Line #55 UsefulNotes/Greece


1	[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gr_map.gif]]
2	[[caption-width-right:330:[[{{Pun}} Greece]] [[{{Film/Grease}} is the word]].]]
3
4	-> ''We should give thanks to Greece. It's the West that has a debt in relation to Greece. Philosophy, democracy, tragedy...The technological world in which we live owes everything to Greece. Who invented logic? Creator/{{Aristotle}}...So today the whole world owes Greece money. Greece could ask the contemporary world for one trillion copyrights, and it would only be logical to turn them over to it.''
5	-->-- '''Creator/JeanLucGodard'''
6
7	[[Film/{{Grease}} Greece is not the word]]. At least in Greek, where the Southern European country is called ''Elláda'' ('''Greek:''' ''Ελλάδα, Elláda'')[[note]] Greek '''D''' is pronounced like the English '''th''' in '''th'''ey, so it's pronounced like ''Ellátha/Elládha''. In this article, we also use accents ''áéíóú'' to indicate the stress, like it is in Greek[[/note]]. The formal title is the Hellenic Republic ('''Greek:''' ''Ελληνική Δημοκρατία, Ellīnikī́ Dīmokratía'').
8
9	'''Geography and Climate'''
10
11	* UsefulNotes/{{Athens}} (capital city)
12
13	Greece's area is 131,940 square kilometres (or 81,984 square miles), making it slightly bigger than the [[UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates US]] state of Mississippi and slightly smaller than the state of Louisiana.
14
15	The highest peak in Greece is Mount Olympus (''Ólimpos''), nearly 3,000 metres high (nearly 10,000 feet) and famous for having been the place where the gods of Myth/ClassicalMythology lived.
16
17	Greece is famous for its numerous islands. It is estimated that there are between 1,000 and 6,000 of them in all; of these, only about 200 are inhabited. The largest islands are (in order) Crete (''Kríti''), Euboea (pronounced and in Greek ''Évia''), Lesbos (''Lésvos''), and Rhodes (''Ródhos'').
18
19	The climate is predominantly Mediterranean, but contains a variety of 'micro-climates', mainly influenced by the mountainous ranges. Temperatures generally range from about 0 degrees to 40 degrees (Celsius) in summer. Snow is rare in low-lying areas, but more common at high altitudes.
20
21	'''People'''
22
23	The official language of Greece is Greek. According to the most recent 2011 census, there are nearly 11 million people in Greece.
24
25	Ethnic Greeks make up about 94% of the population, but there is also a large minority of Albanians (4%). The remaining 2% of the population are assorted ethnicities, such as Bulgarians, Romanians, Ukrainians and Pakistanis, to name but a few. Greece received 80,000 Armenian refugees in addition to 1.5 million Anatolian Greeks in the 1923 population exchange with UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}}, but due to gradual emigration the number of Armenians these days is between 20 and 35 thousand.
26
27	The state religion is the [[UsefulNotes/OrthodoxChristianity Greek Orthodox Church]]. About 98% of the population subscribe to this church, according to the 2001 census. In terms of [[ChristianityIsCatholic Catholics]], most live on the Cyclades and Ionian Islands. Greece used to have a large Jewish presence, especially in cities like Thessaloníki, which had existed since the times of antiquity. Nowadays, however, after UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, there are sadly only about 7,500 Jews left in Greece.
28
29	'''Ancient Times'''
30
31	UsefulNotes/AncientGreece was famously the birthplace of democracy, TheSpartanWay (or the [[TropeNamers name source]]), Myth/ClassicalMythology etc., most of the OlderThanFeudalism tropes still popular in Western fiction (okay, except for all the [[Literature/TheBible biblical]] [[AncientRome and Roman]] ones) and the UsefulNotes/OlympicGames. In the last case, they were competed naked. No, women weren't allowed to participate (or watch).
