The country's first inhabitants are now referred to as the Pelasgians. Little is known about them, b

Greece ( Greek : Ελλάδα, Elláda travel advisories ) [1] is a country in Southern Europe, travel advisories on the southernmost tip of the Balkan peninsula, with extensive coastlines and islands in the Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean Seas. It shares borders in the north with Albania , the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Bulgaria , and Turkey . It has an ancient culture that has had a significant influence on the arts, language, philosophy, politics, and sports travel advisories of western society, including the genres of comedy and drama, western alphabets, Platonic ideals and the Socratic method, democracies and republics, and the Olympics. Furthermore it's a geographically appealing place to visit, with a mountainous travel advisories mainland and idyllic island beaches.
Greece is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, ranking in the world's top 20 countries. According to the Greek Ministry of Tourism, the nation received about 17 million visitors from January to mid August travel advisories 2007, a large number for a small country of 11 million. Visitors are drawn to the country's beaches and reliable sunny summer weather, its nightlife, travel advisories historical sites and natural beauty.
Over 90% of visitors who come to Greece come from other European countries, although in recent years there have been growing numbers of tourists from other world regions. The vast majority of visitors arrive during the tourist season, which is April through October. Peak season is July through travel advisories August, and most of the tourists and tourism industry are concentrated in Crete , the Dodecanese , Cyclades , and Western Greek Islands , and to a lesser extent the Peloponnese and the Halkidiki peninsula in Macedonia . There are still many rewarding areas in the country free of large-scale tourism.
Many first-time visitors arrive in Greece with specific images in mind and are surprised to discover travel advisories a country with such regional and architectural diversity. The famous whitewashed homes and charming blue-domed churches only characterize a specific region of the country (the Cyclades Islands). Architecture varies greatly from one region to the next depending on the local history. Visitors will find Neoclassical architecture in the cities travel advisories of Ermoupolis and Nafplion , Ottoman-influenced buildings in Grevená and Kozáni, whitewashed Cycladic homes on the island of Paros , and pastel-colored baroque homes and churches on Corfu . The nation's terrain is just as varied as its architectural heritage: idyllic beaches, towering mountain ranges, wine-producing travel advisories valleys, vast stretches of olive orchards in the south, and lush forests in the north. Greece's historical sights are just as varied; the country is littered with just as many medieval churches and castles as classical ruins and temples.
The country's first inhabitants are now referred travel advisories to as the Pelasgians. Little is known about them, but it is believed that they were a primitive people. The first advanced civilizations in Greece are known as the Cycladic travel advisories in the Cyclades Islands travel advisories , and the Minoan in Crete and Santorini . The Minoans had a written language which remains undecipherable to modern-day archaeologists. This is one of the most interesting and profound historical mysteries. It is a link to our modern civilization.
Greek-speaking Indo-European peoples arrived travel advisories in the country from somewhere to the north, around 1700 BC, and slowly invaded the entire country from the north all the way to Crete , as well as the west coast of Asia Minor (now Turkey travel advisories ), absorbing the native travel advisories peoples. Their arrival may have been responsible for ending the Cycladic and Minoan civilizations and brought the country into what is now referred to as the Dark Age of ancient Greece; although it is now understood among historians that civilization in Greece remained sophisticated and advanced during this time. The first Greek-speaking civilization, the Mycenean Civilization, centered in the Peloponnese region, was prominent during travel advisories this time period.
Many ancient Greeks made a living from the sea, as their descendants the modern Greeks also do now. They became accomplished fishers, sailors and traders and the sea has profoundly shaped Greek civilization.
The rise of the Greek city-states occurred in the period 1200 to 800 BC and heralded the Golden Age of Greece, which lasted many centuries and spurred several scientific, architectural, political, economic, artistic, and literary achievements. Athens , Sparta , Corinth , and Thebes were the most prominent of the city-states travel advisories (with Athens being the most prestigious), but there were several other advanced city-states and colonies that had developed across the Aegean basin. Greek settlements were also established in southern Italy and other coastal areas of the Mediterranean colonized by Greeks. The legacy of Greek Civilization from this time period made a major impact on the world and continues to influence us to this day.
