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Greece and the Greek Islands are one of the most popular
travel destinations in Europe.
Greece is a peninsular and
mountainous country situated in southeast Europe on the Mediterranean
Sea and has a total area of 130.800 km2. The country is surrounded
by the sea. The Greek Islands represent one fifth of the
country's area. There are about 1400 Greek Islands of which 169
are inhabited. The majority of the islands are scattered in the
Aegean Sea between the Greek and Turkish coasts.
The climate is mostly dry and
temperate, though it snows in the mountains and in the north.
The mild weather and sheltered valleys of the region, along with
the early development of seafaring, contributed to the rise of
Ancient Greek Civilisation.
It one of the poorest counties
in the European Union but the economy has improved after the
EU's single currency (the euro) and the country's preparation
for the Olympic Games of 2004. Greece is an agricultural country.
22% of the workforce is employed for agriculture, 27% in the
industry sector and 50 % in the services. The sector of tourism,
hotels, travel and shipping contribute the most
to economy.
Greek is the unique language
of the country but most of the people connected to tourism and
the younger generations currently practice English and sometimes
German, Italian or French.
With more than 4000 years of
history and with the presence on its lands of some of the greatest
civilizations ever, Greece have much to exhibit to the visitor.
Greece has more than 240 museums of all kind. In addition Greece
and the Greek Islands have some of the most interesting and beautiful
archaeological sites.
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