116 Interesting and Fun Facts about Greece

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1. The change from summer to winter time (moving clockwise back one hour) is on the last Sunday in October.

2. On the island of Itaka, people live on average 10 years longer than in other places in Europe.

3. Over 8,035,000 motor vehicles are registered in this country (741 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants).

4. In 2017, a human jaw was found in Greece from 7.2 million years ago. This can be proof that people do not really come from Africa, but from Europe.

5. The national top-level domain is .gr . There are over 370,440 websites with this extension.

6. The most popular pages with the extension .gr are: google.gr, newsit.gr and newsbomb.gr.

7. In this country there are more than 116 960 km of paved roads including more than 1 091 km of express roads (0.18% of all roads in the world).

8. The country has 77 airports, 68 of the paved surface.

9. In this country there are more than 2 548 km of railway tracks.

10. There are 39 airports that meet international standards.

11. Greece has one of the lowest divorce rates in the European Union.

12. Full name of the country – Hellenic Republic.

13. Taximeters in taxis are never actually turned on! If you have large luggage, you will pay more.

14. In Greece, stray animals do not bother anyone. On hot days, they sleep in parks, gardens, shady places in cities, even at storefronts. Nobody chases them away.

15. In Greece you won’t find any desserts on the menu. They are served in restaurants as a mandatory point (without ordering) at the end with crayfish. In good restaurants, up to 2 desserts are served.

16. In Greece, ordered dishes are always placed in the middle of the table so that everyone can help themselves.

17. Greece has one of the largest maritime fleets in the world. Over 1,800 merchant vessels are in use.

18. The Greek Orthodox church prohibits cremation of corpses.

19. 7% of marble in the world is mined in Greece.

Geography in Greece

1. Almost 80% of Greece is mountainous.

2. The farthest possible distance on land from the sea is 140 km.

3. Greece borders with such countries as: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Macedonia 246 km.

4. The country is 2.4 times smaller than Poland.

5. The longest river is Aliakmon, 297 km long.

6. Crete is the largest island.

7. The highest peak is Mount Olymp, 2917 m above sea level.

8. There are 81520 km2 of agricultural land in Greece (62% of the country).

9. The highest located town in the country is Samarina, Seli and Aetomilitsa.

10. 38124 km2 of the country is covered by forests (29.2%)

11. There are over 2,000 islands in Greece.

115. The nearest capital in a straight line from Athens is Skopje (Macedonia) – 487 km.

116. The furthest capital city in a straight line from Athens is Wellington (New Zealand) – 17520 km.

Finance in Greece

1. The minimum wage is 683.76 Euro per month and 4.23 Euro per hour (data from 2013).

2. The amount of income tax in Greece in the first year is 58% for earnings lower than 50,000 euros, and 66% for earnings greater than 50,000 euros. In subsequent years, 29% with earnings less than 50,000 euros and 33% with larger earnings

3. In this country, the amount of income tax for natural persons is 45%, and for companies – 29% (2018).

4. The tax on goods and services is 24% (2018).

5. The level of inflation in 2018 is 0.9%.

6. Gross domestic product (GDP) …
– in 2015 it is $ 252 418 000 000 (PLN 1 080 349 040 000 ),
– in 2018 it is $ 200,000,000,000 (PLN 856,000,000,000).

7. Internal debt at the beginning of …
– 2015 year was 177.1% of GDP, which is about: $ 447 032 278 000 (PLN 1 913 298 149 840),
– 2018 year was 179% GDP, i.e. around: $ 358,000,000,000 (PLN 1,532 240,000,000). To pay it back, each citizen would have to give about $ 33 005 (PLN 141 260).

8. Foreign debt at the beginning of …
– 2015 was around: $ 514 400,000,000 ,
– 2018 year is around: $ 467 495 000 000 .

9. The percentage share in the global Greek economy in 2015 is 0.33% (for comparison, Poland’s share is 0.74%, and the United States – 23.32%).

10. The country has 2018 over $7 345 million 000 in foreign exchange reserves (0.05% of foreign exchange reserves of all countries of the world).