The epicenter of Greek Civilization shifted, during the 4th century BC, from southern Greece travel advisories to northern travel advisories Greece. The northern Macedonian kingdom, under Alexander travel advisories the Great, conquered all of Greece, and proceeded eastward, creating an empire all the way to South Asia with the stated intent of spreading Greek Civilization. The empire broke up after Alexander's death, and Greece was eventually annexed by the growing Roman Empire. Although weakened politically, Greek Civilization continued to flourish under Roman rule and heavily influenced Roman culture.
Christianity arrived in Greece with the preachings of St. Paul during the 1st century AD, and eventually spread throughout Greece and the Roman Empire. In the 4th century, Roman Emperor Constantine the Great legalized Christian worship travel advisories and declared it the state religion of the empire. He moved the capital of the empire from Rome to Byzantium (present-day Istanbul), which he renamed Constantinople. Internal divisions eventually divided the Roman Empire into a western half (the West Roman Empire) and an eastern half (East Roman Empire.) The West was eventually invaded and sacked by invaders from northern Europe, while the East survived for another millennium as the Byzantine travel advisories Empire with Constantinople as its capital.
Greece's medieval history travel advisories is dominated by the Byzantine Empire which revolved around Christianity, Greek Language and Civilization, and Roman law. It was a powerful force in the Mediterranean basin for centuries, engaging in trade, politics, and the spread of Christianity. The empire collaborated with Rome during the Crusades against the Muslims. However, during the 13th century, the Crusaders turned on the Byzantine Empire itself and sacked Constantinople. With a weakened Byzantine Empire, Frankish and Latin invaders arrived travel advisories and occupied various parts of Greece. Over the following centuries, the Byzantine Empire began to regain strength and reconquer lost territory, but received a final blow in the 15th century when a growing Ottoman Turkish Empire to the east conquered Constantinople.
With the capture of Constantinople, Greece fell under Ottoman Turkish rule, but vigorously retained its Greek-speaking Christian culture. However, many Greeks fled the country, establishing Greek communities elsewhere in Europe; these communities would later influence the Greek Revolution.
The Italian city-states of Genoa and Venice competed with the Ottoman Turks for control of various areas of Greece and managed to conquer various islands and coastal areas, bringing pan-European movements such as the Renaissance (and later the Enlightenment) to places in Greece such as Crete, Corfu, and parts of the Peloponnese region. In the 18th century, the Enlightenment, both in Venetian/Genoese-occupied areas of Greece and from Greek communities abroad, led to an awakening among prominent Greeks and gave birth to the goal of an independent, unified, and sovereign Greek state. The Greek Revolution finally broke out on the 25th of March, 1821, and led to a long war against the Ottomans for independence. The Greek Revolution gained attention across Europe, with Russia , Britain travel advisories , and France sending military aid to assist travel advisories Greece.
The nation finally achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. The newly-independent Greek State was briefly a republic, before becoming a monarchy at the will of major European travel advisories powers. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, travel advisories Greece gradually annexed travel advisories neighboring islands and territories with Greek-speaking populations. The country sided with the allies during WWI. Despite declaring neutrality during WWII, the country travel advisories was invaded by Mussolini's military in 1941. Greek forces victoriously pushed the Italians out of Greece, but the Germans travel advisories then came to their aid, occupying the country until its liberation toward the end of the war. Civil war broke out in 1946 between travel advisories communist rebels and royalists, the former supported by Yugoslavia (until the Tito-Stalin rift of 1948) and the latter by the West. The communist rebels were defeated by the royalists in 1949. World War II and the civil war that followed had left the country war-torn, forcing many people to flee the country travel advisories in search of a better life abroad.
Greece joined NATO in 1952; rapid economic growth and social change followed. A right-wing military dictatorship staged a coup in 1967, disbanding all political parties, suspending political liberties and forcing many prominent Greeks travel advisories into exile, including Communists, who played an active part in the Greek Parliament before and after the junta. King Constantine II and his family also fled the country. Democracy returned in 1974, and a national referendum abolished the monarchy, creating a parliamentary republic.
Greece joined the European Community or EC in 1981, which later became the European Union (EU) in 1992. The country's tourism travel advisories industry – which had begun to take off during the 1960s – began to flourish, bringing travel advisories 5 million annual visitors to the country in 1980 (a figure that will eventually grow to over 17 million