Greece
Greece KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY-KNOW YOUR WORLD
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Speaker:
Greece is located in Southeastern Europe in a region known as
the Balkans. It borders three different seas: Aegean, Ionian, and
Mediterranean. In area, it is slightly smaller than the state of
Alabama. Greece has mountainous terrain and lots of island chains.
It would take about 15 hours of flying with multiple stops to fly
from Akron, Ohio to Athens, Greece.
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Country Quick FactsFull name: Hellenic Republic Population:
10,775,642 (July 2015) Capital: Athens Largest City: Athens
Official language: Greek Major religion: Greek Orthodox (official)
Life expectancy: male-77.83, female-83.2Monetary unit: Euro Main
exports: food & beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum
products, chemicals, textiles GNI per capita: $25,700 (2013)
Greek History in BriefGreek civilization began around 3,000 BC
with the Minoans, who were followed by the Myceneans, who lasted
until 1100 BCAfter this, Ancient Greece entered a Dark Age that
lasted until 800 BC, when Greeks began to explore the seaAround 480
BC, a golden age began that became known as Classic Greece, which
is when it earned the name of the birthplace of western
civilization In 146 BC the Romans conquered the Greek Empire Around
300 AD Greece became part of the Byzantine EmpireEarly 16th
century- came under Ottoman Turk ruleGained independence from the
Turks in 1830In WWI, Greece fought on the side of the Allies, but
communism and fascism began to gain popularity in Greece
Greek History continuedGreece was occupied by the Nazis in WWII
Communism was defeated in Greece in 1949 and in 1952 Greece joined
NATO For a short time after, military dictatorship took over but
ended in 1974 with democratic elections creating a parliamentary
republic 1981- Greece joined the European Union2001- Greece joins
the euro 2009- Greek financial crisis begins
Nazi Occupation of Greece
Language HELLO: /ya GOODBYE: /Yi sas YES: /Nai NO: /Ochi THANK
YOU: /Efharist YOURE WELCOME: /Parakal PLEASE: /parakalo I LOVE
YOU: /Sagap HOW ARE YOU: /pos ste
GovernmentVoting age- 18 (mandatory)Parliamentary republic
President: Prokopis Pavlopoulos Prime minister: Alexios Tsipras
Pavlopoulos (left) and Tsipras (above) were both elected in
early 2015
Current Issues Debt crisis (see slide on Greek Debt
Crisis)Boundary disputes with Turkey in the Aegean Sea Greece
rejects the use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia Air
and water pollution High unemployment, poverty, human rights
crisis?Unstable politics
EconomyJoined the European Union in 1981Joined the Eurozone in
2001Tourism provides 18% of GDPEconomy went into recession in 2009
(see Greek Debt Crisis slide) Industries: tourism, food and tobacco
processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products, mining,
petroleum
Over 100 archeological museums throughout Greece draw the many
tourists that contribute to the economy
The Greek Debt Crisis Greece had been spending way more money
than it had to spend, wasnt enforcing tax collection Government
admitted it had been lying about national deficit for years in 2009
after the Global Financial Crisis hit Financial lending in Greece
was cut off and it was heading toward bankruptcy 110 billion euro
bailout in 2010 by the EU and International Monetary Fund but with
austerity measures like large government spending cuts, tax
increases, and wage lowering A second bailout brought the bailout
total to 240 billion euros Bailout money mostly goes towards paying
back loans instead of into the economy so Greece continues to
struggle
Debt Crisis ContinuedMany Greeks argue that the austerity
measures are harming the economyRecent referendum on whether
austerity measures should be done like Europe wants (cut social
spending significantly more) or Greece wants (raising taxes) and
the Greeks voted for their own way The future of Greeces economy is
still uncertain, but Greece will probably continue to struggle to
pay back loans on time
Currency Euro (currency of the European Union)1 US dollar=0.92
euro (July 2015)
Traditional Dress and Dance There are more than 4,000
traditional dances in Greece
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcDaJ41IWMs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvM-SwMiurk
Traditional Food Moussaka-layered casserole with eggplant,
minced meat, potatoes and veggies Pastitsio-pasta and meat filling
layered and baked In Greece they eat lots of fresh fish because
they are surround by seas Tzatziki- creamy, cucumber yogurt
dipSpanakopita- Spinach pie with feta cheeseSouvlaki- meat skewer
with lamb, pork, chicken, etc.Kebabs- minced meat wrapped in pita
bread with various toppings Baklava- flaky pastry with
cinnamon-spice nut filling covered in syrup Galaktoboureko-
custard-filled pie
Moussaka (above), pork Souvlaki on a pita with tzatziki sauce
(right), and Galaktoboureko (top right)
Fun FactsGreece has 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in its
bordersGreece has about 2,000 islands of various sizes! The first
modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece in 1896, as well as the
first ever Olympics during ancient times (776 BC)Greece is the
third largest producer of olives in the entire world and Greeks
consumer more olive oil per capita than any other group of
peopleMount Olympus is the highest point in Greece and was thought
to be the home of the gods and goddesses in ancient times Greece is
the only country in the world that receives double its population
in tourists Greeks celebrate name days more than birthdays- a name
day is the day of the saint that a person is named after
Santorini, one of the many beautiful islands in Greece (top
left), the Acropolis in Athens is one of 15 UNESCO sites in Greece
(top right), Mount Olympus view from Thessaloniki (left)
The first Olympic games in modern times, Athens 1896
Linkshttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gr.htmlhttp://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/gr.htm
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