Travel to the roots of the world

[Dneprovoy Alexey]

 

Maybe it's time to get back to our anciant roots: http://tours-tv.com/ru/greece

• The official name of Greece is the Hellenic Republic. 
• Athens is the capital of Greece. It is also the most populated city in the country. 
• Ancient Greek civilization comprised of Southern Italy, the coastal areas of Turkey and the Black Sea, along with some colonies in North Africa, Southern France and Spain. Modern Greece is just a part of it. 
• 80 percent landscape of Greece comprises of mountains. Only one half of the country is covered by forests, the other half is barren. 
• There are about 3000 islands in Greece. However, only a few hundred of them are inhabited. 
• Greece boasts of having 7,000 (limestone) caves, which form 24,000 km of underground galleries. 
• Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, with a height of 2,919m. It is believed to have served as the home of the Gods in the ancient Greek religion. 
• As per 2007 UNICEF report, Greece had the lowest percentage of teenagers smoking cigarettes (or cannabis) or living in a step family structure. 
• WHO 2002 stats state that Greek men and women have the highest incidence of obesity in Europe. 
• The renowned Belgian pralines Leonidas have been named after the 5th century BC King of Sparta, who was homonymous. 
• Greece spreads over an area of somewhere around 51,000 square miles, with the length of its coastline being 9,300 miles. 
• There are as many as 63 different folk dances in Greece. 
• The popular yo-yo toy, the second oldest known toy in the world, originated in the days of ancient Greece, around 3,000 years ago. 
• Traditionally, Greeks have been known to celebrate their name days, rather than their birth dates.