Greece is located in southeastern Europe between Europe, Asia and Africa. It has over 10 million inhabitants and its capital and largest city is Athens. Greece consists of nine regions and has over 6000 islands, with Crete being the largest island. Some of Greece's most important cities are Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras and Heraklion. Greece has a number of significant archaeological sites from ancient Greek civilization, with the most famous being the Acropolis of Athens, Delphi, Olympia, Knossos and Mycenae. Traditional Greek customs and festivals play an important role in Greek culture and include name day celebrations, carnival, Easter and Christmas.

1. GREECE
OUR COUNTRY

2. LOCATION AND
POPULATION
Greece is located in southeastern
Europe, at the crossroads
of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
It is situated on the southern tip
of the Balkan peninsula and it
shares land borders
with Albania to the northwest,
the Republic of
Macedonia and Bulgaria to the
north and Turkey to the
northeast.
Greece's population is around
10.8 million. Athens is the capital
and largest city, followed
by Thessaloniki, which is
commonly referred to as the co-
capital.

3. REGIONS AND BIG CITIES
Greece consists of
nine geographic
regions: Macedonia, Central
Greece, Peloponnese,
Thessaly, Epirus, Thrace, Crete,
the Aegean Islands and
the Ionian Islands.
The biggest cities are: Athens,
Thessaloniki, Patras, Heraklion,
Larissa and Volos.
Athens is the capital city with a
population of 3 million.

4. CITIES
Thessaloniki,
Northern Greece
Aristotle Square (Up)
The White Tower (Left)

5. Ioannina, Western Greece
Pathway by Pamvotida Lake (Up)
View of Ioannina City (Right)

6. Nafplio, Southern Greece
City of Nafplio (Right)
Bourtzi Island (Down)

7. Athens, Central Greece
The Greek Parliament (Up)
Ermou Street (Left)

8. GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES
Greece has over
6000 islands,
227 of which are
inhabited.
80% of Greece is
mountainous,
with Mount
Olympus being
the highest peak
at 2,917 m.
Other high
mountains are
Pindos, Smolikas
and Voras.
The biggest
plains are those
of Thessaly and
Thessaloniki.

9. ISLANDS
The biggest island of Greece is
Crete, followed by Evia,
Lesvos, Rhodes and Chios.
The islands are a major tourist
attraction of Greece, with
millions of tourists spending
their holidays there,
especially in the summer.
The most famous groups of
islands are the Cyclades, the
Dodecanese and the Ionian
Islands.
The Cyclades (Central Aegean Sea)

10. The Dodecanese Islands and the Ionian Islands

11. CRETE
Crete is the biggest island of
Greece, located in the
southern Aegean Sea.
The local customs and the
island historic traditions play a
very important role in the
everyday life of the Cretans.
The best example is the one
of the Cretan – or
Mediterranean – diet, which
is considered to be the most
beneficial diet for the human
health and it has ancient
roots (since the Minoan
Empire).

12. CRETAN CITIES
The biggest and most
important cities of Crete are
Chania, Heraklion, Rethymno
and Aghios Nikolaos.
Their majestic beauty attracts
plenty of tourists from all over
the world.

13. CRETAN BEACHES
Their crystal blue waters and white
sand place them among the World’s
Top 100 Beaches every year.

14. CYCLADES
The Cyclades are an island
group in the central Aegean
Sea. The group consists of 220
islands which form a cycle
around the sacred island of
Delos. They are considered to
be the birthplace of the
Hellenic culture. Also, they
are one of the most visited
tourist destinations of the
world, with Mykonos,
Santorini, Paros and Naxos
attracting most of the
tourists.

15. MYKONOS

16. SANTORINI

17. PAROS

18. IONIAN ISLANDS
The biggest Ionian Islands are
Corfu, Cephalonia and Zante.
Highly affected by the Italian
lifestyle, the Ionian Islands are
unique at customs, traditions
and also, natural beauty.

19. IMPORTANT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES OF GREECE

20. The Acropolis of Athens is the
main and most famous
archaeological site in Greece. It
is also called the Sacred Rock
and stands on the highest
point of Athens. It is
considered the most important
heritage of the Classical period
and also Europe's most
important ancient monument.
The Parthenon Temple is the
main building on the Acropolis
and constitutes an
architectural splendor of the
ancient times. The most
famous buildings of the
Acropolis are the Parthenon,
the Erechtheion, the Temple of
Athena Nike and the
Propylaea.
THE ACROPOLIS OF ATHENS

21. The site of Delphi is one of
the most important
archaeological sites of
Greece. It is considered to be
the most important oracle of
ancient Greece. People from
all over the Mediterranean
would come to the oracle of
Delphi to ask for advice from
the priestess Pythia.
Although many other oracles
developed in Greece, this
was considered to be the
most accurate of all. The
most important monuments
excavated in Delphi are: the
Temple of Apollo, the
Treasury of the Athenians,
the Altar, the Stoa of the
Athenians, the Theatre, the
Stadium, the Tholos and the
Gymnasium.
DELPHI

22. Ancient Olympia is an
archaeological site situated in an
area of great natural beauty in
Peloponnese. It is considered one
of the most important
sanctuaries of the antiquity and
was dedicated to the father of all
gods, Zeus. Olympia was also the
place were the ancient Olympic
Games were first held in the 7th
century B.C. These were the most
important sports competitions in
the ancient times and even wars
stopped in their duration. The
most important monuments of
the site are: the temples of Zeus
and Hera, the Stadium, the
workshop of sculptor Phedias,
the Palaestra and the
Gymnasium.
ANCIENT OLYMPIA

