Greece (Hellas), set in the rugged, mountainous southern extremity of the Balkan peninsula, was the birthplace of Western civilisation. Western philosophy and science, architecture and drama, democratic ideals and athletic traditions had their roots in the land of Homer, Socrates, and Alexander the Great. Ancient Greece experienced its age of greatest glory in the 5th century BC. It declined through the repeated wars of its city-states, which eventually came under Roman rule. The Middle Ages brought decline under the successive domination of Byzantines, Slavs, crusading “Franks”, and Turks. The cities and monuments of the classical age fell into ruins, only to be rediscovered in modern times. Travellers have visited Greece since ancient times in search of this glorious cultural legacy, evident in the great ruins and monuments of the classical age: the Athenian Acropolis, Delphi, Olympia, Delos, and others. In recent years, a different type of visitor has been lured to Greece by the sun, the sea, and the sensual pleasures of a Mediterranean vacation. Greek island-hopping has become a recognised rite of passage for the international backpacking community, while millions take advantage each year of package holidays in Crete or Rhodes.

    The modern Greek state was created in the 19th century after a traumatic rebellion and war against Ottoman Turkish rule and survived civil war and military dictatorship to emerge as a full member of the European Union. More than a third of the 10 million Greeks live in Athens, the bustling capital.

    The Greek climate is dry, although the landscape displays striking regional variations: the rocky barrenness of the Cyclades contrasts with the lush subtropical greenery of Corfu or the western Peloponnese. The serrated coastline and the presence of 1,300 islands—about 80 of them permanently settled—have made Greeks a seagoing race since ancient times, and shipping remains the country's largest revenue earner after tourism. The villages and small towns of Greece cling to the gulfs and crevices of this mountainous land. Their traditions have been shaped over many centuries of struggle with the elements, and do not easily submit to the levelling forces of modernisation. Nor has modern culture swept through this country with the same vigour as elsewhere in Europe. By international standards, Greece was a cultural backwater until the 1990s, when Athens's new concert hall transformed the city's standing as an international centre for classical music. The annual Athens Festival also lures an international audience.

Pylos

    Pylos (Pílos) commands the Bay of Navarino, one of the most beautiful natural harbours in Greece. The town's population is 3,000. Its sunny and quiet streets are full of whitewashed houses and sleepy little tavernas. On the edge of the town stands a great fortress, a Turkish structure modified by the French navy in the 19th century. A spectacular beach 6 kilometres (4 miles) long lies to the north, sandwiched between the sea and a freshwater lagoon. The so-called Palace of Nestor, a Mycenaean royal residence dating from the 13th century BC, can be visited nearby.

Crete

    KRITI, CRETE, or KRETE, Latin CRETA, Venetian CANDIA, island in the eastern Mediterranean that is an administrative region of Greece. The center of one of the oldest and most important civilizations, the ancient Minoan civilization, the southernmost point of Europe where its name originated and to which it owes so much. The meeting point of three continents - Europe, Asia and Africa - and the cradle of most of what we know as classical civilization which has been so instrumental in shaping our world today.

This is the legendary birthplace of Zeus, the king of the gods, and where he took his beloved Europa and where she gave birth to the later King Minoas, the mythical all-powerful king of Crete and creator of the fabulous palace of Knossos and the Minoan civilization. Crete has so much to offer and so much that people envy that at times Romans, Arabs, Venetians and Turks all envied it but, however much they tried, they never conquered it!. And this is where the most peripatetic of all Apostles, Apostle Paul, started his quest to bring Christianity to Europe. In fact, after he appointed Titus as bishop in 65AD, Gortyn became the first Christian community in Greece and Europe.

Crete can boast many famous sons and daughters such as the El Greco (Diminikos Theotokopoulos), the literature laureate Odysseus Elytis, Nikos Kazantzakis, the League of Nations pioneer and later Prime Minister of Greece Eleftherios Venizelos and so many other cultural and social icons of the Greek and non-Greek world, living or dead.

