Greece The most beautiful country Athena Moraiti, Matina Katifori, Alice Plakidi

Greece : officially the Hellenic Republic and known since ancient times as Hellas, is a country located in southeastern Europe.Greece's population is around 11,03 million. Athens is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Thessaloniki, which is commonly referred to as the co-capital. Situated on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, the "fYRοM" (former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) and Bulgaria to the north and Turkey to the northeast. Greece consists of nine geographic regions: Macedonia, Central Greece, the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Epirus, the Aegean Islands (including the Dodecanese and Cyclades), Thrace, Crete, and the Ionian Islands. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has one of the longest histories of any country, tracing its roots to the civilization of Ancient Greece, which is considered the cradle of all Western civilization.southeastern EuropeAthensThessalonikiBalkan peninsulaAlbania BulgariaTurkeygeographic regionsMacedoniaCentral GreecePeloponneseThessalyEpirusAegean IslandsDodecaneseCycladesThraceCreteIonian IslandsAegean SeamainlandIonian SeaMediterranean Sealongest historiesAncient GreeceWestern civilization

Culture While countless archeological sites and museums—including the new Acropolis Museum— offer visitors a chance to experience Greek history personaly, the country’s deep heritage is also felt in the spectacular concert halls, in the summertime open-air theaters, and in the neighbourhood art galleries throughout Athens. Greek music separates into two parts: Greek traditional music and Byzantine music, with more eastern sounds.Greek traditional musicByzantine music The Greek language holds an important place in the histories of Europe, the more loosely defined Western world, and Christianity.EuropeWestern worldChristianity Greek cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine. Greek cookery makes wide use of olive oil, lemon juice, vegetables, and herbs, grains and bread, wine, fish, and various including meats, lamb, poultry, rabbit and pork.Mediterranean cuisineGreekwinefishlambpoultryrabbitpork Religion The prevailing religion in Greece is that of the Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ. The Orthodox Church of Greece, acknowledging our Lord Jesus Christ as its head, is inseparably united in doctrine with the Great Church of Christ in Constantinople and with every other Church of Christ of the same doctrine.

Climate The climate of Greece is primarily Mediterranean, featuring mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. This climate occurs at all coastal locations, including Athens, the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, Crete, the Peloponnese, the Ionian Islands and parts of the Central Continental Greece region. climate of GreeceMediterranean Traditions and Customs Many local traditions can be encountered in Greece, depending on your location, however, below we will describe the basic folk traditions and customs found across Greece. Most of the time these customs are associated with Christian holidays and rituals. In recent years however the bond of religion and tradition begins to recede, creating new habits.

Geography Eighty percent of Greece consists of mountains or hills, making the country one of the most mountainous in Europe. Mount Olympus, the mythical abode of the Greek Gods, culminates at Mytikas peak 2,917 m (9,570 ft), the highest in the country. Western Greece contains a number of lakes and wetlands and is dominated by the Pindus mountain range.Mount OlympusGreek GodsPindus Greece features a vast number of islands, between 1,200 and 6,000, depending on the definition, 227 of which are inhabited.vast number of islands