Greece

Good morning, everyone who read this, hope you are doing well this week we are off to Greece.

People have lived in Greece for more than 5,000 years and it has been considered a civilised country for 2,500 years.

Greece is a country in southeastern Europe with thousands of islands throughout the Aegean and Ionian seas. Influential in ancient times, it's often called the cradle of Western civilization.

The capital is Athens, which retains landmarks including the 5th-century B.C. Acropolis citadel with the Parthenon temple. Greece is also known for its beaches, from the black sands of Santorini to the party resorts of Mykonos.

The country has a population of around 11 million, the official currency is the euro. The euro replaced the Greek modern drachma as Greece's official currency in 2002, following the country's introduction into the Eurozone in 2001.

The national flag of Greece, popularly referred to as the Blue-and-White or the Cyan-and-White, is officially recognised by Greece as one of its national symbols and has 5 equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white. Blue and white are the national colours of Greece, as blue symbolizes the sky and seas and white denotes the purity of the Greek independence struggle. The cross represents the Christian religion.

Due to its deep connection to the sea, it has adopted the dolphin as its national animal. Revered in ancient mythology and folklore, the dolphin symbolizes intelligence, harmony, and the maritime heritage of Greece.

The little owl is the national bird of Greece, is also known as the owl of Athena and is believed to provide knowledge and wisdom worthy of the goddess.

While looking for the national flower of Greece I found some sites saying it is the Bear's Breech which is also as the Sea Dock, Oyster Plant, and by its biological name, Acanthus Mollis. Others said it was the lily. Specifically, the white lily is often associated with purity and has historical significance in Greek culture. Additionally, the oleander is also commonly linked to Greece, particularly in its natural landscapes.

In ancient Greek religion and mythology, there were 12 gods called Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, and either Hestia or Dionysus.

Now days religion in Greece is dominated by Christianity, particular the Greek Orthodox Church, which is within the larger communion of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It represented 90% of the total population in 2015 and is constitutionally recognized as the "prevailing religion" of Greece.

Many people will think of the Trojan Horse when thinking about Greece it was in case you do not know a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war.

Also, many people when they think of Greece will comment that it is home to the first Olympic games, way back when the ancient Games were staged in Olympia, Greece, from 776 BC through 393 AD, it took 1503 years for the Olympics to return. 

The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. The man responsible for its rebirth was a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who presented the idea in 1894.

That will do for Greece.