32
33	'''Byzantine Era'''
34
35	Greece was at the heart of the [[UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire Eastern Roman Empire]], more commonly known as the Byzantine Empire, who despite its distinct Hellenicity continued the traditions of Rome long after the western Empire had fallen, and was the birthplace of UsefulNotes/OrthodoxChristianity. Surviving nearly a thousand years after the fall of Rome, the Empire was hijacked and occupied by a group of greedy renegade [[UsefulNotes/TheCrusades crusaders]] and [[UsefulNotes/{{Venice}} Venetians]] in 1204. It never fully recovered . After the Empire was reestablished in 1261, it was too weak to stop the rise of the Ottoman Turks. For the next 192 years, it's territory was gradually eroded by the Turks, and was ultimately conquered in 1453. The Byzantine capital of Constantinople on the Bosphorus is now known as {{UsefulNotes/Istanbul}}, from the Medieval Greek phrase "εἰς τὴν Πόλιν", (''eis tin Pólin'') meaning "to the city".
36
37
38	'''Greek Revolution / War of Independence'''
39
40	In 1821[[labelnote:*]]traditionally, when Archbishop Germanos of Patras raised a flag of resistance over a church on 25 March. Although it's doubtful whether or not this actually happened, that date is still remembered and celebrated as Greece's national day[[/labelnote]], Greek revolutionaries, the most prominent group of which was the secret organization "Filikí Etería" (In English: "Society of Friends"), initiated a campaign to liberate Greece from the [[UsefulNotes/TurksWithTroops Ottoman empire]] and to found an independent nation. This proved a bit difficult at the start, as these revolutionaries [[WeAreStrugglingTogether were rather fond of infighting, internal disputes and disagreements with each other]] rather than forming a cohesive group. Their attentions were mainly focused in the Peloponnese and central Greece. Although they requested the help of the Great Powers of the time, these countries were not very interested in Greece's cause at the beginning.
41
42	By 1825, the Greeks had been very successful in their campaign. In serious trouble, the Ottoman sultan of the time, Mahmud II, enlisted the help of his vassal state and its ruler, Egyptian Viceroy Mehmet Ali and Ali's son Ibrahim Pasha. With these leaders joining the cause, the Ottoman efforts were successful and they managed to recapture most of their losses by the following year.
43
44	This is where the Greek Revolution would have ended, had the Great Powers (the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom, UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia and UsefulNotes/{{France}}) not finally decided[[labelnote:*]]spurred on by a wave of Philhellenism from such figures as Creator/LordByron[[/labelnote]] to intervene and help out. These three countries each sent navies to defeat the Ottomans and drive them out Central Greece and the Peloponnese. Defeated, the Ottomans had no choice but to accept this part of Greece as an independent nation in 1832, ending eleven years of war.
45
46	'''19th and 20th centuries and Territorial Gains'''
47
48	In 1832, the newly formed Kingdom of Greece chose a German royal, Prince Otto of [[UsefulNotes/TheSixteenLandsOfDeutschland Bavaria]], the son of king Ludwig I Bavaria[[labelnote:*]]and uncle of King UsefulNotes/LudwigIIOfBavaria[[/labelnote]], as their new king. Arriving at the very young age of seventeen, Otto was initially much liked and celebrated in his new homeland. However, this popularity was short lived as the Greek population grew weary of the Bavarian ministers that he brought with him to govern the new country, Greece's poverty and the continuing involvement of the Great Powers in Greece's affairs. Under threat of revolution, he agreed to curtail his powers and reign only as a constitutional monarch from 1844 onwards. His popularity never having been regained, Otto was forced by a [[TheCoup coup]] to abdicate the throne and leave Greece in 1862.
49
50	The next king of Greece, actually styling himself instead as 'King of the Hellenes (Greeks)', was a Danish prince, Prince Vilhelm of Denmark[[labelnote:*]]Vilhelm/George I was brother-in-law to king [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor Edward VII of the UK]] through his sister, Alexandra and was also the grandfather of [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]][[/labelnote]]. He reigned as George I and had a much smoother reign in general than his predecessor.
51
52	Greece gradually gained territory over the next decades:
53	* In 1864, the Ionian islands, from the UK.
54	* In 1881, Thessaly, by the Treaty of Berlin, from the Ottoman Empire.
55	* In 1913, (after the Balkan wars) Macedonia, Epirus and Crete, by the Treaty of Bucharest from the Ottoman Empire.
56	* In 1919, Western Thrace, by the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine from Bulgaria.