23. Knossos is the most important
ancient site and best
preserved palace of the
Minoan Civilization. Knossos,
located near modern
Heraklion in Crete island, was
the seat of the legendary King
Minos and it is also a place
connected to many legends
such as the Labyrinth with the
Minotaur and the story of
Daedalus and Icarus. The most
important monuments of the
site are: the palace of
Knossos, the little palace, the
Royal Villa and the house of
the frescoes.
KNOSSOS

24. Located on the eastern side
of Peloponnese, Epidaurus
developed as a religious
center and more
particularly as a sanctuary
of Asclepius, the healing
god. In order to honor god
Asclepius, large festivities
would take place in the
Ancient Theatre of
Epidaurus as well as athletic
competitions in the Ancient
Stadium. The ancient
theatre that survives today
was constructed in the 4th
century BC. It is large, made
of marble and stone and
famous for its amazing
acoustics.
EPIDAURUS

25. The site of Mycenae is
considered one of the oldest
ancient sites in Greece. The
Mycenaean civilization took
its name after the discovery
of the site of Mycenae. The
ancient city of Mycenae was
fortified with what we call
the Massive Cyclopean
walls. The most
characteristic spots of the
site are the Lion Gate and
the big underground tombs.
MYCENAE

26. Customs and traditions in continental Greece and the Greek
Islands are an important aspect of the Greek culture. There are
either of a religious character or coming from paganism. Most of
the traditions and festivals still celebrated today are religious.
Traditions vary from island to island, from village to village and
from region to region.
CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS OF GREECE

27. NAMEDAY CELEBRATION
Most Greeks are named after
a religious saint. A very
important tradition is that
everyone who has a name
coming from a saint
celebrated by the church
celebrates his name on a
given day of the year. On the
"nameday" of someone, his
friends and family visit him
without invitation and offer
wishes and small presents.
The hostess of the house
offers pastries, sweets and
hors d'oeuvres to the guests.
In Greece, namedays are
equally important as
birthdays.

28. ENGAGEMENT
It is a custom in Greece to get
engaged before getting
married. The man has to ask for
the hand of the woman from
her father and close family,
while the two families give
presents to the bride and the
groom. The couple exchanges
wedding rings that are worn on
the left hand. After the
wedding, these rings will be
worn on the right hand. In
Greece, the engagement period
may last for years and it is like a
commitment to the families.
This custom is still vivid in the
Greek mainland but gradually
tends to disappear.

29. CARNIVAL
The Carnival in Greece is
called "Apokries". The festival
consists of two weeks of feast,
beginning from the Sunday of
Meat Fare and ends with the
first day of the Lent, called
Clean Monday (Kathari
Deytera). Everyone is
costumed and parties take
place in the streets and bars,
throwing colored confetti to
each other. The most famous
Carnival Parade takes place in
the city of Patras. In many
towns around Greece and in
the islands, local customs
revive. The Carnival is
believed to come from
paganism.

30. CLEAN MONDAY
Clean Monday or Lent
Monday is the first day of the
Lent (Saracosti) during which
families go for a picnic in the
countryside and fly kites.

31. EASTER
Easter is the most important celebration for the Greeks. On Good
Thursday or Good Saturday, women dye eggs in red and bake buns.
On Good Friday, the day of mourning, the Epitaphios, the tomb of
Christ with its icon, decorated with flowers, is taken out of the
church and carried around the village followed by a slow procession.
During the night of the Holy Saturday , everybody dresses well and
goes to the church where a ceremony is hold. Just before midnight,
all the lights of the church are turned off, symbolizing the darkness
and silent of the tomb, while the priest lights a candle from the
Eternal Flame, sings the psalm Christos Anesti (meaning Christ has
Resurrected) and offers the flame to light the candles of the people.
Everyone passes the flame to each other. The bells ring continuously
and people throw fireworks. The Good Saturday Dinner takes place
after midnight and consists of mayiritsa, tsoureki (Easter sweet
bread) and red eggs. On Easter Sunday, the family roasts the lamb on
the spit.

32. CHRISTMAS
In Christmas time, most towns
in Greece are decorated with
bright lights, bells, angels and
other Christmassy objects.
According to Christmas
traditions in Greece, the
patron saint of the holiday is
Saint Nicolas, who is also the
protector of sailors. For this
reason, the Greeks often
decorate boats with many
sparkling lights, rather than
the traditional Christmas
trees. The Christmas season in
Greece begins on December
6th, which is Saint Nicolas
day, and ends on January 6th,
which is the Feast of the
Epiphany (Theophania).
Celebrations really pick-up
from the 20th of December,
as Christmas day gets closer.

33. THE GREEK
INDEPENDENCE DAY :
THE “OXI” DAY
On October 28th, the Greeks
celebrate the day when the
Greek dictator Metaxas
refused to let the Italians
invade the country during
World War II. It is the
celebration of the heroic OXI
(NO): most Greeks put a
Greek flag on their windows
and balconies, while a parade
takes place with the
participation of school
students and the army.

34. SOURCES
• www.greeka.com
• www.wikipedia.com
• www.photosofgreece.com

35. Thank you for your attention!