3. Greece, officially the
Hellenic Republic and known
since ancient times as Hellas,
is a country in Southern
Europe. According to the
2011 census, Greece's
population is around 11
million. Athens is the nation's
capital and largest city.
4. The names for the nation of Greece and the Greek
people differ from the names used in other languages,
locations and cultures. Although the Greeks call the
country Hellas or Ellada and its official name is the
Hellenic Republic, in English it is referred to as Greece,
which comes from the Latin term Graecia as used by the
Romans, which literally means 'the land of the Greeks',
and derives from the Greek name Γραικός. However, the
name Hellas is sometimes used in English as well.
6. The flag of Greece (popularly referred
to as the "sky-blue-white" or the "blue-white"),
is based on nine equal
horizontal stripes of blue alternating
with white. There is a blue canton in
the upper hoist-side corner bearing a
white cross; the cross symbolizes
Eastern Orthodox Christianity, the
established religion of the Greek
people of Greece and Cyprus. The
official flag ratio is 2:3.
7. The country consists of nine geographic
regions:
1. Macedonia
2. Central Greece
3. the Peloponnese
4. Thessaly
5. Epirus
6. the Aegean Islands (including the
Dodecanese and Cyclades)
7. Thrace
8. Crete
9. 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.
8. Eleftheria i thanatos ("freedom or death") is
the motto of Greece. It arose during the
Greek War of Independence in the 1820s,
where it was a war cry for the Greeks who
rebelled against Ottoman rule. It was
adopted after the Greek War of
Independence. It is still in use today, and is a
popular theory regarding the use of 9 stripes
(for the nine syllables of the motto) in
the Greek flag. The motto symbolized and
still symbolizes the resolve of the people of
Greece against tyranny and oppression.
9. The Hymn to Liberty or Hymn to Freedom is a
poem written by Dionýsios Solomós in 1823 that consists
of 158 stanzas, which is used as the national anthem
of Greece and Cyprus. It was set to music by Nikolaos
Mantzaros, and is the longest national anthem in the
world by length of text.
Click to listen to audio
10. Greece is a parliamentary
republic. The nominal head of
state is the President of the
Republic, who is elected by the
Parliament for a five-year term.
The current Constitution was
drawn up and adopted by the
Fifth Revisionary Parliament of
the Hellenes and entered into
force in 1975 after the fall of the
Coat of Arms of Greece military junta of 1967–1974.
11. It has been revised three
times since, in 1986, 2001 and 2008.
The Constitution, which consists of
120 articles, provides for a
separation of powers into executive,
legislative, and judicial branches,
and grants extensive specific
guarantees (further reinforced in
2001) of civil liberties and social
rights. Women's suffrage was
guaranteed with an amendment to
the 1952 Constitution.
12. The economy of Greece is the
34th or 42nd largest in the world at $299
or $304 billion by nominal gross
domestic product or purchasing power
parity (PPP) respectively, according to
World Bank statistics for the year 2011.
Additionally, Greece is the 15th largest
economy in the 27-member European
Union.[98] In terms of per capita income,
Greece is ranked 29th or 33rd in the
world at $27,875 and $27,624 for nominal
GDP and PPP respectively.
13. • Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
- Less than one-third of the land area is
cultivable, with the remainder consisting of
pasture, scrub, and forest. Only in the plains of
Thessalía, Makedonía, and Thráki is cultivation
possible on a reasonably large scale. There corn
(maize), wheat, barley, sugar beets, peaches,
tomatoes, cotton (of which Greece is the only EU
producer), and tobacco are grown.
14. • Resources and power
- The country has small deposits
of silver ore and marble, which are
mined. About nine-tenths of
Greece’s electrical power needs
were supplied by fossil fuels, and
nearly one-tenth by hydroelectric
power.
15. Religion in Greece, is
dominated by the Church of Greece,
which is part of the wider Greek
Orthodox Church. It represents the
majority of the population and Greek
Orthodoxy is constitutionally
recognised as the "prevailing religion"
of Greece (making it one of the few
European countries with a state
religion). Other major religions
include Catholicism, Hellenic
Neopaganism, Judaism,
Protestantism and Islam.
16.
17. Theatre was born in Greece. The city-state of Classical Athens,
which became a significant cultural, political, and military power during this
period, was its centre, where it was institutionalised as part of
afestival called the Dionysia, which honoured the
god Dionysus. Tragedy (late 6th century BC), comedy (486 BC), and the satyr
play were the three dramatic genres to emerge there.
Sophocles
18. Most western philosophical
traditions began in Ancient Greece in
the 6th century BC. The first
philosophers are called "Presocratics,"
which designates that they came
before Socrates, whose contributions
mark a turning point in western
thought. The Presocratics were from
the western or the eastern colonies of
Greece and only fragments of their
original writings survive, in some cases
merely a single sentence.
19. The numerous gods of the
ancient Greek religion as well as the
mythical heroes and events of the
ancient Greek epics (The Odyssey and
The Iliad) and other pieces of art and
literature from the time make up
what is nowadays colloquially
referred to as Greek mythology. Apart
from serving a religious function, the
mythology of the ancient Greek world
also served a cosmological role as it
was meant to try to explain how the
world was formed and operated.
