About Greece
Greece is the cradle of Western civilization, a land where democracy, philosophy, theater, and the Olympic Games were born. Located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa, it comprises a mountainous mainland and thousands of islands scattered across the Aegean and Ionian seas. Its landscape is a stunning combination of rugged, sun-bleached rock and impossibly blue waters, dotted with ancient ruins that stand as testaments to its glorious past.
Athens, the capital, is dominated by the Acropolis and the Parthenon, symbols of classical perfection. Yet Greece is not just a museum; it is a vibrant country with a lively cafe culture and a nightlife that stretches until dawn. The islands, from the whitewashed, blue-domed villages of Santorini and Mykonos to the medieval fortress towns of Rhodes and Corfu, offer distinct local traditions and stunning beaches.
Greek culture is deeply tied to the sea and the Orthodox Church. Essential to the Greek experience is "philoxenia" (hospitality) and the shared enjoyment of food—olive oil, feta, fresh fish, and wine. Despite economic challenges, the Greek spirit remains resilient and celebratory. It is a country where myth and reality blur, allowing visitors to walk in the footsteps of gods and heroes.
Modern Greece emerged as an independent state in 1830 after a nine-year war of independence against the Ottoman Empire, and its capital moved to Athens only in 1834—until then, the provisional capital had been the Peloponnesian town of Nafplio. The country's civil war between 1946 and 1949 was the first proxy conflict of the Cold War, ending with a communist defeat that pushed Greece into NATO in 1952. Greek shipping, meanwhile, is a global powerhouse: the merchant fleet under Greek ownership represents about 20 per cent of the world's tonnage even though Greeks themselves are barely 0.15 per cent of the world's population. Greek is one of the world's oldest continuously spoken languages—3,400 years documented—and its alphabet, adopted from the Phoenician around 800 BC, is the direct ancestor of every European alphabet including Latin, Cyrillic and Armenian.