ABOUT GREECE

Modern Greece is honored and in the meantime "damned" to be popular for its massive history, culture, commitments to the world, and the verifiable figures it has delivered. This is the reason when the normal individual considers Greece their brain consequently goes either to its characteristic excellence or to mulling over its dynamic old history. On the present rundown anyway, we concentrate on the ponder and excellence of current Greece and won't specify old Greece by any means, which, believe us, wasn't simple.

GREECE IS THE "SUNNIEST" COUNTRY IN EUROPE

According to Greece: Enchantment of the World written by Ann Heinrichs, Greece enjoys on average more than 250 days of sunshine—or three thousand sunny hours—a year, which makes it one of the most sunny countries in the world and the most sunny in Europe.

MELBOURNE IS THE CITY WITH THE LARGEST GREEK POPULATION OUTSIDE GREECE

According to the latest Australian census, Melbourne has the largest Greek population outside Greece with over 150,000 people being of Greek origin. That technically makes Melbourne the sixth biggest city in terms of Greek population.

GREEK WOMEN "RULE" THE COUNTRY

According to the 2011 census, Greece’s population is nearly 55% female and a little over 45% male. As a result, nearly 65% of all students in Greek universities are women. Also, women live longer in Greece: their life expectancy is 82.2 while for males it is an average of 77.

NEVER WAVE WITH THE PALM OF YOUR HAND OPEN IN GREECE

There’s a thing in Greece called moutza and it is one of the worst (if not the worst) insults in the country. Greeks are known for being loud, expressive people who don’t miss a chance to show their emotions or how they feel, and so by inventing the moutza they have managed to literally say it all with a simple move of their palms.

THE GREEK NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM WERE THE LAST TO DEFEAT THE US "DREAM TEAM"

The US Basketball team suffered multiple losses at the 2002 FIBA World Championships and the 2004 Olympics where they finished sixth and third, respectively, and they made sure to send their very best players to the 2006 FIBA World Championships. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Chris Bosh, Kirk Hinrich, and Carmelo Anthony were smashing one team after another until they met the reigning European champions at the semifinals, Greece. In one of the best games in the history of the competition both teams showcased tremendous skill and talent with the Greek team shocking the world not just by winning but scoring over 100 points with the scoreboard reading Greece 101 – USA 95.

GREEK MEN ARE THE EIGHTH TALLEST IN THE WORLD

Despite the stereotypes that portray Greek men as usually short and hairy (this might be true, however, after all), according to a survey conducted by AskMen and thanks to the healthy Mediterranean diet and the mild weather, the country’s male population has an average height above 5’10”, which makes them the eighth tallest male population worldwide ahead of Ireland and the United States.

GREECE HAS THOUSANDS OF ISLANDS

Even though Greece is only the ninety-seventh biggest country, with a total area of 131,957 km2 (50,949 square miles), it has more than three thousand islands and islets, of which only about 130 are inhabited, with a number of these being some of the most famous in the world. Among them Santorini has been named the most beautiful island in the world multiple times by various travel magazines, blogs, and TV channels including Lonely Planet, BBC, and CNN.

FETA CHEESE, YOGURT, SEA SPONGES, MARBLE, AND OLIVE OIL ARE THE COUNTRY'S "SUPERSTARS"

Feta cheese and Greek yogurt have risen in prominence the past few years, especially in the United States, while Greece has been traditionally one of the top producing nations of sea sponges, marble, and olive oil for years. It is estimated that nearly 9% of all the marble worldwide is produced in Greece alone.

IF A GREEK "SPITS" ON YOU ITS USUALLY A GOOD THING

It is believed (mostly by older Greeks) that spitting chases the devil and misfortune away. That is why when someone transfers bad news such as a death or an accident, the people who hear it will usually spit three times. Also, when a Greek person compliments your looks he or she will “spit” on you so that you will be protected from the evil eye, which is called mati in Greek.

However, keep in mind that Greeks don’t literally spit on you but just make a puff of breath through pursed lips, as if spitting. So no, you don’t have to keep a handkerchief with you in case you visit Greece next summer.

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