Facts about Athens
Athens is the capital of Greece. It is also the largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica periphery: as one of the world's oldest cities, its recorded history spans at least 3,000 years. As of 2001, athens has a population of 745,514 within its administrative limits. Athens has a land area of 39 km² (15 sq mi). As of 2005, the urban area of Athens extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3.37 million. The metro area of Athens spans 412 km² (159 sq mi) and encompasses a population of 3.7 million. The Athens Larger Urban Zone (LUZ) is the 8th most populated LUZ in the European Union with an estimated population of 3.89 million (in 2001). Classical Athens was a powerful city-state. A center for the arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato's Akademia and Aristotle's Lyceum, Athens was also the birthplace of Socrates, Pericles, Sophocles, and its many other prominent philosophers, writers and politicians of the ancient world. It is widely referred to as the cradle of Western Civilization Athens is also called the birthplace of democracy. The heritage of the classical era is still evident in the city, represented by a number of ancient monuments and works of art, the most famous of all the Parthenon on the Acropolis, widely considered an important landmark of early Western civilization. Athens was the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896, and 108 years later it welcomed home the 2004 Summer Olympics, with great success. Athens' history is one of the longest of any city, in Europe, or the world; it has been continuously inhabited for at least 3,000 years. Athens became the leading city of ancient Greece in the first millennium BC, with its cultural achievements during the 5th century BC laying the foundations of Western civilization. uring the Middle Ages, the city experienced decline and then recovery under the Byzantine Empire, and was relatively prosperous during the Crusades, benefiting from Italian trade; after a long period of decline under the rule of the Ottoman Empire Athens re-emerged in the 19th century as the capital of the independent Greek stateAthens re-emerged in the 19th century as the capital of the independent Greek state In the 1920s a number of refugees, expelled from Asia Minor after the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922), swelled Athens' population. from the 1950s and 1960s, that the population of the city exploded, and Athens experienced a gradual expansion in all directions. Athens sprawls across the central plain of Attica, often referred to as the Attica Basin which is bound by Mount Aegaleo in the west, Mount Parnitha in the north, Mount Penteli in the northeast, Mount Hymettus in the east, and the Saronic Gulf in the southwest. The city has been the capital of Greece since 1834, succeeding Nafplion, the city that was provisional capital during the Greek War of Independence ending in 1832. As of 2007, Athens is home to 148 theatrical stages, more than any other European city. The Athens area is home to three prestigious European clubs: Olympiacos, Panathinaikos and AEK Athens, all multisport clubs. The city has hosted the UEFA Champions League final in 1994, at the Athens Olympic Stadium. Athens has also hosted the UEFA Champions League final in 2007, at the Athens Olympic Stadium. Syntagma Square (Constitution Square) is situated in central Athens and near the site of the former Royal Palace, now the Greek Parliament and other 19th century public buildings. The National Garden behind parliament, stretching to the Zappeion, is a verdant oasis for the city-centre. Syntagma is the largest square in the capital and also home to a number of luxury hotels, including the historic Grande Bretagne, Athens' first. Southeast of Syntagma Square stands the Kallimarmaro Stadium, the space where the first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896. It is a replica of the ancient Athenian stadium, and the only major stadium (in its capacity of 60,000) to be made entirely of white marble from Mount Penteli, the same material used for the construction of the Parthenon. The 1906 Summer Olympics, or the 1906 Intercalated games, were held very successfully in Athens. Novi Sad, Serbia is called "Serbian Athens". Jyväskylä, Finland is called "Athens of Finland". São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil is known as "Brazilian Athens". Catania, Sicily, Italy is nicknamed as "Athens of Sicily". Tomsk, Siberia, Russia is nicknamed as "Siberian Athens". DeLand, Florida, USA is nicknamed as "Athens of Florida". Berkeley, California, USA is nicknamed as "Athens of the West". Coimbra, Portugal is called 'Lusa Athens". Nuoro, Sardinia, Italy is nicknamed as "Sardinian Athens". Alexandria, Egypt is nicknamed as "Athens of Egypt." Many other cities has been nicknamed athens. |
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