  Welcome to Greece

The Greek National Anthem English Translation I shall always recognize you By the dreadful sword you hold, As the earth with searching vision You survey with spirit bold. ‘Twas the Greeks of old whose dying Brought to birth our spirit free, Now with ancient valour rising, Let us hail you, oh Liberty!

The Greek Flag The Greek flag is blue and white in color. It consists of nine blue and white stripes. The blue stripes stand for the beautiful blue ocean. The white stripes stand for the waves of the ocean and for purity. The cross stands for Greek Orthodoxy which is Greece’s dominant religion.

The capital of Greece is Athens. The official language of Greece is Greek. There are over 11 million people living in Greece today.

Crete Greece is surrounded by many islands. The largest one is the island of Crete.

Landforms Greece is made up of mostly mountains and islands. It is surrounded by four seas; the Mediterranean, the Ionian, the Aegean, and the Sea of Crete.

Landmarks The Parthenon is the ancient building on the Acropolis, the hill above Athens, Greece. It was originally a temple to Athena, one of the Greek goddesses.

Olympia is where the first Olympic games were held. Among some of the events in the earlier Olympics were boxing, discus throwing, horse racing and chariot racing, javelin or spear throwing.

Currency The currency of Greece is the euro, because Greece is a member of the European Economic Union. Until a few years ago, the currency was drachmas.

Democracy began in Greece. Democracy means “rule of the people”. This meant that all people could vote and help set rules for the country. Whatever most of the people vote for wins.

Greek Revolution Theodoros Kolokotronis was a Greek General in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire.

The Greek War of Independence also known as the Greek Revolution of 1821 was a war against the Ottoman Empire. Greece gained its independence from the Turks in Greek Independence Day is celebrated on March 25 th every year.

Alexander the Great was one of Greece’s most powerful leaders. When he was just 20 years old, he gained control of the Greek army. He died of an illness when he was 33 years old.

The Battle of Crete (  was a battle of World War I on the Greek island of Crete. It began on the morning of May 20, 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the code-name “Operation Mercury”.

The head of the government is the Prime Minister. The Prime minister of Greece today is George Papandreou. He was born in Minnesota and lived in the United States until his family moved back to Greece in 1961.

Interesting Facts Greek sculpture was made of marble and limestone.

The bouzouki is a popular instrument for playing Greek music. It has 3 pairs of strings and a very long neck.

Food Horiatiki Salata, (village-style salad), is a Greek salad made with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, feta (a soft white cheese), and olives.

Moussaka Lamb with potatoes Grilled Octopus

Sports Soccer, also known as football in Greece, is a very popular sport. The Greeks are also very famous for basketball, weight lifting, fishing and scuba diving to name a few.

Famous Greek-American Celebrities Yanni is a great Greek musician. He was born in Kalamata, Greece and is very popular around the world.

Jennifer Aniston Nia Vardalos George Stephanopoulos

 Good-bye!    Thank you for visiting the beautiful country of Greece.  Have a nice trip!