 Crete is the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean and the largest of the islands forming part of modern Greece. It is relatively long and narrow, stretching for about 150 miles (245 km) east-west and varying in width from 7.5 to 35 miles (12 to 56 km). The island has an area of about 3,300 square miles (8,400 square km); there are two administrative centers, is Chania,in the west and Iraklion in the east.

 There is no direct evidence that humans arrived on Crete before about 5000 BC but by 3000 BC, a Bronze Age culture--the Minoan civilization, named after the legendary ruler Minos�was already developed. For its first centuries the only record we have of this culture is various circular vaulted tombs and some fine stone-carved vases, but by about 2000 BC it was developed to the extent that it started to build "palaces" on the sites of Knossos, Phaestus, and Malia. This Minoan civilization was centred at Knossos and reached its peak in the 16th century BC, trading widely in the eastern Mediterranean. It produced striking sculpture, fresco painting, pottery, and metalwork. By about 1500 BC Greek mainlanders from Mycenae had assumed an influential role in Minoan affairs, however, and after Crete suffered a major earthquake (c. 1450) that destroyed Knossos and other centres, power in the region passed decisively to the Mycenaeans, with whom Crete was closely associated until the commencement of the Iron Age (1200 BC). Eventually the Dorians, Greek-speaking people from the mainland, moved in and organized Crete.

 Crete still played a role in the revival of Greek civilization that began in the 9th century BC, and during Athens' heyday in the 5th century BC Crete fascinated the Greeks as the source of myths, legends, and laws. There is evidence of direct trade and cultural links between the two sides. By 67 BC the Romans had completed their conquest of Crete and converted it into Cyrenaica, a province linked with North Africa. In AD 395 the island passed to the Byzantine empire and the Arabs gained control over parts of Crete after 824, contesting with the Byzantines for several centuries thereafter. In 1204, in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade, crusaders sold the island to Venice, which incorporated Crete into its growing commercial empire. The native Cretans, however, never abandoned their Orthodox religion, Greek language, and popular lore. The Ottoman Turks, who were already in control of parts of Crete, wrested the capital city of Candia (now Iraklion) from the Venetians in 1669 after one of the longest sieges in history. Crete stagnated under Turkish rule, as did almost all of Greece, and native uprisings were always suppressed brutally, including ones in 1821 and 1866. The Turks were finally expelled by Greece in 1898, after which the island held autonomous status until its union with motherland Greece in 1913.

The island is dominated by harsh mountains rising out of the sea. Crete's east-west mountainous spine consists of four main groups that rise to the island's highest point, the summit of Mount Idhi, Stavros, 8,058 feet (2,456 m) high. The gradually sloping northern coast provides several natural harbours and coastal plains, where major towns have grown up; Chania, Rethimnon, and Iraklion are located there. The Mesara Plain extends along the south-central part of the island for about 18 miles (29 km) and is Crete's major expanse of flatland. The island has only a few small rivers, together with springs and seasonal water courses. Crete's climate varies between temperate and tropical, with an annual average rainfall of about 25 inches (640 mm) and hot, dry summers. Winter temperatures are relatively mild. The Cretan landscape is dominated by characteristic Mediterranean scrub and olives, carobs, and orange trees are cultivated.

 The population consists mostly of Cretans who speak Greek and belong to the Greek Orthodox church. It is concentrated in the cities on the northern coast and in the Mesara Plain. The administrative region of Crete is divided into four prefectures (departments - nomoi)--Chania, Rethimnon, Iraklion, and Lasithi--each of which is administered by a prefect (nomarch) appointed by the central government.

Patras

    Patras (Patra), the third largest city in Greece, is a busy modern metropolis with very little to offer in terms of historic sights or urban charm. The chief monument is the new church of Agios Andreas completed in 1979 to receive the relics of Saint Andrew which were removed from Patras in the Middle Ages and returned by Pope John Paul II. Patras is Greece's second most important commercial port after Piraeus, and there are also passenger ferry terminals for Corfu and various Italian ports. The Patras carnival lasts for three weeks and is the most spectacular in Greece.

