight with this person, that's why they first put the knife down and
then the other person can take it.
-Priests. In
villages there is a custom to kiss the pope's hand while meeting him, it means
respect. However meeting a pope and a black cat on the same day means bad luck.
-Tuesday the 13th.
The Greeks believes that Tuesday the 13th is unlucky day, not Friday the 13th,
like it is believed in West.
- Piase Kokkino
(Touch red). When 2 people say the same thing at the same moment, they should
immediately say "piase kokkino" to each other and touch something red they can
found in the surroundings. It is believed that saying the same thing is an omen
and these 2 persons will argue or fight with each other, if they do not touch
red.
Greece education
The Greek educational system consists of 3
levels:
- Primary level: it
is divided into Preschool education (kindergarten classes) and Primary education
(Primary schools).
- Secondary level:
the first step of this level is provided in Gymnasiums, and the second steps -
in Educational Institutes and Unified Lyceums.
- Tertiary Level:
consists also of 2 alternatives. University education is provided by
Universities, and non- university education is offered by Higher Technological
Educational Institutes or Higher Education Institutes.
Education is compulsory for the children from 6 till 15 years. The school life
starts for children from 2,5 years of age and is offered in public or private
crashes.
Greece Educational system was brought to the international standard according
UNESCO.
Tourism in Greece
Greece mainland and the Greek islands are one of the most favorite travel
destination in Europe. Over 15 millions tourists come every year to Greece
famous with its rich history and wonderful beaches. The income from tourism is a
huge part of Greece economy. There are a lot of historical and archaeological
places in Greece showing us the past of this country. Greece has a lot of
popular destinations, the Greek islands possess all the facilities to make your
vacation in Greece unforgettable. The peak of season lasts from May till
September inviting everybody to enjoy sunny weather and beautiful beaches and
landscapes of Greece and Greek islands.
We invite you to surf our web page, we provided here a lot of pictures and
useful information about Greece, Greece History, accommodations, sightseeing,
tours in Greece mainland and the Greek islands |
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GREEK CITIES AND GREEK ISLANDS
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