Interesting and Fun Facts about Greece

Fascinating and Cool Quick Facts

Greece, one of the oldest civilizations in the world, welcomes millions of tourists every year with its islands and beaches. Tourism is the cornerstone of the country's income. For more information about Greece, let's jump into reading !

1. Approximately 16.5 million tourists visit Greece each year, which is more than the country's population.

2. Nobody in Greece can choose not to vote. Voting is required by law for every citizen over the age of 18.

3. Approximately 7% of all marble produced in the world comes from Greece.

4. Greece has more international airports than most countries.

5. Greeks, the third largest olive producer in the world, have been growing olive trees since ancient times. Some olive trees planted in the thirteenth century still produce olives.

6. Greece has zero rivers due to its mountainous terrain. Approximately 80% of this country is mountainous.

7. Turks constitute the largest minority group in Greece. Other minorities are Albanians, Macedonians, Bulgarians, Armenians and gypsies.

8. Approximately 12 million people around the world speak Greek. These Greek speaking people are located in Cyprus, Italy, Albania, Turkey and the United States.

9. In the 1950s, only 30% of Greek adults were literate. Nowadays this percentage is 95%.

10. More than 40% of Greece's population lives in the capital Athens.

11. Ancient Greece was not a single country like modern Greece. Rather, it was made up of around 1500 different city-states. Each had its own laws and army. Athens was the largest city-state at that time.

12. Greece is the leading producer of sea sponge in the world.

13. Greek ships make up 70% of the European Union's total merchant fleet. According to Greek law, a ship's crew must be 75% Greek.

14. Greece has more archaeological museums than any other country in the world.

15. It is very rare to see elderly people live by themselves in a home in Greece Usually, grandparents live with their children's families until they die.

16. Feta cheese, made from goat's milk is the national cheese of Greece.

17. In Greece, people celebrate the birthday of the saint who bears their name rather than their own.

18. Slaves comprised 40% to 80% of Greece's former population.

19. In B.C 500 Greece was the first country in the Western world that has implemented around 500 municipal waste yards.

20. The word "barbarian" comes from the Greek barbaroi. This means people who don't speak Greek sounded like they said "bar-bar-bar" to the Greeks.