Religion in Greece
Among the religions in Greece, the largest denomination is the Greek Orthodox Church, to which the vast majority
of the Greek population belongs and which is recognized by the constitution as the state religion. The other major religions are: Islam, Catholicism, Hellenism and Protestantism.
According to the latest Eurobarometer survey from 2010, the responses of Greek residents to questions about faith were as follows:
79% – “I believe in the existence of God”,
16% – “I believe in the existence of some kind of spirit or life force”,
4% – “I do not believe in any type of spirit, God or life force”,
1% – “I don’t know.”
Greek Flag
The rectangular Greek flag consists of nine alternating horizontal stripes. Five of them are blue, the remaining four are white. In the upper left corner there is a canton with a white cross on
a blue background. It indicates the Greek connection
with the Orthodox Church.
The color blue refers to the sky and waters surrounding Greece.
The white is supposed to symbolize the foam of the sea waves.
What is Greece known for?
According to an ancient Greek legend, when God created the world, he sifted the soil through a sieve so that each country received the best terrain. He threw the remaining stones in the strainer over his shoulder and behind him – this was how Greece was to be created.
According to tradition, Greece always marches first during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. This is due to the fact that the Olympic traditions come from this country. In turn, athletes from the country organizing the games march last. In 2004, Greek athletes had to play both opening roles
and closing the march.
During one of the battles in the fight for independence, Greek troops clashed with the Turkish garrison on the Acropolis hill. At one point, the Turks ran out of bullets and began cutting up marble columns to use as projectiles.
The Greeks quickly reacted by sending them ammunition, saying:
“We have bullets for you, just don’t touch these columns.”
GREEK GEOGRAPHY
Greece has nearly 2,500 islands, but only 165 are inhabited. Many of them are known around the world. Particularly noteworthy is Santorini, which has been repeatedly awarded by travel magazines and considered the most beautiful island in the world.
Nearly 80% of the country’s area is mountainous.
Greece is one of the sunniest countries in Europe. On average, Greeks can count on over 250 sunny days each year.
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