20 Awesome Facts About Athens

Like to know a little more about the capital cities of the world? Take a look at these 20 facts about Athens!

Geographical stats…

1. Athens is the capital city of Greece.
2. Wondering how to say the name of this wonderful city? It’s pronounced Ath-enz.
3. The total land area of Athens is 159 square miles (412 square kilometres)…
4. …that’s a little more than 1/4 of the size of London.
5. Athens’ population was 3,052,000 in 2015…
6. …that’s just over 1/3 of the population of London…
7. …and gives it a population density of around 19,195 residents per square mile!
8. Athens is located 636 ft above sea level.
9. Residents of Athens are known as Greeks.
10. Greeks living in Athens enjoy a subtropical Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers, followed by mild and wet winters and an average annual temperature of 18.5°C.
11. Looking to fly yourself to Athens? You’ll need the coordinates of 37.9667° N, 23.7167° E.
12. Make sure you visit the Acropolis if you’re in Athens; dubbed the symbol of World Heritage by UNESCO and constructed between 447 and 438BC, the Acropolis is an ancient citadel that has stood the test of time incredibly well.
13. Whilst you may think of the West End or Broadway when it comes to theatre, Athens actually boasts more theatres than any other city in the world with a mind boggling 148 stages!

Social intricacies

14. The official language of Athens is Greek.
15. Athens is named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom!
16. Euro is the official currency here.
17. Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world and has been continuously inhabited for around 7,000 years!
18. Greece welcomed 17,920,000 tourists into the country in 2013, many of whom visited Athens for its ancient history and magnificent buildings.
19. Whilst the Olympics are named after the ancient Greek games held in Olympia in 776BC, the first modern Olympic Games were actually held in Athens in 1896!

Bonus Fact!

20. Do you know someone lucky enough to live in Athens? You can make cheap calls to Athens with Cherry Call – don’t forget, you’ll also need to use the international dialling code of 0030.

To keep up-to-date with what’s going on in Athens, head over to the Kathimerini English Edition website.