General information about Greece and and Greek civilisation

Greece Today

Greece, officially known as the Hellenic Republic, has been the crossroads of three continents since the dawn of civilization. As a historic hub for trade and population migrations, Greece has always been considered a strategic port of call. The metric system is used for weights and measures and standard automobiles are left-hand drive with manual transmissions (meaning that traffic moves on the right-hand side of the road, and it helps to know how to drive a stick shift!) In 2002 one of the world’s most historic monetary units, the Drachma, was replaced by the Euro currency. The euro is divided into 100 cents. There are coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents and 1 euro and 2 euro. There are notes of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 euro. The time zone is GMT +2 and “daylight savings time” is implemented near every spring and fall equinox.

Important Holidays Observed:

New Year’s Day, 1st January; Epiphany 6th January; Carnival Period (late winter/early spring – the three weeks prior to the 1st day of Orthodox Lent “Clean Monday”) Independence Day, 25th March (commemorating the revolution against Turkish occupation); Orthodox Easter (spring break - movable); Pentecost (second weekend in June); The Assumption of The Holy Mother, 15th August; “NO” Day, 28th October (commemorating Greece’s refusal to surrender to Mussolini’s invasion forces in 1940); Christmas Day, 25th December.

Population:

There are actually many more Greeks living in satellite communities around the world than there are living within the physical borders of Greece itself. UN estimates place the current population of Greece a little over 11 million and the capital city of Athens hosts more than half of the nation’s population. Other major population centers include Thessaloniki –the “co-capital” as many call it, Patras in the Peloponese, Heraklion on the island of Crete and Ioannina in northwest Epirus. All of these cities host University campuses, a fact which contributes to their population density as well as the diversity of cultural activities, events and nightlife available there.

Ethnicities:

Greece, along with its native population, has historically attracted ex-pats from many ethnic backgrounds. This trend has become ever more evident over the last two decades. A large number of political and economic refugees have been added to the Europeans who have chosen to take up permanent residence in Greece. This has transformed all of the population centers as well as many resort areas into melting pots of ethnic and cultural diversity.

Languages Spoken:

Modern Greek is the country’s official language, however in most areas English is commonly spoken as a second language having been officially included in the primary and secondary school curriculum. Other languages such as French, German, Dutch, Russian, Italian and Spanish are also taught in private language schools throughout the country and their popularity directly reflects the ethnicities of the visitors most prevalent in any given area. Greek slang is also being influenced by the internet and the large number of Albanian, Bulgarian and former USSR immigrants who have been absorbed into local communities.

Hotel suggestions in Greece

Skiathos Palace Hotel

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Location: Koukounaries Bay, Skiathos, Sporades

Open: May - October... The Skiathos Palace Hotel is located on a small hill overlooking the famous Koukounaries bay and Maratha beach, at the southwest corner of Skiathos Island, offering splendid vie

Aldemar Knossos Royal Village

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Location: Hersonissos, 700 14

Open: April - October... At the Knossos Royal, time moves in a different space and the pleasure and relaxation never end.

Out Of The Blue Capsis-Crystal Energy Hotel

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Location: Agia Pelagia, Heraklion, Crete, Greece

Open: April-October... This 5-star deluxe resort hotel is located on a private peninsula, 20 minutes from the City and the International Airport of Heraklion and next to the traditional fishing villag

Archipelagos Resort Hotel

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Location: Agia Irini, 84400 Paros, Cyclades, Greece

Open: April to October...The Archipelagos Resort Hotel is a newly built hotel in Paros that combines the minimalistic simplicity with the Cycladic folk architecture. It is a luxurious hotel, an

Native Eco Villa

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Location: Imerovigli Santorini

Open: March to November...Native Eco Villa is located in Imerovigli, Santorini. The villa is 2 floors and has 2 separate bedrooms and 2 bathrooms on each floor. It can be reserved either each floor

Olokalon Deluxe Relaxation Suites

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Location: Anatoli, Ierapetra 72 200 - Crete

Open All Year... A history that begins from the memories of a significant name, both for its etymology glass and because of the family itself that with dignity and pride kept its roots unchanging over