Greece

Greece

Area: 131,940 sq. km

Capital: Athens

Population: 10.7m

Language: Modern Greek

Currency: Euro

Greece is located at the tip of the Balkan Peninsula. It is bordered to the north by Albania, Macedonia ,Bulgaria and Turkey, and to the South by the Aegean sea.To the West are the Ionian Islands, the best known of which are Corfu and Ithaki. The Islands of the Aegean sea include the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, Rhodes and Crete.

Islands• Roughly one- fifth of the land mass in Greece consists of widely

scattered islands across the Ionian and Aegean sea (Mediterranean sea)

• In recent decades the islands have lost a lot of their population through emigration because of the decline of traditional agriculture and fishing.

• Today their major industry is tourism.• The Ionian is islands are situated at the West in the Ionian sea, they

are traditionally called the seven islands. From North to South there names are Corfu, Paxos , Lefkas, Ithaca, Paros and Santorini. These islands are the peaks of a submerged mountain Kefallinia, Zante and Cerigo.

• The Cyclades in the Aegean sea, comprise about 220 islands but the best known are Mykonos, Naxos, apart from Milos and Santorini which are volcanic islands

• The biggest Island in Greece is Crete

Climate• The mountains in the North of Greece have a Central European climate while

the rest of the country enjoys a Mediterranean climate. Winters in the mountains are bitter, but summers are mild.

• Summers on the coast are dry and hot, and the winters mild and wet summer temperatures in Southern Greece and the Islands can often rise as high as 45 C

• Greece is perfect for those who enjoy the sun, as for over two thirds of the year the country basks under clear, sunny skies

• Crete stays warm the longest - you can swim off its southern coast from mid-April to November

Food

• Greeks follow a Mediterranean diet so they make wide use of olive oil, vegetables, fruits, herbs, grains and bread, wine, fish and various meats (mainly chicken, lamb, rabbit and pork). Also important are honey, cheese( Feta, Halloumi) yoghurt and nuts.

• Vegetarian main dishes are very popular, especially during fasting periods, such as Lent

• Dinning out is common in Greece, the taverna and estiatorio which are types of restaurants can be found everywhere serving traditional Greek food at affordable prices for locals and tourists.

• Mezes is a collective name for different small dishes, served with wine or anised-flavoured liquor as Ouzo

• Dips are served with bread loaf or pita bread: Taramosalata, is made with fish roe, potatoes and olive oil. Tzatziki is made with yogurt, cucumber, garlic olive oil and lemon.

• Greek salad is made with tomatoes ,cucumber, red onions, feta cheese, kalamata olives, olive oil and lemon.

• Mossaka is and oven baked layer dish cooked with aubergines, ground meat and tomatoes similar to lasagne

• Pastitsio is an oven baked layer dish with pasta meat and tomatoe sauce • Kleftiko is lamb slowly baked on the bone with garlic and lemon juice and

herbs