Corfu

     Corfu, or Kerkira is one of the seven islands and the most northern of the Eptanisa cluster (Greek--Seven islands), located northwest of Greece, in the Ionian Sea, separated from the Greek and Albanian mainland by a narrow channel. Considered relatively one of the large Greek isles, Corfu's area is 593 square kilometers (229 square miles). With the small islands of Paxi and Antipaxos, it forms the department (Greek--nomos) of Kerkira with a population of 97,506, being the capital and largest town. Practically all the commerce of the island passes through the town of Kerkira, which is also a center of tourism, housing the Club Med headquarters in Greece. The northern part of the island is mountainous with Mount Pandokrator reaching 906m (2,972ft), the central part hilly, and the southern part low and fairly leveled. The island is well watered and fertile. Olives, olive oil, citrus fruits, figs, and textiles are principal products. Kerkira is the ancient Corcyra. In about 734 BC the island, which has been identified as Scheria, home of the Phaecians in Homer's Odyssey, was colonized by the Corinthians. After the Persian Wars, in which Corcyra did not partake, further dispute with Corinth led the Corcyreans to ally themselves in 435 BC with Athens, and the intervention of Athens contributed to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. In 229 BC the island came under Roman protection. It was part of the Byzantine Empire until around 1400 AD, when it passed into the possession of the Venetians, who called it "Corfu" and held it until 1797, despite numerous attacks by the Ottoman Turks. It became British protectorate in 1815 and then a part of Greece in 1864. During World War I the French took military possession of the island in 1916 to provide a refuge for the exhausted Serbian army. The Declaration of Corfu, proclaiming the union of the Yugoslavs, was signed here in 1917. Benito Mussolini sent naval forces to bombard the town of Kerkira and to occupy the island in 1923, but these troops were evacuated later that year. During World War II the island was held by Italian and German forces until it was retaken by Greek and British troops in October of 1944.

Ithaki

    Ithaki, also Ithaca is one of the Eptanisa, the seven islands in the Ionian Sea, in the Kefallonia or Cephalonia Department (Greek--nomos). The small community of Ithaki, on a sheltered bay in the southern part of the island, is the capital and chief port, with a population of 3,646 and a total area of 96 square kilometers (37 square miles). This mountainous, rocky island has many archaeological relics and may have been the site of the legendary kingdom of Odysseus depicted by Homer in the Odessey. In 1953 an earthquake severely damaged the island.

Kefallonia

    Kefallonia or Cephalinia (ancient Cephallenia) is the largest of the Eptanisa (a seven major island group in the Ionian Sea). Kefallonia with a total land are of 750 square kilometers (290 square miles), together with nearby small islands including Ithaki, forms the Kefallonia Department (Greek--nomos) with a total population of 31,267. It has an irregular coastline 48km (30mi) long and from 5 to 32km (3 to 20mi) wide. Mount Ainos is the highest peak of this mountainous island, reaching 1,620m (5,315ft) above sea level. The chief towns are Argostolion, the capital of the island and the department, and Lixourion. The principal crops are currants, olive, olive oil, grapes, citrus fruits, and cotton. The principal industry on the island is handcrafting of all sorts, including metals (gold, silver, brass) leather, marble, garments, and various household cotton upholstery.

Zakinthos

    ZAKINTHOS, also spelled ZAKYNTHOS, Modern Greek ZΑKINTHOS, French ZANTE, Italian ZACINTO, (pop 30,014);southernmost and third largest of the Ionian Islands of Greece, lying off the west coast of the Peloponnese. Tiny Strotadhes Islands lie to the south. Zacynthus is indented by a deep bay with high cliffs on its south coast. The island has an area of 155 square miles (402 square km) The centre of Zacynthus is a fertile plain bounded on the west by barren limestone hills, 700 to 1,600 feet (200 to 500 m) high, with many sinkholes and steep sea cliffs. The hills culminate in the 2,480-foot (756-metre-) high Mount Vrakhisnas. The plain is bounded on the east by a low range of hills. The capital of the island Zakinthos town, lies on the east coast on the site of ancient Zacynthus; it is the seat of a metropolitan bishop.
Zacynthus was named for an ancient Arcadian chief; the 5th-century-BC historian Thucydides said that it was colonized by Achaeans from the Peloponnese. The island was used by the Athenians during the Peloponnesian War and again in 374 BC. The Romans captured it in 211 and 191, annexing Zacynthus to keep it out of the Achaean League.