20. The principal gods of the ancient Greek
religion were the Dodekatheon, or the
Twelve Gods, who lived on the top of Mount
Olympus. The most important of all ancient
Greek gods was Zeus, the king of the gods,
who was married to Hera, who was also his
sister. The other Greek gods that made up
the Twelve Olympians were Demeter,
Hades, Ares, Poseidon, Athena, Dionysus,
Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Hephaestus
and Hermes. Apart from these twelve gods,
Greeks also had a variety of other mystical
beliefs, such as nymphs and other magical
creatures.
21.
22. Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece and the
second highest mountain in the Balkans. It is located in the Olympus
Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia. The mountain
has 52 peaks, deep gorges, and exceptional biodiversity.
Olympus was notable in
Ancient Greek Mythology as the
home of the Twelve Olympians, on
the Mytikas peak. Mount Olympus is
also noted for its very rich flora with
several species.
23. Pindus National Park, also known
as Valia-Kalda, is a national park
in mainland Greece, situated in
an isolated mountainous area at
the periphery of West Macedonia
and Epirus, in the northeastern
part of the Pindus mountain
range.The park's core zone,
3,360 hectares (8,300 acres),
covers the greatest part of the
Valia Kalda valley and the slopes
of the surrounding peaks.
24. The Haliacmon is the longest
river in Greece, with a total
length of 297 km (185 mi).It
flows through the Greek
regions of West Macedonia
(Kastoria, Grevena and Kozani
regional units) and Central
Macedonia (Imathia and Pieria
regional units).
25. The Nestos formerly the Mesta Karasu
(Ottoman Turkish), is a river in Bulgaria and
Greece. It rises in the Rila Mountains and flows
into the Aegean Sea near the island of Thasos.
It plunges down towering canyons toward the
Aegean Sea through mostly metamorphic
formations. At the end, the main stream
spreads over the coastal plain of Chrysoupolis
and expands as a deltaic system with
freshwater lakes and ponds forming the Nestos
delta.The length of the river is 230 km, of
which 126 km in Bulgaria and the rest in
Greece. It forms some gorges in Rila and Pirin.
26. Alfeiós is the longest river in the
Peloponnese, in Greece. The river is 110 km
long, flowing through the regional units of
Arcadia and Elis. Its source is near the village
Dorizas, about halfway between Tripoli and
Megalopoli in the highlands of Arcadia. It flows
southwest toward Megalopoli, where it has been
diverted around open pit lignite mines. At
Thoknia it receives its right tributary Elissonas,
and continues north towards Karytaina. Below
Karytaina the Lousios flows into the Alfeios, and
the Alfeios continues northwest, passing north of
Andritsaina. Near Tripotamia the rivers Ladon
and Erymanthos flow into the Alfeios. The Alfeios
then flows west along Olympia and empties into
the Ionian Sea south of Pyrgos.
27. Mount Smolikas is a mountain in
the Ioannina regional unit, northwestern
Greece. At a height of 2,637 metres above
sea level, it is the highest of the Pindus
Mountains, and the second highest
mountain in Greece after Mount Olympus.
The mountain consists of ophiolite
rocks.The last glaciers of this area
retreated around 11,500 years ago. Nearby
mountain ranges are Tymfi to the south,
Gramos to the northwest, Vasilitsa to the
southeast and Voio to the northeast.
28. The Neda is a river in the western
Peloponnese in Greece. It begins on the
southern slope of Mount Lykaion, near the
village of Neda in northern Messenia. It
flows to the west through a varied
landscape of barren rock and forests. From
near Figaleia until its mouth it forms the
border of Messenia and Elis. There is a well
known waterfall near the village Platania.
The Neda flows into the Gulf of Kyparissia,
a bay of the Ionian Sea, near the village
Giannitsochori.
29. The Vikos–Aoös National Park is a national
park in the region of Epirus in northwestern
Greece. It is one of ten national parks in
mainland Greece and is located 30
kilometres (19 mi) north of the city of
Ioannina in the northern part of the Pindus
mountain range. It is named after the two
major gorges of the area and encompasses
12,600 hectares (31,135 acres) of
mountainous terrain, with numerous rivers,
lakes, caves, deep canyons, dense
coniferous and deciduous forest.
30. Mount Athos is a mountain and
peninsula in Greece. A World Heritage
Site and autonomous polity in the
Hellenic Republic, Athos is home to 20
stavropegial Eastern Orthodox
monasteries under the direct
jurisdiction of the patriarch of
Constantinople. Today Greeks
commonly refer to Mount Athos as the
"Holy Mountain" .In Classical times,
while the mountain was called Athos,
the peninsula was called Akté.
31.
32. The Acropolis of Athens is an
ancient citadel located on a high
rocky outcrop above the city of
Athens and containing the remains
of several ancient buildings of great
architectural and historic
significance, the most famous being
the Parthenon. Although there are
many other acropoleis in Greece,
the significance of the Acropolis of
Athens is such that it is commonly
known as "The Acropolis" without
qualification.
