Traveler Essentials
History
Greece has a history stretching back more than 4.000 years. The people
of the mainland, called Hellenes, organized great naval and military
expeditions, and explored the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, going
as far as the Atlantic Ocean and the Caucasus Mountains... More
Religion
Of all citizens of the Hellenic Republic 97,6% are Greek Orthodox,
1,3% Muslim, 0,4% Roman Catholic, 0,1% Protestant, 0,6% other, including
Jews. The Greek Orthodox Church is autocephalous, with its own Charter
but indissolubly united in doctrine with the Great Church of Constantinople,
i.e. the Ecumenical Patriarchate. On the peninsula of Halkidiki, located
in southeastern Macedonia, is the famous Mount Athos, where a number
of monasteries of the Greek Orthodox Church form, as they have for
centuries, an autonomous monastic community.
Language
The Greek language with a documented record spanning three and half
millennia is a strong element of national continuity. Modern Greek
derives from the same idiom used by Homer. Greek is also the language
of the Gospels. The Greek alphabet and the Greek language have contributed
much to all western languages. Today's Greeks, however, are the only
ones who ensure this linguistic continuity. In this respect Greek,
is to be distinguished sharply from Latin, which generated numerous
neo-Latin languages from Rumanian to Portuguese before it became itself
extinct.
Climate
Greece owes its good climate, one of mild winters and warm summers
cooled by a system of seasonal winds, to its geographic position...
More
Currency
The unit of currency is the Drachma (GrD). You will have to deal with
coins of 5, 10 (silver), 20, 50 & 100 GrD (bronze), and notes of 500
(green), 1.000 (brown), 5.000 (blue) and 10.000 GrD (purple)... More
Events
You cannot come to Greece and not go to one of its many cultural events,
at one of its ancient or modern theatre... More
Entertainment
Greece is famous for its vivid lifestyle. All visitors may have an
excellent stay and experience a lot of pleasant activities... More
Cuisine
Its unique tastes are some of the things that set Greece apart. You
are in for pleasant culinary surprises while in this country... More
Shopping
Greece is a country where shoppers may have a wonderful time. A lot
of shopping centers as well as nice classy or small family shops offer
the opportunity to buy everything in reasonable prices... More
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