User:Ebart14/sandbox: Difference between revisions

1. Map of Greece’slocation

Background

Tourism in Greece has been a key element of the economic activity in the country, and is one of the country's most important sectors. Greece has been a major tourist destination and attraction in Europe since antiquity, for its rich culture and history, which is reflected in large part by its 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, among the most in Europe and the worldas well as for its long coastline, many islands, and beaches. The Egremnoi sand beach in the Greek island of Lefkada, noted for its blue crystal waters, is a popular tourist destination.

Greece attracted 26.5 million visitors in 2015 and 30 million visitors in 2016, making Greece one of the most visited countries in Europe and the world, and contributing 18% to the nation's Gross Domestic Product.Its capital city Athens, as well as Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Corfu, Creteand Chalkidice are some of the country's major tourist destinations.

In recent years, Greece has also promoted religious tourism and pilgrimages to regions with a significant historical religious presence, such as the monasteries in Meteora and Mount Athos, in cooperation with other countries.

Land and Climate[edit]

Greece has a Mediterranean climate along its coasts and islands. Once inland, many areas and cities experience a continental climate.^[8]

Summers are usually hot and dry, while winters are cold and wet. Northern Greece can experience very cold winters, while Southern Greece and the islands experience more mild winters. ^[9]

History

Tourism in Greece traces its roots to ancient times. Cultural exchange took place between the Greek colonies of Magna Graeca and the young Roman Republic before Rome's rise to dominance of the Western Mediterranean. When Greece was annexed by the Roman Empire centuries later, the cultural exchange that started between the two civilization triggered as a result a large number of Romans visiting the famous centers of Greek philosophy and science, such as Athens, Corinth and Thebes, partly because Greece had become a province of the Roman Empire and Greeks were granted Roman citizenship.

Tourism in modern-day Greece started to flourish in the 1960s and 1970s, in what became known as mass tourism.During that time, large-scale construction projects for hotels and other such facilities were undertaken and the country saw an increase in international tourists over the years. International events such as the 2004 Summer Olympic Games and the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, both held in Athens, greatly helped to boost tourism in the country, while large-scale nationally funded cultural infrastructure such as the New Acropolis Museum also contributed to the flow of tourists in the country. Thessaloniki was the European Youth capital in 2014.

Population

The population of Greece is currently just above 11.14 million people . This is roughly .15% of the total world population today, ranking 79th in the world.

The median age in Greece is 43.7 years. The birthrate in Greece is unfortunately declining due to families not being able to afford to have children. In the past 4 years alone, hospitals say there has been a 10% decrease in the number of births. Greece has the highest unemployment rate (28%) in the Eurozone, making it likely the birthrate will continue to decline and the median age continue to rise.

Athens, Thessaloniki, Patri, and Piraeus have the largest population sizes in Greece.

Government

Greece is led by a Parliamentary Republic. The President, currently Prokopis Pavlopoulos is Head of State. The Prime Minister, currently Alexis Tsipras, is Head of Government. The Ministerial Council is the decision-making body that constitutes the Government of Greece.

Parliament and the President of the Republic make up the Legislative Branch, the President of the Republic and Government makes up the Executive Branch, and the Judicial Power is given to the courts of law. Parliament, a body of 300 individuals, is elected by the people

Language

Greek is the national official language, and is the native language for the majority of the population. Modern Greek originates from Medieval Greek, with many regional dialects found around the country. Albanian is the largest minority spoken tongue within Greece.

English is included in the Education system of Greece, allowing 48% of the population to speak it. English speakers will have little to no problem communicating while visiting Greece.

German (9%), French (8.5%), and Italian (8%) are other primary foreign languages in Greece

Religion

98 % Greek Orthodox, 1.3% Muslim, 0.7% Other.

Food & Drink

Due to Greece's location, influences from surrounding countries may be found in the cuisine.

You are likely to come upon many street carts and street restaurants while in Greece. The Gyro, Souvlaki, skordhalia, and Tzatziki are all commonly found in these restaurants. Olive OIl is the base of most dishes in Greece.

If you are looking for traditional Greek cuisine, you may be interested in mousaka or pastitsio. Traditional drinks include ouzo, tsipouro, and wine.

Common Foods in Greece

The following are dishes typically found in Greece:

Moussaka - Casserole of layered eggplant and spiced meat, topped with Bachamel sauce.

Baklava - Greek pastry made from phyllo dough, cinnamon-nut filling, then covered in a sweet syrup.