Zacynthus was repeatedly pillaged by the Vandals and Saracens, and in 1185 it was taken, along with the islands of Corfu, Cephalonia, and Leucas, by Margarito of Brindisi. From 1194 to 1328 it was held by the Orsini and from 1328 to 1482 was in the possession of the counts of Tocchi. Venice was granted the island in 1485, to prevent its falling to the Turks, and held it until 1797, when it was ceded to France by the Treaty of Campo Formio. After a short Russian occupation, it became (1815) part of the British protectorate of the Ionian Islands; it prospered with the revival of Greek culture. In 1864 Zacynthus was ceded, with the other Ionian Islands, to Greece. Both the central plains and eastern hills are cultivated.

Lefkada

    Modern Greek LEVKΑS, also called LEVKΑDHIA, island of Meganisi nearby (117-sq-miles/303-sq-km, pop 21863). A hilly mass of limestone and bituminous shales culminating in the centre in Mt. Elati (3,799 ft [1,158 m]). The chief town, Levkas, lies at the northeastern corner, which in antiquity was separated by a marshy isthmus. It was formerly called Amaxikhi or Santa Maura; the latter is also the Venetian name for the island. Most of the population inhabit the wooded east coast and its valleys. Mycenaean remains at Nidhri on the east coast testify to early occupation and convince some scholars that Leucas, not Ithaca, was the home of Odysseus. In the mid-7th century BC, Corinthian colonists established themselves just south of the present capital and dug a canal through the isthmus. Under Roman rule in the 2nd century BC, a stone bridge, of which there are some remains, was constructed to the main island. In 167 the Romans made Leucas a free city. During the 13th century AD the island was subject to the Despotate of Epirus, and in 1479 it was seized by the Turks. The island was alternately under Turkish and Venetian control until 1718, when it was formally ceded to Venice. After the 18th century it shared the political fortunes of the other Ionian islands under British rule. In 1864 it was restored to Greece. The island has suffered for centuries from severe earthquakes; those of 1867 and 1948 severely damaged the capital. Cape Leucatas at the southwestern tip of the island has fragments of the ruined temple of Apollo Leucatas; nearby are the 200-ft white cliffs that give the island its Greek name. In antiquity they served as a trial by ordeal (the "Leucadian leap") for accused persons, survivors being picked up by boat. According to legend, Sappho, desperate with love, ended her life here.

Kithira

     Modern Greek KITHIRA, southernmost and easternmost of the Ionian Islands (pop 3,469), off the southern Peloponnesus. A continuation of the Taiyetos mountain range, the island has a mountainous interior, rising to 1,663 feet (507 m). The capital, Kithira (or Khsra), is on the southern coast.Exportation of murex, a purple dye obtained from a species of mollusk, was responsible for the island's ancient name, Porphyrusa (Greek porphyra, "purple"); but a lack of natural harbours precluded the island from gaining political importance. Cythera was also noted in ancient times for its local cult of Aphrodite. As a Spartan outpost the island was subdued (424 BC) by Athens during the Peloponnesian War. After the Fourth Crusade (1204) it was subjected to frequent incursions; in 1537 the island's inhabitants were sold into slavery. In 1717 Venice took over the island, renaming it Cerigo. Thereafter its history is largely that of the Ionian Islands.

Limnos

     Limnos, is an eastern Greek island in the Aegean Sea, off the western coast of Asia Minor, near the Dardanelles, the strait connecting the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara. The island, with an area of 482 square kilometers (186 square miles) is largely volcanic with a few fertile regions where livestock is raised and fruit and grain are grown. Mirina is the capital and chief town with a population of 15,721. In 1657 the island was acquired by Ottoman Turkey from Venice, and in the Balkan Wars of 1912-13 Limnos became again a Geek possession. During World War I the island served as a base for Allied military and naval operations against Turkey, particularly in the course of the Gallipoli and Dardanelles campaign in 1915. On October 30, 1918, at Moudhros, the Turks signed terms of armistice with the Allies. Today, Limnos serves as a primary Greek military air/naval base, defending all Aegean islands from Turkey.

