Greece

Greece is the European nation-state that borders the Mediterranean Sea to its South, the Aegean Sea to the East, Turkey to the North-East, Ionian Sea to the West, and Albania, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria to the North. Greece is a mountainous region with a warm temperate climate, and hundreds of islands under its domain.

Greece is a parliamentary republic with its capital in Athens, and is a member of the European Union. Approximately 11 million citizens live in Greece, the vast majority of which are Ethnically Greek though there are notable ethnic minority populations, including Roma, Turks, Slavs, and more. There are just over 6,000 Jews in the country. Most Greeks speak Modern Greek, but there are several local dialects that are distinct, and some linguistic minorities that include Turkish and Arabic. There are a handful of speakers of the Hebraic dialects such as Judeo-Italian and Ladino. The predominant religion in Greece is Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Ancient Greeks were pagans that worshipped a pantheon of gods that were featured in many literary works, and still are featured in global popular culture. There are only a handful of traditional Greek pantheists today.

The Hellenic Republic declared independence from the Ottoman empire in 1821 with the Greek war of independence. The Greek peninsula was under Ottoman rule since the mid-1400s, its Greek population under second-class citizen conditions.

Greece has a long history, reaching back into the classical period. Thucydides described the ancient Hellenes as a roaming band of seafarers and pirates. They did not describe themselves as Hellenic until much later, as seen in the Iliad in which they were described as Argives, Acheans, or Danaans. The ancient Greeks later established prominent city-states that served as fertile grounds for the development of unique political experiments and philosophies. These political systems philosophies have served as founding columns of Western civilization. The ancient Greeks faced pressure from outside powers such as the Persians, but were often engaged in internal conflicts, such as the Peloponnesian Wars between Athens and Sparta, and their allies. A seafaring people, the Greeks engaged in colonization, first establishing sites that are not often thought of as being Greek in origin, such as Marseilles (Massalia), Istanbul (Byzantium), and Naples (Neopolis).

Greek cuisine traditionally heavily features olive oil, fish, sheep and goat, soft cheeses and herbal and root flavorings. Common street foods include gyros and spanakopita. Greece exports many staple agricultural products such as olives, cotton, pistachios, figs, and almonds. Maritime shipping is a significant industry in Greece, given its geographic location. Tourism is also a large industry, since Greece has a wealth of historical sites, beaches and a welcoming climate.

Greece

Greek-operated Patriot air defense battery engages drone swarm near Saudi Arabian oil facilities

Italy, Greece find hundreds of amphorae buried with ancient shipwrecks on Mediterranean sea floor

West Bank incident sparks debate as Gaza and regional issues take center stage

Greece warns Turkey against violating sovereign rights, vows response from 'position of strength'

Greece approves €3.5 billion defense package for Israeli missile defense tech

Greece heatwave warning that could save your vacation

Trump, Erdogan, and the F-35 enigma - opinion

Foreign Ministry receives 45 reports of antisemitic incidents against Israelis abroad in last year

Turkish Navy ships vists Syrian Latakia port after NATO summit in first since civil war - analysis

Ryanair plane makes emergency landing after window 'dislodged,' partially sucking passenger out

As Iran fades, Turkey emerges as Israel's biggest strategic threat

Over four years later: Leviev family drops criminal complaint against 'Tindler Swindler'

Greece says US selling F-35s to Erdogan is concerning, demands security guarantees from Ankara

Greek tour company refuses Israeli woman booking over 'ideological reasons'