Horta Vrasta - A dish of boiled leafy greens, served with olive oil and lemon juice.

Taramasalata - blend of pink/white fish roe, potato or bread, with olive oil and lemon. a fish roe dip; a paste

Dolmades - grape leaf-wrapped rice. May include mincemeat, thyme, dill, fennel, oregano, or pine nuts for flavoring.

Courgette Balls (kolokythokeftedes) - made of grated/pureed courgette with a mixture of various spices. may be found in a patty or fried ball form.

Pork Souvlaki - Grill pork skewers marinated in a red wine then grilled.

Lambrospoma - Greek Easter Bread. Yeast bread flavored by orange and Mahlab

Tzatziki - Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce - cucumber dip flavored with garlic. Served with pita bread.

Octopus - may be ordered grilled, boiled, in a salad, and more. Kalamari and Soupia are often served in similar ways.

Cover fee

You are likely to have a cover fee when visiting a restaurant in Greece. Expect €1 to €2.0 per person.

Water

The water in Greece is safe to drink out of the tap. However, bottled water is available as well.

Customs/Courtesies

Holidays

Greece is a member of the European Union (EU). All EU nationals are welcome to Greece without a valid ID. Because Greece is also a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), citizens of states in the EEA that are not in the EU are also welcome without a valid ID. Such states include Norway, Iceland,and Switzerland.

Citizens of non-EU and non-EEA countries are required to have a valid passport to enter. Citizens of Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Hong Kong SAR, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the United States, and others are allowed a 90-day visa-free stay.

Currency/ Currency Conversion (country currency converted in USD, Canadian Dollars, Euros, Pounds, and Yens)

The official currency of Greece is the Euro (€).

MasterCard, Visa, and Eurocard are widely accept in stores, businesses, and transportation agencies across the country. Cash and hard money is recommended in less-touristy. ATMs and banks are available throughout the country to exchange foreign bills and withdraw money.

Euro Conversion*

*exchange rates are constantly fluctuating. We recommend you check current rates prior to your trip. These rates were recorded on 2/28/18

Euro	USD	CDN	Pounds	Yens
1€	1.22	1.57	0.89	130.21
20€	24.40	31.30	17.72	2604.17
100€	121.98	156.51	88.59

Bargaining

Bargaining is not a common practice in Greece. Bargaining is only acceptable in flea markets and markets. it is not tolerated in other instances.

Level of Tourism Development (e.g. hotels, infrastructure)

As a developed country highly dependent on tourism, Greece offers a wide variety of tourist facilities. Tourism infrastructure in Greece has been greatly improved since the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and continues to expand with a number of important projects particularly in areas of less mass-tourism.

Hotels and conference facilities

The five-star Porto Carras Hotel and Resort in Halkidiki hosted the European Union leader's summit in 2003

The port and marina of Naupactus

Conference tourism, targeted at academic, business, or cultural markets, is a cornerstone of the Greek national tourism policy. As a result, the Greek government, with strong support from local authorities, has been offering lucrative cash grants, leasing and employment subsidies and tax allowances to establish new conference facilities and expand existing ones. In a recent report in Meeting and Incentive Travel, Greece was ranked eighth in the world in overnight stays for conferences. Figures from the Tourism Satellite Accounting Research, conducted by WTTC (World Travel & Tourism Council) project a worldwide increase in revenues in business travel to Greece from US $1.51 bn. in 2001 to US $2.69 bn. in 2011. In 1998, the figure stood at US $1.18 bn.

According to the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels in 2016, the number of hotels in Greece was by classification (bedplaces):

* Secondary Attractions

Marinas

Greece has 51 marinas and 14,661 mooring places that provide such services as berths, fuel, water and electricity, telephony, and repairs.

Some of the most developed and busiest marinas in Greece are just a few kilometres from the centre of Athens. The marinas of Alimos and Flisvos, on the south coast of Athens, have an aggregated capacity of more than 1,800 vessels.

