Some interesting facts about Greece:
- The official name of Greece is the Hellenic Republic.
- Greece is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe.
- Ancient Greece is said to have laid the foundation for Western civilization, having a large influence on the Roman Empire and European culture.
- The saying “taking the bull by its horns” comes from the Greek myth of Hercules saving Crete from a raging bull by seizing its horns.
- Thousands of English words come from the Greek language, sometimes via the Roman adaptation into Latin and then to English. Common English words from Greek include “academy,” “apology,” “marathon,” “siren,” “alphabet,” and “typhoon.”
- Continuously inhabited for over 7,000 years, Athens is one of the oldest cities in Europe.
- The life expectancy for ancient Greek women was 36, and the average for males was 45.
- Greece has more archaeological museums than any other country in the world.
- Greece enjoys more than 250 days of sunshine—or 3,000 sunny hours—a year.
- Many Greek structures such as doors, windowsills, furniture, and church domes are painted a turquoise blue, especially in the Cyclades Islands. It is used because of an ancient belief that this shade of blue keeps evil away. They called the color kyanos, which the words “cyan” and “cyanide” are derived from.