The Flag of Greece consists of nine blue and white alternating horizontal stripes with a blue square on the top left that contains a white cross.  Greece is located in the Balkan Peninsula and borders with Albania, Fyrom, Bulgaria and Turkey.  The mainland of Greece is mostly mountains with the exception of the plains of Thessaly, Thessaloniki and Thrace.  The highest mountain of Greece is Olympus 2917 m the largest lake of Greece is Trichonis 421 sq. The longest river is Aliakmon 297 km.  Greek major cities: as well as Athens, other large cities of Greece are Thessaloniki, Piraeus, Patras, Herakleion, Kavala, Alexandroupolis, and Corinth etc.

In Greek the currency is Euro and Cents.

 The climate of Greece is mild Mediterranean. Although many places in northern Greece have cold winters with lots of snow where highly developed ski centres boost the winter tourism of Greece.  The summer can be very hot, especially in the mainland.  The Greek islands however have a milder climate due to the summer northern winds, known as the Meltemi.

 Greece has a long tradition of music, going back to ancient years.  Several gods and goddesses were connected with music and dance and the very word music comes from the Nine Muses of ancient Greece.  We also have many musical terms from the Greek language: harmony, melody, tune, choir, orchestra, chromatic, scene, lyre, hymn, psalm, rhythm.  Also, George Michael was famous for his brilliant music from Greece. The bouzouki, a traditional Greek musical instrument.

 The Greek food throughout its history and continuing today is for the Greeks a philosophy, they know that what makes a perfect feast is not just the food but also the good company.  The freshness of the fish, having just leapt from the sea; the vegetables newly dug from the ground or picked from the vines of the local farmers.  The traditional day is still de rigueur on the islands. It begins early with a quick breakfast of coffee and cigarettes or dried Rusk soaked in warm milk, followed by a substantial lunch and a siesta.  After a few hours more work, evening is the time to relax with family and/or friends whilst nibbling meze (Greek appetizer).  This is followed at 9 or 10pm by dinner with, perhaps, sweet pastries, cakes or ice-cream enjoyed later in the cafes.  Strong distinctive tastes are the hallmark of this culinary rhythm.  Herbs like rigani (oregano), thyme, rosemary, parsley, coriander, dill, fennel and sage; spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, vanilla and mastic are all crucial.  Greece is famous for it’s lovely olives. Also, the Word Athens comes from the name Athena (Goddess) who won a competition over the G-d of sea. Athena won because she brought an olive tree which gave us food, shade and olive oil which people used to wash in.

We hope you have learned a lot about Greece today and enjoyed our Power Point Presentation. ☺