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ABOUT GREECE
Greece is situated in Southeastern Europe on the ancient crossroads of cultures, colours and civilisations. It is a country of beautiful contradictions, a constant journey in time, from the present to the past and back again. Perhaps no nation in Europe can boast of a more ancient history than Greece. Therefore, Greece is a must see for anyone interested in knowing the origins of western civilization.
Greece's antiquity dates back to 3000 BC when Greece begun its rise as a cultural and artistic center of the Mediterranean, producing magnificent works of architecture, sculpture, drama and literature. Greece glorious history is reflected in the ruins and monuments that lie scattered all over the country - from Athens’ Parthenon and Delphi’s Temple of Apollo, to the ruins on Crete of the Minóan city of Knossós, a civilisation reaching even further back into history. Greece is the birthplace of democracy, theater, philosophy, and many of the sciences. The founders of western culture, Socrates and Plato, and the father of western philosophy, Aristotle, were all Athenian citizens who thought up their revolutionary concepts in the squares of the Ancient Agora, near today's downtown.
Greece today offers the traveller all comforts of modern Europe in close proximity to the beauties of the ancient world. Known also as the land of the sun and the ancient Gods of Olimp, Greece is the perfect place for the holidays of a lifetime. Although statistically small, Greece is huge in its diversity. The Aegean or Ionian Sea, remote or cosmopolitan islands, rocky or sandy beaches, palm or pine covered - a kaleidoscopic variety for the tourists to enjoy. With over 4,000 islands and 300 sunny days per year, with its clean air, blue skies and the sound of crystal-clear waters - Greece is a real paradise for all our senses.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Official name: Hellenic Republic
Geographical position: Greece is a peninsular country located in southeastern Europe on the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. It is mostly a mountainous country with a major chunk of its landmass perched at over 1,500 m above sea level. The mainland coastline is 4,000 km long, while 9841 islands, 114 of which are inhabited, add another 11,000 km of coastline. The majority of the islands are scattered in the Aegean Sea between the Greek and Turkish coasts.
Area: 131,957 km2
Population: Greece has 10,668,354 million of habitants. 98% are Greeks, others are Turkish, Albanian and Macedonian minorities
Capital:Athens (population: Greater Athens 3,566,060, municipality of Athens 772,072)
Climate: Greece has a Mediterranean climate - long, dry and hot summers and mild, wet winters. It has 300 days of sunshine per year. In the summer the temperature sometimes rises to 40 °C (77 F).
Languages: Modern Greek 98% (official); Turkish, others. Albanian is spoken by approximately 700,000 Albanian immigrants. English is the predominant second language.
Religion: The Greek population is composed of 97% of Greek Orthodox. The rest of the population is 1,3% Muslim, 0,4% Roman Catholic, 0,7% other, including Jews.
Political system: Parliamentary republic (from 1974.). Three hundred elected members with elections held every four years. Greece is a member state of EU since 1981. Principal Government Officials: President - Karolos Papoulias, Prime Minister - Konstantinos Karamanlis.
Economy:
GDP: $225 billion
Per capita GDP: $20,521
Unemployment rate: 10%
The Greek economy adopts the principles of free enterprise and is bound by the regulations of international organisations such as ECOFIN and WTO, of which it is a member.
Local time: Greek time is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, an hour ahead of Central European Time.
Electric current: The standard in Greece is 220V AC (50Hz)
Telephone: The cheapest way to make intercity or international calls is by prepaid phone cards. Local and international calls can be made from public card phone using these prepaid calling cards or from kiosks (periptera) equipped with meters. Prepaid calling cards can be purchased from kiosks and OTE offices. Tip: Use Vivodi Telecom Prepaid Calling Card as the cheapest way
Country code: Greece +30
Capital Code: Athens +1
Postal service: Post Offices are opened Monday-Saturday from 07.30 till 14.00, Sunday from 09.00 till 18.00. If you need to send a letter there are stamp vending machines and post-boxes outside all central post offices. Parcels sent abroad must be inspected, so do not wrap and seal them beforehand.
