Athens
| Athens Αθήνα Athīna |
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|---|---|
 The Parthenon in Athens. |
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| Location | |
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| Coordinates | 37°58′N 23°43′E / 37.967°N 23.717°ECoordinates: 37°58′N 23°43′E / 37.967°N 23.717°E |
| Time zone: | EET/EEST (UTC+2/3) |
| Elevation (min-max): | 70 - 338 m (230 - 1109 ft) |
| Government | |
| Country: | Greece |
| Periphery: | Attica |
| Districts: | 7 |
| Mayor: | Giorgos Kaminis (Independent) (since: 29 December 2010) |
| Population statistics (as of 2011[1]) | |
| Metropolitan | |
| - Population: | 3,737,550 |
| - Area: | 2,928.717 km² (1,131 sq mi) |
| - Density: | 1,276 /km² (3,305 /sq mi) |
| Municipality | |
| - Population: | 655,780 |
| - Area: | 38.964 km² (15 sq mi) |
| - Density: | 16,830 /km² (43,591 /sq mi) |
| Codes | |
| Postal: | 10x xx, 11x xx, 120 xx |
| Telephone: | 21 |
| Auto: | Yxx, Zxx, Ixx (excluding ZAx and INx) |
| Website | |
| www.cityofathens.gr | |
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Athens is the capital city of Greece. It is one of the most famous cities in the world. The city is named after Athena, a goddess in Greek mythology. Athens has a population of approximately 4 million people and is growing. It is in the prefecture, or division of the country, of Attica.
History of Athens[change | change source]
Athens was a powerful city in Classical times. It was known for the amount of learning that happened there. The city was home to Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum. It also had its own Constitution. Athens also created the world's first known democracy.
The city started to decline in 529, when the Emperor Justinian I closed its philosophical schools. The Parthenon was made a Christian church. That act saved it later from destruction of non Christian temples, in times of deep Theocracy.
The Ottoman Turks took control of Athens in 1458. The Turks made the Parthenon into a Muslim mosque. The Parthenon was later damaged in 1687 when gunpowder exploded inside it.
Athens was freed from the Turks during the Greek War of Independence (1821-1833). It was then made into the capital of Greece.
Events[change | change source]
- 1896 - The Olympic Games took place in Athens.
- 2004 - The Olympic Games took place in Athens.
Sister cities[change | change source]
Athens has these sister cities:
United States Washington, DC, USA- United States Los Angeles, California, USA [2]
- United States Chicago, Illinois, USA[3]
- United States Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- United States Boston, USA
- United States Athens, Georgia USA
Montreal, Canada
Paris, France
Rome, Italy- Genova, Italy
Madrid, Spain- Barcelona, Spain
Prague, Czech Republic
Moscow, Russia
Beijing, China[4]- Xi'an, People's Republic of China
Istanbul, Turkey
Belgrade, Serbia
Nicosia, Cyprus
Beirut, Lebanon
Santiago, Chile
Rabat, Morocco
Cusco, Peru
Yerevan, Armenia
Sofia, Bulgaria
Bucharest, Romania
Warsaw, Poland
Kiev, Ukraine
Tirana, Albania
Tbilisi, Georgia
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Havana, Cuba
Bethlehem, Palestine
References[change | change source]
- ↑ PDF "(875 KB) 2001 Census" (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΣΥΕ). www.statistics.gr. http://www.statistics.gr/gr_tables/S1101_SAP_1_TB_DC_01_03_Y.pdf PDF. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
- ↑ http://www.lacity.org/sistercities/
- ↑ http://www.chicagosistercities.com/index.php
- ↑ http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/ying/default.htm
Other websites[change | change source]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Athens |
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide about: Athens |
- City of Athens official website
- Photos of Athens
- An Online History of Athens
- Athens travel guide
- Athens Virtual Tour
- Athens Citizendium
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