Spas and thermal springs

Greece has 752 thermosprings. Many have been classified as therapeutic by the National Institute for Geographical and Mineral Research. Several of them were known and exploited already since antiquity. Thermal or curative tourism was, after all, one of the earliest forms of tourism in the ancient world. In 1983 was founded the Hellenic Association of Municipalities with Thermal Springs [1] Some of these ancient "spa resorts" were situated in Aidipsos, known from the time of Aristotle,Loutraki, mentioned by Xenophon, Traianoupoli [2], founded by the emperor Trajan in the 2nd century A.D., whereas some others are attested in the Byzantine period, such as the Thermal baths of Langadas [3]. In the late 19th and the beginning of the 20th century these hot springs were surrounded by cosmopolitan facilities, namely hotels and restaurants, whereas several prominent members of the society of both the Modern Greek State and the Ottoman State (for regions still incorporated in it) invested in touristic infrastructure and private estates. Thermal tourism became particularly widespread in the 1960s and 1970s, whereas in the 1980s it was widely supported by a social tourism program, which subsidized large part of the expenses for the elderly users of the facilities. Nowadays, however, there is an urgent need to refurbish, restore and elevate these spas to modern standards and create an international clientele. Visitors, however, can already find high-standard touristic facilities in Pozar [4], in Aidipsos [5] and in Kamena Vourla [6], in Loutraki close to Corinth [7] as well as at Kaiafas, on the western shores of the Peloponnese [8]. A detailed List of spa towns in Greece can give an insight in the inexorable richness of thermal springs of the country. View of the town of Corfu

Museums

Several kinds of museums are located in the Hellenic Republic. Generally speaking, every major city and town in Greece has its own Archaeological Museum, which houses findings from the nearby area. However, most of them can be found in the big cities like Athens, where the famous New Acropolis Museumand the National Archaeological Museum are located. Furthermore, there is a vast number of galleries like the National Gallery (Athens). There are many museums in Thessaloniki too, like the Byzantine Museum. Overall, there are approximately 150 museums all over the country which are easily accessible by tourists.

Safety/Security Concerns (e.g. crime, health)

The US Department of State does not discourage American travelers from visiting Greece. It does however urge travelers to exercise caution and follow certain guidelines. Greece is particularly vulnerable to terrorist attacks due to their coastlines and islands.

The State Department notes the following safety concerns:

• strikes and demonstrations are common, and may lead to violence
• transportation strikes can affect your flights
• violent anarchist groups
• petty crimes against tourists

Overall, tourists are not usually targeted by organized criminals in Greece. However if you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time, be cautious. Do not venture out at night alone.

One of the most militant of the domestic terrorist groups is known as the Revolutionary Struggle. While these groups generally do not target tourists, the American Embassy, American and Greek businesses have been attacked. Therefore, tourists could become caught up in an attack, whether it was intended for them or not.

Emergency Contacts

U.S. Embassy Athens

91 Vasilisis Sophias Avenue

10160 Athens, Greece

Improvements for Tourism in Greece

• Headings to improve:
  • history – only talks about history of tourism, not of the country
  • land & Climate – just barely added anything. needs detailed information
  • economic impact – only talks about how the tourism industry affects the economy.
  • visitors
    • add: visa/entry requirements, currency, transportation options
    • give more detail on niche markets, infrastructure, attractions
• Headings to be added:
  • the people
    • sections on population, government, language, religion, food/diet, customs/courtesies, holidays all need to be added
    • tourism
  • concerns – weather/climate, safety, environmental, socio-cultural
  • emergency contacts

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Article Evaluation : "Greek Mafia"

Greek mafia

The introduction paragraph of this topic is very well written; it gives a quick rundown as to what groups they'll be referring to. they make it a point to mention the Greek-American Mafia is separate from the one established in Greece itself. However, they spend more time than necessary in the actual article discussing the Greek-American Mafia. This was a unnecessary distraction from the main topic.

They did a great job at citing when discussing the "Godfathers of the night," and included proper citations. Some portions of the Activities header were not cited correctly, making it appear to be biased. For instance when the article talks about the majority of crime groups being located in Athens. The article appears to be making Athens look like the cause of all crimes.

I was surprised by the amount of marijuana and hash the article discussed. it appears the Greek Mafia controls the government, and controls the movement of these illegal drugs. The aritcle does a good job at backing up their facts on this topic. it also gives the reader a timeline of where the plants are grown, up to where they are delivered. with the sources included this section is very well written.

The page ends with sections about Greek Crime families around the world. Although all of these are interesting to read, they aren't exactly on topic. the opening paragraph gave links to article focusing directly on these situations, meaning they should have left any information in those articles themselves. The ones from 2013 discuss if the article should be merged with crime in Greece. I'm glad they didn't merge these, seeing how the Mafia itself is a huge portion of crime in Greece. If they had merged these, the Mafia would likely overpower any other crime information.

The article does not appear to be rated, and is not part of a wiki project.

Very little discussion has been done on the talk page. A bot modified information in March of 2017, but the rest dates back to 2013.