Tourism police: Offers tourists information and help, in case of any problems and solve minor differences between tourists and entreprises. You can recognize them by their uniforms with the shoulder flash Tourism Police. 171 is an emergency telephone line on a 24 hour basis from all over Greece.
Currency: Euro is the currency of Greece since 1 January 2001. One euro is subdivided into 100 euro cent. Foreign currency can be changed in the Banks, Exchange Offices, Post Offices, Tourist agencies and Hotels, according to the current exchange rate. Most of the banks are opened Monday-Thursday from 07.45 till 14.00, and Friday from 07.45 till 13.30. Some of the banks are opened also on Saturday morning.
Credit cards: Most of hotels, shops, travel agencies, car rental offices and restaurants accept all major Credit Cards; if in doubt ask your bank or credit card company if your card will be acceptable in Greece. Stickers in the front doors will advise you about the acceptable credit cards. Remember, Greek ATMs usually allow only a four-digit password; you must get advice from your bank on what to do in case your password has more than four. Also note that the punch keys on the Greek ATMs do not use letters, so you must convert your password to numbers.
Traveller's cheques: Traveller's cheques issued by all the major companies are widely recognized. You can cash your traveler's cheques in all Greek and foreign banks, exchange bureaus and big hotels. Identification is necessary for the transaction, so do not forget to have your passport with you.
Working hours: The Public services are open from 08.00 to 14.00 from Monday to Friday. The private companies are open from 09.00 till 17.00. The shops are open Monday-Wednesday-Saturday from 09.00 to 15.00 and Tuesday-Thursday-Friday from 09.00 to 14.00 and 17.00 to 20.00. In the touristic areas some shops are open all day long and even late at night. Pharmacies are open every day from 08.00 to 14.30, while on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays there is always some pharmacy open on a rotating shifts.
National holidays:
New Year's Day, January 1
Epiphany (Baptism of Christ), January .6
Clean Monday (Kathari Deftera), 41 days before Easter
Independence Day, March 25
Good Friday to- Easter, including Monday
Labor Day May 1
Whitmonday (Holy Spirit Monday), day after Whitsunday (Pentecost), the 7th Sunday after Easter
Assumption of the Virgin, August 15
Ochi Day, October 28
Christmas, December 25 and 26.
Visiting churches and monasteries: When visiting churches and monasteries, turists are expected to dress in a respectable manner: long trousers for men, sleeved dresses and no miniskirts for women.
Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List:
Acropolis, Athens (1987)
Archaeological Site of Delphi (1987)
Archaeological Site of Epidaurus (1988)
Archaeological Site of Olympia (1989)
Archaeological Site of Vergina (1996)
Archaeological Sites of Mycenae and Tiryns (1999)
Delos (1990)
Historic Centre (Chorá) with the Monastery of Saint John "the Theologian" and the Cave of the Apocalypse on the Island of Pátmos (1999)
Medieval City of Rhodes (1988)
Monasteries of Daphni, Hossios Luckas and Nea Moni of Chios (1990)
Mystras (1989)
Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessalonika (1988)
Pythagoreion and Heraion of Samos (1992)
Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae (1986)
Meteora (1988)
Mount Athos (1988)
Cultural events: Greece is a country of a rich cultural tradition and folklore. During their stay in Greece, tourists have an opportunity to enrich their travels by attending some of the cultural or sports events or by participating in the festivities of Greek folklore heritage. The major Greece cultural events are:
The Hellenic Festival (Athens, from June 2 to September 28)
The International Jazz and Blues Festival (Athens, June)
The Epidaurus Festival (Athens, July and August)
The Film festival of Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki, November)
The International Festival of Patra (Patra, from July to September)
The Samothraki Island World music festival (Samothraki Island, 21-24 July)
The Sani Festival (Sani Resort, from July to September)
GREECE HISTORY
Greece is a country with a particularly rich and ancient history.
