Greece

Overview

Greece is a paradise for different tourists. It is far out for the beach bum, it is great for the lover of the classics and it is a must see for anyone interested in knowing where western civilization as we know it stems from.

Located in southeastern Europe, Greece is bordered by Bulgaria, Albania, Turkey, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The Balkan Peninsula, which constitutes Greece, is surrounded by over a thousand of tiny islands, of which less than 200 are inhabited. It is primarily a mountainous country with a major chunk of its landmass perched at over 1,500 m above sea level.

Perhaps no nation in Europe can boast of a more ancient history than Greece. Greece's antiquity dates back to 3000 BC when the powerful Cycladic, Minoan and Mycenaean civilisations flourished here. The evolution of powerful city-states, especially Athens and Sparta, between 800 and 500BC produced the classical age of Athens which was the high point of the Grecian civilization. Under the leadership of Pericles, Athens ushered in an era of prosperity in all spheres: an era when Pericles himself commissioned the Parthenon, Democritus taught the concept of democracy, Sophocles wrote Oedipus Rex, and Socrates taught the intricacies of logic. Later, Alexander's conquest of the city-states was followed by the Roman invasions that began in 205 BC. Greece became a part of the Byzantine Empire in the 4th century AD. This was followed by the Crusades, and by AD 1500, Greece came under Turkish control.

The glorious history of...more

History

The Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire began in 1821 and concluded with the winning of independence in 1830. With the support of England France and Russia a monarchy was established. A Bavarian prince Otto was named king in 1833. He was deposed 30 years later and the Great Powers chose a prince of the Danish House of Glucksberg as his successor. He became George I King of the Hellenes.

The Megali Idea (Great Idea) a vision of uniting all Greeks of the declining Ottoman Empire within the newly independent Greek State exerted strong influence on the early Greek state. At independence Greece had an area of 47 515 square kilometers (18 346 square mi.) and its northern boundary extended from the Gulf of Volos to the Gulf of Arta. The Ionian Islands were added in 1864; Thessaly and part of Epirus in 1881; Macedonia Crete Epirus and the Aegean Islands in 1913; Western Thrace in 1918; and the Dodecanese Islands in 1947.

Greece entered World War I in 1917 on the side of the Allies. After the war Greece took part in the Allied occupation of Turkey where many Greeks still lived. In 1921 the Greek army attacked from its base in Smyrna (now Izmir) and marched toward Ankara. The Greeks were defeated by Turkish forces led by Mustafa Kemal (later Ataturk) and were forced to withdraw in the summer of 1922. Smyrna was sacked by the Turks and more than 1.3 million Greek refugees from Turkey poured into...more