Presentation of Greece during the 1st Meeting of the Erasmus+ program "Travelling words" in Thessaloniki, December 2014

2. HELLAS/ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ( GREECE )
• Population :11,000,000~[ (as of 2012)
• Area : 32,000~ km2
• Currency : Euro (€)
• Religion : Eastern Orthodoxy
• Language: Greek
• Region: Europe

3. • Greece is a country located in the southeast Europe.
• Greece has the 11th longest coastline in the world (13,676km in length).
In western Greece there is the Ionian Sea, in the east the Aegean and in
the south the Mediterranean.
• There are over 1400 islands all over the seas. But only 227 of these are
inhabited.
• 80% of Greece consists of mountains. The highest one is mount
Olympus which is 2,917 m high.

4. ANCIENT HELLAS
The history of Hellas began with the Aegean Civilizations of the Bronze
Age.
Hellas is the place of origin of:
• Democracy
• Philosophy
• The Olympic Games
• Literature
• Histography
• Political science
• Major scientific & Mathematical principles
• Drama (both comedy and tragedy)

5. • In 334 B.C. he invaded Asia Minor, aiming to free the Hellenic colonies there.
• Although he died young, Alexander’s legacy extended beyond his military conquests.
His campaigns resulted in the wide-spreading of the Hellenic culture and
language. He founded many cultural centers, some of them passing the test
of time through the 21st century.
ANCIENT HELLAS
Alexander the Great
King of the Ancient Hellenic Kingdom of Macedonia

6. ENSLAVEMENT TO THE OTTOMANS
• After the fall of the Byzantine Empire, Hellas
became enslaved to the Ottomans in 1453. The
Turkish period lasted 4 centuries.
• Freedom came with the Greek Revolution,
which started in 1821.
• The first Kingdom of Greece was formed in
1832, taking its final form in 1947.

7. FAMOUS GREEKS
IN ART
Odysseas Elytis and Giorgos Seferis have won a Nobel prize.

8. IN SCIENCE
From the ancient physician Hippocrates to
Georgios Papanikolaou and from Euclid to
Konstantinos Karatheodoris, Greece is constantly
present in scientific research.

9. The “Hymn to the liberty” has been the national
anthem of Greece since 1865, after the order of King
George the 1st. The poem was written by Dionisios
Solomos and the melody was composed by Nikolaos
Mantzaros. Although the original poem consists by
158 verses, only the first 2 are sung as the official
anthem.

10. o The lines represent the nine syllables of the phrase
“eleftheria I thanatos” which means freedom or death.
o The colors show the colors of the greek sky, sea, clouds and
waves.
o The cross represents the religion of the people.
o The flag was established during the greek rebellion in 1821.

11. CUISINE
• Greek cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine. Contemporary Greek cookery makes wide
use of olive oil, vegetables and herbs, grains and bread, wine, fish, and various meats,
including lamb, poultry, rabbit and pork. Also, important are olives, cheese, eggplant
(aubergine), zucchini (courgette), and yogurt.
• Greek desserts are characterized by the dominant use of nuts and honey.
• Mezés (μεζές) is a collective name for a variety of small dishes, typically served with
wines or anise-flavored liqueurs as ouzo or homemade tsipouro.
• Greece is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. The earliest evidence
of Greek wine has been dated to 6,500 years ago where wine was produced on a
household or communal basis.

12. ATHENS
Athens is the capital of Greece. It is located in the center of
the country and it is more than 3,400 years old. It was named
after Athena, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom. It has lot of
museums and archeological places. Nowadays, it is an
international city and the center of the greek culture.

13. • The second largest city of Hellas.
• Population: 1,000,000~
• Thessaloniki was founded by the King Cassander of
Macedon around 315 BC.
• The name was taken from Alexander’s half sister,
Thessalonike.
• It was captured by the Ottomans in 1430 A.D.
• It was liberated by the Hellenic army 1912 A.D.
THESSALONIKI (ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗ)

14. • 1917: Most of the old center was destroyed by the Great
Thessaloniki Fire. The Fire destroyed 2/3 of the city,
leaving 70.000 homeless, the majority being Turkish and
Jewish.
• Its landmark is the White tower, which was a prison
during the Ottoman years.
• Thessaloniki is now a multicultural center with a plethora
of festivals, activities, monuments and museums.
• It is the 2014 European Youth Capital.
THESSALONIKI (ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗ)

15. Hellas was liberated from the Ottomans in 1721
TRUE FALSE

16. Thessaloniki has a population of around
1.000.000
TRUE FALSE

17. Alexander the Great liberated Hellas from the
Ottomans
TRUE FALSE

18. Hellas is part of Asia
TRUE FALSE

19. Athens is the capital of Hellas
TRUE FALSE

20. Thessaloniki was liberated earlier than
the rest of Hellas
TRUE FALSE

22. By the students of
the 3rd Gymnasium of Kalamaria.