Lesvos

     Lesvos is an eastern Greek island in the Aegean Sea, off the western coast of Asia Minor, west of the city of Smyrna, at the entrance of the Gulf of Edremit. Lesvos was a noted cultural center of Ancient Greece, especially in the 7th and 6th centuries BC. It later was a part of the Ottoman Empire until it was annexed by Greece in 1913, after the Turks were defeated in the Balkan Wars. The island, relatively a large one, with a total area of 1,637 square kilometers (632 square miles), is now frequently called Mytilini, after the chief town and capital with a population of 104,620. Its highest peak is Olympus (Ayios Illias), 968m (3,175ft) high. The principal products are olives, olive oil, figs and grain. Also tanneries and soap factories are found on the island.

Khios

     Khios, also Chios is an eastern Geek island in the Aegean Sea, off the western coast of Asia Minor. It is one of the larger islands and has a total land area of 1,152 square kilometers (450 square miles). The capital and chief town is Khios, a seaport on the eastern coast, with a population of 50,870. In the north the island is mountainous, but the land in the south is open and fertile. Gum mastic, from which a liqueur is made, and wine are the island's principal products, as well as olives, olive oil, figs, and oranges. Coastal trade is important economically. Industries include the mining of antimony and calamite, marble quarrying, and tanning. The island contains relics of ancient times, when it was an important Greek state, the home of noted poets and sculptors, and a participant in the wars that marked the history of Ancient Greece and Rome. Khios was occupied by the Seljuk Turks in the 11th century AD and later became a possession, successively, of the Venetians, Genoese, and Ottoman Turks. During the Balkan Wars of 1912, it was recaptured and again became part of Greece.

Samos

     Samos is an eastern Greek island in the Aegean sea, off the western coast of Asia Minor. The island is mountainous, and its highest peak, Mount Kerketeus (ancient Cercetus), reaches 1,433m (4,701ft). Samos has a total land area of 817 square kilometers (324 square miles) and a population of 41,881. Its products include wine, tobacco, olives, olive oil, and citrus fruits. The capital of the island is Limin Vatheos. In ancient times Samos was famous as a commercial and shipping center of the Aegean Sea. The island was celebrated also for its red, glossy pottery, which was imitated by the Romans in their so-called Samian ware. Subjected to Persian domination, in 499 BC Samos joined the Ionian revolt against Persia and, following the battle of Mycale in 479 BC, was once again independent. In the same year it became a member of the Delian League. When Samos revolted in 440 BC, it was defeated and reduced to the position of a vassal of Athens. During the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC) between Athens and Sparta, the island provided a faithful ally of the Athenian democracy, serving as the headquarters of the Athenian fleet. In the later years of the struggle its privileges were restored. In 387 BC Samos passed into the possession of Persia, but was eventually reconquered by the Athenians in 366 BC. For approximately 20 centuries the history of Samos is obscure. It is believed to have become a part of the Roman Empire and subsequently a Byzantine possession. It was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1550. In 1832 it became semi-independent. The administration was locally controlled but subject to the payment of a tribute to Turkey. Samos passed entirely back to Greece as a result of the Balkan Wars (1912-13).

Rhodes

    Rhodes (Rodos), the capital city of the Dodecanese group of islands, consists of two towns with distinct characters. The modern city is uninteresting except for the lively promenade around Mandraki harbour lined with cafés and tavernas. The old town is a wonderfully attractive historic area enclosed by the medieval city walls, dominated by the fortifications, palaces, and other buildings of the Knights of St John, who controlled Rhodes in the 15th and 16th centuries. The area still carries the scars of bombing during World War II, which left many old buildings in ruins. A few ruins of ancient Rhodes exist on the Acropolis west of the town.