Quest Greek Islands

Greece and its History

Greece, better known as the Hellenic Republic is a country in south- Eastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula.

Greece lies at the juncture of Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is the heir to the heritages of classical Greece, the Byzantine Empire, and nearly four centuries of Ottoman rule. Known as the cradle of western civilization and being the birthplace of democracy, western philosophy, the Olympic Games, western literature and geography. Greece has a particularly long and eventful history.

The shore of Greece's Aegean Sea saw the emergence of the advanced civilizations in Europe, the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations. Soon cities and states were formed with governmental and social infrastructure, uniting under Athens and Sparta to repel the eastern threat of the Persians.

Athens is the capital and the largest city of Greece. It was named after the goddess Athena. The population of Athens is a busting 3.7 million people. The founding of Athens, Greece is lost to myth and legend from times Inmemoria. Concerning history Athens has always been there. It was the leading city in Greece during the greatest period of Greek civilization during the 1st millennium B.C., during the Golden Age of Greece (about 500 B.C. to 323 B.C.).

Corfu is a Greek Island in the Ionian Sea; it lies off the coast of Albania. Corfu is the home of the Ionian University. The island is steeped in history and it is perennially connected to the history of Greece starting from Greek mythology. Corfu is connected to 2 very powerful water symbols: Poseidon god of the sea and Asopos an important Greek mainland river.

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea. It contains different cities, one being Chania, which is the second largest city of Crete and the capital of the Chania Prefecture. Over 53, 373 people live in the municipal area. The cultural background is very rich. Heraklion is the 5th in size in the city of Greece. Near the city's area there are settlements from the Neolithic Period. Even though there is little proof, it is believed that the city was the port of the ancient city of Knossos.

Theessaloniki is a nomos (prefecture) in Greece. The prefecture is the second in Greece in population and the largest in Macedonia as well as northern Greece. The Theessaloniki Prefecture was created when Thessaloniki joined with the rest of Greece during the First Balkan War in 1913. Halkidiki is also one of the prefectures of Greece.

Kos is a Greek island in the Dodecanese group of islands, in the Aegean Sea, which it separates from the Gulf of Cos. The island is part of a chain of mountains from which it became separated after earth quakes and subsidence that occurred in ancient times. These mountains include Kalymnos and Kappari which are separated by an underwater chasm 40 fathoms deep, as well as the volcano of Nisyros and the surrounding islands.
Ithaca is an island in the Ionian Sea, in Greece. Kefalonia is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece. This island is names after the mythological Cephalus, although some believe its name means "an island with a head".

Kavala is a city in Northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala prefecture. Parga is a town and a municipality located in the northwestern part of Preveza in northwestern Greece. Meganisi is a Greek island and immediately to the eastern-southeast of Lefkada.

Lesvos .is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea, which is the third largest Greek island. The word "lesbian" is derived from the Victorian interpretation of the poems of Sappho whose poetry was taken to mean sexual rather than emotional or platonic love between her and other women. According to myths, Lesvos was the patron god of the island.

Limnos is an island that is part of the Aegean Sea, which is part of Lesbos, or Lesvos. Kalamata is a city in southern Greece, on the Peloponnesus, by the Mediterranean. Kalamatianos dance and silk kerchief; of succulent black olives, honey eyes figs and he honey covered sesame sweet called "pastelli".

Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese islands and easternmost of the major islands of Greece in the Aegean Sea. Historically is known for its Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The medieval city is a World Heritage Site.

Symi or Simi is a small Greek island. According to mythology it is reputed to be the birthplace of the Charities and it takes the name from, the nymph Syme. Samos is a Greek island in the Eastern Aegean Sea.

Santorini is a small, circular group of volcanic islands located in the Aegean Sea. Thera or Thira is the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands. Its natural beauty along with its nightlife makes the island one Europe's top tourist hotspots. One popular theory holds that the Thira eruption is the source of the legend of Atlantis.