11. The amount of gold reserves in …
– 2015 was 112600 kg ,
– 2018 of the year is 113000 kg

Law in Greece

1. The permissible blood alcohol content in a person driving a car is 0.5 promille.

2. The built-up speed limit is 50 km / h.

3. Outside of built-up areas, the permitted speed on the regular road is 90 km / h, and on motorways 130 km / h.

4. Men and women can retire at the age of 67.

5. In this country, the amount of income tax for natural persons is 45%, and for companies – 29% (2018).

6. The tax on goods and services is 24% (2018).

7. Voting is obligatory for every citizen over 18 years of age.

8. In this country, men and women can get married at the age of 18.

9. In this country, formalities related to the establishment of the company last 38 days.

10. The last death penalty was carried out in 1972.

Education in Greece

1. In this country, compulsory education lasts 10 years.

2. The beginning of education begins at the age of 6.

3. The average IQ level is 92.

4. In this country there are 2.3% of people above 15 years of age who can not read or write (approximately 249 481 people).

5. Over 10 percent of the homeless Greeks graduated from the university.

6. About 10% of adult Greeks are unemployed, it’s hard to find jobs even with higher education.

Work in Greece

1. The minimum wage is 683.76 Euro per month and 4.23 Euro per hour (data from 2013).

2. In 2018, the average monthly salary in this country is 1 060 €.

3. The amount of income tax in Greece in the first year is 58% for earnings lower than 50,000 euros, and 66% for earnings greater than 50,000 euros. In subsequent years, 29% with earnings less than 50,000 euros and 33% with larger earnings

4. Men and women can retire at the age of 67.

5. The unemployment rate in 2018 is 19.5% .

6. In this country, the amount of income tax for natural persons is 45%, and for companies – 29% (2018).

7. In this country, formalities related to the establishment of the company last 38 days.

8. The work week is 40 hours.

9. Employees are entitled to over a month of paid leave each year.

Best in Greece

1. On the island of Zakynthos is the largest flag of Greece. It has been entered into the Guinness Book of Records as the largest national flag in the world. Its dimensions are 18 x 36 meters.

2. The most deadly disease in this country is heart failure.

3. The people of this country are eating the most feta cheese in the world.

4. There are the most archaeological museums in the world.

5. The longest river is Aliakmon, 297 km long.

6. The highest peak is Mount Olymp, 2917 m above sea level.

7. The highest located town in the country is Samarina, Seli and Aetomilitsa.

8. The lowest temperature: 27.8 °C was measured in Ptolemaida.

9. The highest temperature: 48 °C was measured in Athens.

Army in Greece

1. Currently, the Greeks must serve from one year to 18 months in any branch of the armed forces.

2. Position in the list of the best armies of the world:
– 2015 year – 56 place,
– 2018 > year – 27 place.

3. Number of soldiers:
– 2014 year – 177,000 professional and 280,000 reservists,
– 2018 year – 161 500 professional and 252 200 reservists.

4. Number of equipment:
– 2014 year – 1200 tanks, 3570 > armored vehicles, 625 jet aircraft and 200 helicopters,
– 2018 year – 1335 tanks, 4209 armored vehicles, 565 jets and 225 helicopters.

5. Army expenditure:
– 2014 year – $ 6,500,000,000 (PLN 27,820,000,000),
– 2018 year – $ 6,540,000,000 (PLN 27,991,200,000).

6. The naval fleet …
– in 2014 it numbered about 120 ships, in 2018 it counts about < strong style = "color: green;"> 114 ships.

Society in Greece

1. 3 Greeks have accumulated assets greater than a billion US dollars.

2. In Greece, an average person consumes about 10.3 liters of pure alcohol per year.

3. The most wine is drunk – 47%, then beer – 28%, spirit – 24.6%, and other alcoholic beverages – 0.4%.

4. In 2013, 865 people lost their lives as a result of traffic accidents.

5. Men and women can retire at the age of 67.

6. The average IQ level is 92.

7. 20% of adults living in this country are overweight.

8. In this country, women having their first child on average 31.2 years old.

9. On average, a woman gives birth to 1.4 children.

10. In this country, over 6 834 000 (2015) 7 815 926 (2018) people have access to internet (approximately 72% of the population).