33. The Parthenon is a temple on the
Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the
goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens
considered their patron. It is the most
important surviving building of Classical
Greece, generally considered the zenith of the
Doric order. Its decorative sculptures are
considered some of the high points of Greek
art. The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring
symbol of Ancient Greece, Athenian
democracy and western civilization, and one
of the world's greatest cultural monuments.
The Greek Ministry of Culture is currently
carrying out a program of selective restoration
and reconstruction to ensure the stability of
the partially ruined structure.
34. The Metéora (lit. "middle of
the sky", "suspended in the air" or "in
the heavens above" — etymologically
related to "Meteorite") is one of the
largest and most important
complexes of Eastern Orthodox
monasteries in Greece, second only
to Mount Athos. The six monasteries
are built on natural sandstone rock
pillars.
35. Syntagma Square is the central
square of Athens. The Square is named
after the Constitution that the first King
of Greece Otto was obliged to grant, after
a popular and military uprising on
September 3, 1843. It is located in front
of the 19th century Old Royal Palace,
housing the Greek Parliament since 1934.
Syntagma Square is the most important
square of modern Athens from both a
historical and social point of view, at the
epicentre of commercial activity and
Greek politics.
36. The Temple of Hephaestus or
Hephaisteion or earlier as the Theseion
is a well-preserved Greek temple; it
remains standing largely as built. It is a
Doric peripteral temple, and is located
at the north-west side of the Agora of
Athens, on top of the Agoraios Kolonos
hill. From the 7th century until 1834, it
served as the Greek Orthodox church
of St. George Akamates.
37. The Theatre of Dionysus
Eleuthereus is a major open-air
theatre and one of the earliest
preserved in Athens. It was used
for festivals in honor of the
god Dionysus. Greek theaters in
antiquity were in many instances
of huge proportions but, under
ideal conditions of occupancy and
weather, the acoustical
properties approach perfection by
modern test.
38. Myrtos Beach is in the region of
Pylaros, in the north-west of Kefalonia
island, in the Ionian Sea of Greece. Myrtos
beach lies between the feet of two
mountains, Agia Dynati and Kalon Oros
(901m). Myrtos has been described as "one
of the most dramatic beaches in Greece",
with its "mile-and-a-half long arc of
dazzling white pebbles”. It was used as the
location for the mine explosion episode in
the film Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. Myrtos
has been voted 12 times the best Greek
beach while it regularly features in best
beaches lists.
39. Mount Lycabettus is a
Cretaceous limestone hill in
Athens, Greece. At 277 meters
(908 feet) above sea level, the
hill is the highest point in the
city that surrounds it. Pine
trees cover its base, and at its
two peaks are the 19th century
Chapel of St. George, a
theatre, and a restaurant.
40. Achilleion is a palace built
in Corfu by Empress of Austria
Elisabeth of Bavaria, also known as
Sisi, after a suggestion by Austrian
Consul Alexander von Watzberg.
The palace was designed with the
mythical hero Achilles as its central
theme. Achilleion's location
provides a panoramic view of Corfu
city to the north, and across the
whole southern part of the island.
41. The Temple of
Olympian Zeus, also known
as the Olympieion or
Columns of the Olympian
Zeus, is a colossal ruined
temple in the centre of the
Greek capital Athens that
was dedicated to Zeus, king
of the Olympian gods.
42. The Philopappos
Monument is an ancient
Greek mausoleum and monument d
edicated to Gaius Julius Antiochus
Epiphanes Philopappos or Philopapp
us,, a prince from the Kingdom of
Commagene. It is located on
Mouseion Hill in Athens, Greece,
southwest of the Acropolis.
43.
44. When I was young, I was already exposed to Greek
Mythology. Since then, I had the desire to go there
because I want to see Mount Olympus and find out if the
gods and goddesses really exist. And now that I am
growing older, I’m always seeing beautiful photos of
Greece beaches and white houses. It made my desire to
travel to that place stronger.
45. Also, I have been reading this series
called “Percy Jackson and the Olympians”.
This book made me see Poseidon in a
handsome way so I want to go to Greece to
see a statue of him and have a selfie with it.
46. I would visit museums!!! See all the
beaches and mountains and rivers and visit
everything that I’ve put in this presentation.
47. I would bring my family or my friends or
my special someone. It’s just okay if I’ll go
alone. Travelling alone means never having to
worry about your companion/s. But it will be
safer for me to travel if I’ll have someone with
me.
48. Yes, I do! Been planning it for a long
time already. I will travel after I finish
college, when I already have work (because I
will use my own money).
49. No. I could stay there for months or a
few years but for good? No, thanks. Philippines
is my home.
50. Making this presentation helped me a lot
in knowing more things about the place I like.
Before, I only knew like 15% of Greece and
now I feel like I already know half of it.
(except maybe for the history)
Thank you, Mr. Ho!