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

Atrium Palace Thalasso Spa Resort & Villas

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Location: Kalathos Beach, Rhodes

Open: April - October... Atrium Palace Thalasso Spa Resort & Villas, this architecturally innovative hotel, combines luxury with its delightful blend of classical Greek and Italian styles.

Athens Imperial - Classical Hotels

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Location: Metaxourgio, Athina

Open All Year... Athens Imperial the impressive deluxe hotel with state-of-art business facilities, is ideally located on Karaiskaki square, in the heart of the theater district, with museums a few bl

Mabely Grand Hotel

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Location: Kampi, Ekso Chora, Zakinthos

Open from May to October... The Mabely Grand Hotel built in 2007, extents in an area of 60.000 square meters, a cape of extremely natural beauty, viewing the Cross of Kampi and the magic blue of Ionio

Aldemar Paradise Royal Mare

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Location: Kallithea, Rhodes

Open: April - October... The Aldemar Paradise Royal Mare is set on the island of sun, on the eastern coast of the Island of Rhodes. It lies in an ideal location, in Kallithea, just 6 km away from the

Avaris Hotel

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Location: Sotira, Karpenissi, Evritania

Open: Year Round...Avaris Hotel is the ideal choice to those who long for unforgettable vacations in a mountainous landscape which combines luxury convinience and noumerous entertainment possibilities

Kinsterna Hotel & Spa Monemvasia

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Location: Agios Stefanos 23070, Monemvasia, Peloponnese

Open: Year Round... Kinsterna Hotel & Spa in Monemvasia is tucked-away in the folds of a lush hillside with privileged views of the Medieval Castle’s Rock and the endless blue of the Aegean.