Southern Greece Crete example essay topic

Art & Culture There are few places in the world with so rich and diverse an artistic and cultural history as Greece. In terms of archeology there are artifacts that are 200,000 years old, while architecturally Greece boasts Minoan and Dorian ruins dating back almost four millennia. Greece is also where drama originated, so there are plenty of ancient theatres to pick your way through Museums Greece is bursting at the seams with museums. Almost every single city, town, village, historical site, settlement and hole in the hedge has an archeological museum which details the archeological and historical significance of its surroundings Historical Sites There is certainly no shortage of these in Greece. Every city has their own specialties, like the Acropolis and the Ancient Agora in Athens, the Oracle at Delphi, the Palace of the Grand Masters in Rhodes Town, and so on. There are far too many to list here.

It is suggested you get hold of a tourist map from the Greek Tourist Organization (EOT) which sets out all the ancient, Byzantine and medieval sites throughout the country. But some of the major historical sites you should make a special effort to see are listed below: The Acropolis, Athens The Ancient Agora, Athens The Byzantine monument of Nea Msn i on Chios The Polycrates Wall and Eupalinos Tunnel at Pithagorio, Samos The Oracle at Delphi The Minoan palace city of Knossos, Crete The ruins of Gsrtyn, Crete Minoan ruined city at Phestss, Crete Arch of Galerius, Thessalon? ki The White Tower, Thessalon? ki The Sanctuary of Isis, at D? on. Dan? Monastery, Greece's largest Byzantine monastery Met? ora Monasteries, perched on mountain outcrops, in Kala baka Climate Greece is perfect for those who enjoy the sun, as for over two thirds of the year the country basks under clear, sunny skies. Temperatures do vary, however. Winters are mild and rainy, with temperatures sometimes dropping to freezing point, especially in the north.

Summers are long and dry, with extremes of 37^0 C (99^0 F), making the yearly mean temperature about 17^0 C (63^0 F). For those not overly fond of the heat, the mountainous areas offer some respite as they receive more rain in summer, and even snow in winter. Rainfall figures vary, depending on the region. Thessaly is very dry, receiving around 38 mm (1.5 in). Portions of the western coast paint a different picture, however, receiving about 1,270 mm (50 in) of rain. Greece can be divided into the northern and southern climatic regions: Northern Greece Northern Macedonia and the northern part of Epirus have a climate similar to the Balkans, with freezing winters and very hot, humid summers.

Attica's peninsula, the Southern Aegean Islands and the central and eastern Peloponnese have a typically Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and milder winters. Snow covers the highest mountains during the winter, while the temperatures soar to 40^0 C (104^0 F) during July and August. During these months the meltemi, a strong northerly wind, sweeps the eastern coast of mainland Greece and the Aegean islands. The areas more to the south and to the west do not experience the meltemi. Southern Greece Crete stays warm the longest - you can swim off its southern coast from mid-April to November.

Mid-October is when the rainy seasons starts in most areas, and the weather stays cold and wet until February, although there are also occasional winter days with clear blue skies and sunshine. Money The unit of currency is the drachma (GrD). You will have to deal with coins of 5, 10 (silver), 20, 50 & 100 GrD (bronze), and notes of 500 (green), 1.000 (brown), 5.000 (blue) and 10.000 GrD (purple). Language The predominant language in Greece is Modern Greek (Demotive), with its origins dating back 3,500 years.

English and French are also used as well as, to a lesser degree, German. Tourism is one of the largest trades in Greece, so visitors should get by with a basic understanding of any of these languages. The main problem with a holiday in Greece is that you can feel totally illiterate. The Greek alphabet differs from the Roman one used in most Western countries, and not all street signs are written in both. But here are some useful phrases for you with the phonetic spelling. Geography Greece, officially known as the Hellenic Republic, is a state on the Mediterranean Sea, at the very tip of the Balkan Peninsula.

It borders Albania, Bulgaria and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east. Its beaches overlook the Ionian and Aegean seas. There are some 3,000 islands under the Greek flag, which comprise about 19% of Greece's total area. The sun-soaked coastline stretches over 13,676 km (8,498 miles), providing some of the most magnificent and attractive beaches in the world. Greece is a relatively underdeveloped country agriculturally. Only 23% of the land is arable, and, although in the past Greece boasted some of the most wonderful forests in the world, now only some 20% of the country's area is covered in woodlands and forest.

Greece's capital city, Athens, (Population: 3,072,922) is also its largest, and is served by Pir? as, which is the country's main port. Time Zone Greece is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich mean time (GMT), or 2 hours ahead of London, 7 hours ahead of New York, 7 hours behind Tokyo, and 6 hours ahead of Buenos Aires. Phone Code The international telephone access code is 30; the city code for Athens is 01, for Thessaloniki 031, for Heraklion 081, and for Corfu 0661. Omit the zero if calling from abroad. For international dialing instructions given in English, French, or German, dial 169. For directory assistance, dial 131.

Holidays Business holidays include New Year's Day (1 January), Epiphany (6 January), Lent (March; date varies), Greek Independence Day (25 March), Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday (March or April; dates vary), Labor Day (1 May), Holy Spirit Day (early June), Assumption (15 August), Och i Day (28 October), Christmas Day (25 December), and Boxing Day (26 December). Religion: 97% Greek Orthodox, with Muslim, Roman Catholic and Jewish minorities. Time: GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October). General Area: 131,957 sq km (50,949 sq miles). Population: 10,516,366 (1998). Population Density: 79.7 per sq km.

Capital: Athens. Population: 3,072,922 (1991). Geography: Greece is situated in southeast Europe on the Mediterranean. The mainland consists of the following regions: Central Greece, Peloponnese, Thessaly (east / central ), Epirus (west), Macedonia (north / northwest ) and Thrace (northwest). Euboea, the second largest of the Greek islands, lying to the east of the central region, is also considered to be part of the mainland region. The Peloponnese peninsula is separated from the northern mainland by the Isthmus of Corinth.

The northern mainland is dissected by high mountains (such as the Pindus) that extend southwards towards a landscape of fertile plains, pine-forested uplands and craggy, scrub-covered foothills. The islands account for one-fifth of the land area of the country. The majority are thickly clustered in the Aegean between the Greek and Turkish coasts. The Ionian Islands are the exception; they are scattered along the west coast in the Ionian Sea. The Aegean archipelago includes the Dodecanese, lying off the Turkish coast, of which Rhodes is the best known; the Northeast Aegean group, including Lemnos, Lesvos, Chios, Samos and Icaria; the Sporades, off the central mainland; and the Cyclades, comprising 39 islands (of which only 24 are inhabited). Crete, the largest island, is not included in any formal grouping.

For fuller descriptions of these regions and islands, see the Resorts & Excursions section. Government: Republic. Head of State: President Konstantinos Stefanopoulos since 1995. Head of Government: Prime Minister Konstantinos Simitis since 1996.