11. About 4,800,000 (2015) 5,000,000 (2018) accounts on Facebook.

12. Population density is 82 people per km2.

13. The main religion is Orthodoxy, 87%.

14. About 50,000 Poles live in this country.

15. 2 Greek citizens received the Nobel Prize.

16. Over 10 percent of the homeless Greeks graduated from the university.

17. The average age people living in this country is 43.8 years.

18. In this country there are approximately:
– 1 520 000 people (14.01%) in the age range 0-14 years.
– 7 108 000 people (65.53%) in the age range 15-64 years.
– 2,219,300 people (20.46%) over 65 years old.

19. In this country, about 93 900 children are born annually (0.9% of the population), and about 120,000 people die (1.1% of the population).

20. 225 people in 1000 possess firearms.

21. 61% of the country’s population lives in urban areas.

22. In this country an adult person smokes an average of 250 cigarettes a month. Most of all countries in the world.

23. The average life expectancy in this country is 80.6 years (women – 83.6 years and men – 77.6 years).

Symbols of Greece

1. The national alcohol is Ouzo and Raki.

2. The national tree is an olive tree.

3. On the island of Zakynthos is the largest flag of Greece. It has been entered into the Guinness Book of Records as the largest national flag in the world. Its dimensions are 18 x 36 meters.

4. Greece has the longest hymn in the world. It consists of 158 verses.

5. A national animal is a mythical phoenix.

6. Country motto: “Freedom or death”.

Customs in Greece

1. In Greece, the land is too valuable to bury the dead in it (rocky country), which is why the graves are only used for storing corpses. The bodies of the deceased after several years of burial are exhumed and the remains are put into small boxes and stored on shelves in special rooms next to churches. Greeks only keep their bones from their ancestors.

2. In restaurants, there is always a fee for bread, even if the bread is not ordered. This is a de facto payment for the plate counted from each guest and the form of a tip.

3. Waving with an open hand is considered an insult.

Sport in Greece

1. Australia and Greece are the only countries that have represented their teams in all modern Olympics.

History of Greece

1. The ancient Greeks thought that not everyone who looks like a dead person is actually dead, so they were sure to cut off his finger before he was buried.

2. On July 21, 365, an earthquake hit Crete. which caused powerful tsunami waves. which is estimated. that she could have killed even half a million people.

3. The Greeks sacrificed one hundred Zeus bulls at each ancient Olympiad.

4. The work of Greek mathematicians such as Pythagoras, Euclid, Archimedes and Apollonius began modern mathematics.

5. In ancient Greece, soldiers wore bronze armor weighing up to 33 kilograms.

6. The Greek language began to be used more than 3,000 years ago.

7. Independence from the Ottoman Empire was obtained on March 25, 1821.

8. He joined the United Nations on October 25, 1945.

9. On February 18, 1952, Greece joined the political and military organization called NATO.

Language in Greece

1. Thousands of English words come from the Greek language.

2. The Greek language began to be used more than 3,000 years ago.

3. The Greek language is one of the oldest in Europe.

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What is the highest peak in Greece?

The highest peak in Greece is Mytikas (2917 m above sea level).

answer: Marta

What is the largest river in Greece?

The biggest river in Greece is Aliakmon, 297 km.

answer: Marta

Which Greece has national colors?

National colors: blue and white.

answer: Marta

What is national alcohol?

The national alcohol is Ouzo and Raki.

answer: Marta

What is the national animal?

A national animal is a mythical phoenix.

answer: Marta

Which countries borders Greece?

Greece borders with countries such as: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Macedonia 246 km.

answer: Marta

What is the average age of people living in this country?

The average age people living in this country is 43.8 years.

answer: Marta

What is the minimum wage?

The minimum wage is 683.76 Euro per month and 4.23 Euro per hour (data from 2013).

answer: Marta

What is the population density in Greece?

The population density is 83 people per km2.

answer: Marta

What is the motto of this country?

Country motto: “Freedom or death”.

answer: Marta

What is the highest temperature recorded in this country?

The highest temperature: 48 ° C was measured in Athens.

answer: Marta

What is the lowest temperature recorded in this country?

The lowest temperature: 27.8 ° C was measured in Ptolemaida.

answer: Marta