The first settlements date back to the Palaeolithic era (11.000-3000 BC), while in the second millennium BC Greece gave birth to the powerful Minoan (2600-1500 BC), Mycenaean (1500-1150 BC) and the Cycladic civilizations.
 With the evolution of powerful city-states, especially Athens and Sparta, between 800 and 500 BC, started The Classical Period of Greece History which was the Golden Age of the Grecian civilization, famous all over the world.
Under the leadership of Pericles, Athens ushered the era of its prosperity in all spheres: an era when Pericles himself commissioned the Parthenon, Democritus taught the concept of democracy, Sophocles wrote Oedipus Rex, and Socrates taught the intricacies of logic.
Later, the Greek history became a succession of various invasions and dominations: Alexander's conquest of the city-states was followed by the Roman invasions that began in 205 BC. In 330 AD Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople, founding the Eastern Roman Empire which was renamed later Byzantine Empire.
It was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. The Ottoman rule lasted for 400 years and was a dark period for the inhabitants of the ex-Byzantine Empire. Wanting to finally win their freedom, people of the Greece territory started to organise themselves and various revolts exploded against the Turkish oppressor.
 The Independence War started from the Peloponnese in 1821 and ended on March 1831, with the establishment of the new and independent Greek State. A monarchy was established a few years after that by the Great Powers. At first it comprised only a tiny fraction of the country.
In 1864, the Ionian islands were added to Greece; in 1881 parts of Epirus and Thessaly. Crete, the islands of the Eastern Aegean and Macedonia were added in 1913 and Western Thrace in 1919. After World War II, in 1947, the Dodecanese islands became also part of Greece.
Today, Greece is a member of UN, IMF, CSCE and other major World and European Institutions such as the NATO (since 1952), OECD, WEU, Council of Europe and European Union which she joined in 1981.
This brief recapitulation of the Greek history gives just a taste of its complexity and of the sufferings of its population who often had to fight for its freedom.
GREEK CUISINE
 Greece has a culinary tradition of more than 2500 years. In fact, it’s commonly known that the Greek penninsula and the colonies of Greece Magna are the birthplace of culinary art. Things could not be different in the country that gave first great chefs, famous throughout the ancient Europe and well paid in castells of its kings. Another curiosity - white hat (toque blanche), widely recognized as the symbol of chefs all over the world, originally wore cooks in Greek medieval monasteries to be distinguished by it from the monachs who also wore hats, but tall and black.
The style of cookery in Greece is typical of Mediterranean cuisine. It's based around a variety of colorful and flavorful foods that are high in nutrients and low in animal fats. Like most national cuisines, Greek cuisine has both influenced others and embraced ideas from its eastern and western neighbours. What distinguishes it frome other is a combination of the following factors: ingredients of good quality, proper use of herbs and spices, the famous Greek olive oil and its basic simplicity.
Before eating, the Greeks have a habit of having a glass of ‘ouzo’, an aniseed flavored spirit, usually served with appetizers - ‘mesèdes’. Some of the most famous are ‘tzatziki’, yoghurt, cucumber and garlic puree and ‘taramosalata’, fish roe mixed with boiled potatoes or moistened breadcrumbs.
 Greek cuisine has a wide variety of dishes that can meet the culinary demands of both meat-eaters and vegetarians in an extremely satisfying way. Some of the most popular are ‘mussaka’, eggplant casserole (there are other variations besides eggplant, such as zucchini or rice, but the eggplant version –‘melitzanes moussaka’- is most popular), ‘souvlakia’, lamb and vegetables grilled on skewers, ‘dolmades’ grapevine leaves stuffed either with meat or rice and vegetables and all kinds of salads, usually with tomatoes, onions, olives and ‘feta’, a traditional Greek cheese.
