Everyone knows that Greece is the cradle of Western Civilization, the birthplace of democracy, that its people are extremely friendly and that the country is renowned for its stunningly beautiful scenery and weather. However, there are some facts that very few are aware of!

There may be some things about Greece and its history that even many Greeks don’t know. Why not take this opportunity to brush up on some interesting facts and factoids about this most fascinating country before you travel there for an idyllic holiday.

Such as:-

• Last year, Greece welcomed over 30 million visitors, three times its own population of 10.7 million.

• There are 1,200 to 6,000 islands and islets in Greece, depending on the definition of an island, but only 227 are designated as inhabited. The largest, Crete, has an area of 8,450 square kilometres.

• 70 – 80% of the country is mountainous, leading to the fact that the country does not have any navigable rivers.

• There is no place in Greece that is more than 137 km (85 miles) away from the sea, with Greece having the tenth-longest coastline in the world.

• Over thirteen million people in the world speak Greek. There are nearly eleven million Greek residents, about one million Cypriots, and another million Diaspora Greeks, mainly in the US, Australia and in the countries of the EU.

• The Greek language has been spoken for over 3,500 years, making it one of the oldest languages in the world.

• Athens had a population of about 7,000 only two centuries ago. Today, residents of the Athens Metropolitan area exceed three million, over a third of the country’s total population.

• Athens has been inhabited for 7,000 years, making it one of the oldest cities in Europe.

• Greece has more archaeological museums than any other country in the world, which is only natural considering the age of its civilization.

• Greece’s merchant shipping fleet accounts for 70% of all European ships. Greek law requires 75% of the crew of a Greek-registered ship to have Greek citizenship.

• Approximately 7% of all the marble quarried on the planet comes from Greece.

• Greece ranks third in the world in olive oil production. The cultivation of olive trees in the country began in ancient times. Indeed, some olive trees which are known to have been planted in the thirteenth century still produce fruit.

• About 100,000 birds from northern Europe and Asia spend the winter in Greece.

• Wildlife in Greece includes 116 species of mammals, 18 amphibians, 59 species of reptiles, 240 species of birds and 107 species of fish. However, about half the mammalian species are now in danger of extinction.

• Eons ago in geological time, Greece was a rocky mass, covered completely by the sea. Its mountainous area was formed by the collision of the European and African tectonic plates, and even today the earthquakes in the Aegean are related to the movements of these active plates, with Africa moving north at a rate of around 2.2 centimetres per year and riding over the European tectonic plate.

• On average, Greeks enjoy 250 days of sunshine a year.