Καλώς ήρθατε στην Ελλάδα(Welcome to Greece)

What do you think you know about Greece already (either modern or ancient)?

Can you spot Greece on this map?

Here it is! Greece is in Europe, just like the UK.

The population of Greece is about 11 million people. (The population of London is about 13 million people…)

The national language spoken there is Greek, which uses a different alphabet from our own.

There are thousands of small islands in Greece, many of which are popular tourist destinations.

Greece is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe.

The capital city of Greece is called Athens.

Some fun facts about Greece:

What do you notice about this map of Greece?

Like the UK, Greece has beautiful coastlines, which means that it meets the sea. Unlike the UK, though, mainland Greece is not an island because it borders other countries.

However, Greece does have many small islands that dot the sea around the mainland, for example, Samos, Kefalonia, Santorini, Crete, Corfu and Rhodes.

Have you ever been to Greece?

Greece is a coastal country.

Is it hotter or colder than the UK? What might cause the difference in temperatures between Greece and the UK?

What’s the weather like in Greece?

This means that it has hot summers that are usually dry, and winters that are quite cold and wet.

The upper part of Greece can be quite cold during winter and snow is not uncommon.

Summers in Greece are usually very hot, often reaching temperatures between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius.

Greece is closer to the equator than the UK.

Greece has a “Mediterranean climate”

For the following questions decide whether you think the answer is true or false.

Good luck!

True or False?

There are 26 letters in the Greek alphabet

True or false?

There are 24 letters in the Greek alphabet, some of which make the

same sounds!

FALSE

There was a famous Greek philosopher called Plato.

True or false?

He lived in Ancient Greece about 2400 years ago, and people still study his writings today!

TRUE

About 16.5 million tourists visit Greece every year – about 5.5 million more than

actually live there!

True or false?

Tourism is a really important way for Greece to boost its economy (the

amount of money it has).

TRUE

Greek is one of the oldest languages in Europe.

True or false?

There is a difference between Ancient Greek and the modern Greek language,

but Greek has been spoken for more than 3000 years.

TRUE

The word “bunny” actually comes from the Greek word for rabbit.

True or false?

The Greek word for rabbit is Κουνέλι(Koo-nell-y)

FALSE

Remains of buildings from Ancient Greece can still be seen in Greece today (more than two

thousand years later)

True or false?

If you walk through Athens you’re quite likely to spot some remains of Ancient Greek buildings. There are some underground stops that have special glass that lets you see building structures that were discovered when it was built.

TRUE

The Parthenon is a famous temple in Athens that was built in 438BC. It was

dedicated to the goddess Athena.

If you go to Greece today, you can walk right up to it!