There are over 2,000 Greek islands.

The capital, Athens, had the world’s first democracy, so it had a big part of play in our current way of life!

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands.

Mainland Greece is about the same size as England, or the state of New York!

Nearly 40% of the people who live in Greece actually live in the capital city, Athens.

One of the world’s first cookbooks was written in the 5th Century BC by a Greek person called Archestratus, and he called it Gastronomia – that’s where the word ‘gastronomy’ comes from!

The highest Greek mountain is 2,904 metres above sea level.

In Crete there is a famous gorge, which is 18 km long. It is called Samaria’s Gorge and it takes nearly a whole day to walk the length of it!







There are 227 islands off the Greek mainland that have people living on them.

Only 78 of the Greek islands have more than 100 people living on them.

60% of the Greek hotels can be found on the islands in Greece, which just shows how many people visit them for their holiday.

There are more than 6,000 types of plants in Greece. About 750 of these types are found in Greece and exist nowhere else in the world!

Museums in Greece have historical pieces which span all the way back to 4,000 years ago!

The time in Greece is usually two hours ahead of our time in the UK.

The Greeks very often ride on motorcycles on the islands because it is often easier to get around that way.

There are over 650 traditional Greek settlements and 8,000 historical buildings (such as Olympia) that can be found all over the mainland and islands.







A periptero is a kiosk which is usually open 24 hours a day where you can buy anything from magazines and chocolate to batteries and chips!

The Greek language has been in existence for over three and a half millennia.

The heat in the summer can be extreme in Greece. Often the TV channels give regular reports about the sun and whether it is safe to sunbathe at all!

Did you know that the next Olympic Games which is in 2004 will be hosted in Athens? This is actually where the first modern Olympic Games occurred and so it should be a very special occasion!

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