Greece: Capital, Flag and Fun Facts

About Greece

Greece is in southeastern Europe, at the tip of the Balkan Peninsula. Most of the land is mountainous, and thousands of islands are scattered across the sea. It is known for ancient temples, myths, the Olympic Games and sunny beaches.

About Athens

Athens lies on the plain of Attica, near the Saronic Gulf. One of the oldest cities in the world, it is famous for the Acropolis and the Parthenon.

Fun facts about Greece

1. The first Olympic Games were held at Olympia in ancient Greece in 776 BC.
2. Athens is called the birthplace of democracy, which began there around 508 BC.
3. Greece has more than a thousand islands, but only about 227 of them have people living on them.
4. Greece has the longest coastline of any country around the Mediterranean Sea.
5. Mount Olympus, home of the gods in Greek myths, is the country's highest mountain at 2,918 metres.
6. At Meteora, monasteries sit on top of giant rock pillars, and monks once reached them using ladders and nets.