A myriad of colorful and flavorful vegetables form a fundamental part of Greek cuisine. You will be delighted with the taste of Greek tomatoes, lettuces, carrots, onions, parsley and garlic, not to mention the rich flavour and aroma of fresh fruit: grapes, apricots, peaches, cherries, melons, watermelons, to name but a few. A variety of herbs and seasonings are used to flavor food including flat-leaf parsley, dill, oregano, cilantro, mint, ground pepper, sea salt and cinnamon. Lemon juice and lemon rind are also used to season food and in dressings.
 Do not forget also to try the Greek cheeses. Some of the most tastefull, besides ‘feta’, are ‘xinomizìthra’, ‘formaèlla’ and ‘metsovone’.
Another typical ingredient is ‘yoghurt’, usually served with dried fruit and honey. Greek dishes are accompanied by a variety of breads (such as ‘choriàtiko’), including pita bread (for example ‘tyropittes’) and crusty whole grain peasant bread (‘ladokouloura’ or ‘kouloura’).
Wine is the most common drink in Greece, birthplace of Dionysus, patron god of wine.
Today some of Greek wines, produced all over the country, are of the finest quality and known all over the world.
WEATHER IN GREECE
Introduction: Greece is located in Europe, next to Italy, on the Mediterranean Sea. Its climate is tipically mediterranean or subtropical, with plenty of sunshine, mild temperatures and a limited amount of rainfall.
Due to the country's geographical position, its rugged relief and its distribution between the mainland and the sea, there is great variation in Greece's climate on the coast as well as on the mainland. This kind of climatological diversity can be found only in a few countries in the world.
In regards to the climate, Greek year can be divided in two main seasons: winter season which is cold and wet and lasts from the second half of October till the end of March, and hot and dry season which lasts from April to October.
Winter season: Winters in Greece are generally short and mildly wet. The coldest months of the first season are January and February when the medium temperatures are from 5-10°C on the sea and from 0-5°C on the mainland, while on the nord the temperatures are sometimes even bellow zero.
The rainy and cloudy days usually don’t last for long. First sunny days appear already in January and in the first two weeks of February - throughout the history these days were known as “Alcionid days”.
In the upper part of Greece the winters are pretty cold and the snow is not uncommon. It is this that makes Greece an ideal place for winter vacations as well as summer vacations. There are several ski centres operating throughout Greece and these attract thousands of visitors every year. In Athens snow is less common, especially in the south and on the islands where the winters are milder.
Summer season: During the hot and dry season, the weather is stable, the sky almost completely calm with lot of sunshine and very little rainfall: great holidays in Greece guaranteed. The hottest period of the year is the end of July and the beginning of August, when the daily temperature is usually between 29° and 35°C and it’s recommended to stay out of the sun from 11.00 to 14.00 when the sun is at its strongest.
Some regions are characterized by the Meltemi, a summer wind which blows mostly on the islands of the Aegean and offers a welcome relief to the heat but also a perfect wind conditions for sailing and windsurfing.
Winds in Greece: Concerning sailing in Greece, the country's winds can be divided in two sea regions: the Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea.
The Aegean Sea Winds usually appear during the summer season, from May to September but they are particularly known for the months of July and August.
Those winds, as already mentioned, are called "Meltemi" and they are mostly blowing during the day and their average duration is from 2 to 4 days.
The "Meltemi" do not have the same direction in all the regions of the Aegean Seas. In the North Aegean, they come from the NE, in the central Aegean (Cyclades) from the North and in the South Aegean from the NW. The intensity of the winds varies depending of the region. One of the stronger Meltmi can be found in Naxos Island in the Cyclades and attracts many windsurfers. Many winds blow in the Aegean Sea also in winter with forces of 8-9 Beaufort.
The Ionian Sea Winds usually appear during summer season and are called "Maistros" and are blowing from NW. The winter winds of the Ionians are called "Sirocco". The Greek seas also welcome many races.
Information: More information, weather forecasts and statistical data can be requested from:
Hellenic national meteorological service (E.M.Y.)
Tel: 2109699101-3 Fax: 2109628952
Email: info@hnms.gr
www.emy.gr
For weather forecasts in Greece check the following web site: www.forecasts.gr.
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