57
58	At the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, Greek territory, by the Treaty of Sevres, was to include a restored Eastern Thrace, two islands (Imbros and Tenedos, or Gökçeada and Bozcaada in Turkish) and some Greek populated cities on the Turkish coast. This led to a bitter war between Greece and its allies, and Atatürk's resurrected Turkish army. The allies, however, were fatigued after [=WWI=] and thus didn't have their hearts in it, and gave up halfway through the war, giving the Greek army no choice but to retreat from Anatolia.
59
60	In the end, the solution to this war was a 'Population Exchange', in which thousands of European Turks and Asiatic Greeks were booted out of their respective homes [[labelnote:*]]and in the case of Smyrna in Turkey, the Greeks were booted out quite violently along with some leftover Armenians when the Turkish army set fire to their quarters of the city[[/labelnote]]. Through this, the principle of IstanbulNotConstantinople was reaffirmed forever more. The aforementioned areas were returned to Turkey by the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923. Like any of Europe's bucket of ethnic conflicts and past expulsions, the best rule is to not mention this.
61
62	During UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, the Italians attempted to invade Greece, and found themselves bested and humiliated, necessitating UsefulNotes/NaziGermany to turn up to bail them out. The city of Thessaloniki was the home of one of the oldest and largest Jewish communities in Europe, but the Nazis effectively destroyed that community, sending more than 90% of the city's Jews--some 54,000 people--to [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust extermination camps]]. This is something of a touchy subject among Greek people today, since the local Greek Christian population wasn't especially resistant to it happening.
63
64	After the war, Greece plunged into a violent and bloody CivilWar. The clash took place between the Greek Government Army (which included pre-war fascists (under the dictatorship of General Metaxas) and Nazi Collaborators) and the Democratic Army of Greece. The UsefulNotes/ColdWar had already begun and the Government Army was backed by the British and American Army while the Democratic Army which had majority support among locals was comprised of communists and partisans who participated in LaResistance against the Nazis. The British Army under Lt Gen Ronald Scobie fully supported the Government Army and its ensuing dictatorship over popular resistance, citing fears of UsefulNotes/RedsWithRockets. This extended to the British government opening fire on a rally of peaceful supporters which killed 27 people on December 7, 1944.
65
66	In 1947, by the Treaty of Peace with Italy, the Dodecanese islands were returned to Greece, giving Greece its current borders.
67
68	'''Military Junta 1967--1974 "Regime of the Colonels"'''
69
70	Following the end of the civil war, the ensuing eighteen or so years were full of political instability and frequent government changes. Just check out the amount of times the Prime Minister and government [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Prime_Ministers_of_Greece changed in the 1949--1967 period]]. Granted, most of those years were spent under Konstantínos Karamanlís of the National Radical Union and caretaker [=PMs=] in between. But the prospect of a Center Union victory (a more liberal party) by Geórgios Papandréou (grandfather of the recent Papandréou with the same name) in an upcoming election was too great for the conservatives to handle. On the night of 20/21 April, Brigadier General Stylianós Pattakós and two Colonels, Geórgios Papadópoulos and Nikólaos Makarézos, seized control of the government in a [[MilitaryCoup coup d'etat]]. Rounding up all the political leaders and taking control of Athens through surprise and confusion (the tanks at strategic points helped as well), they declared much of the constitution suspended. This meant that they could now arrest pretty much anyone they wanted without a warrant, and to put them on trial in a [[KangarooCourt military court]]. Most of those political prisoners mentioned above were either sent to concentration camps scattered around Greece or sent into exile. For example, Karamanlís escaped to France during the seven years.
71
72	The King at the time, Constantine II, initially worked with the regime. In December of that year, Constantine attempted to organise a counter-coup to get rid of the military rule and to replace it with a civilian one. [[ForegoneConclusion Needless to say]], his plan failed due to bad planning. He was forced to escape to UsefulNotes/{{Italy}} on the royal plane with his family and the former Prime Minister Kóllias in tow. While he remained king, as he never abdicated before fleeing, he was eventually stripped of his monarch and head of state position in 1973.
73
74	The colonels themselves claimed they were trying to save Greece from the [[RedScare threat of communism]], using the rather contradictory term "anarchocommunists" for any left-leaning person. Life under the Junta was extremely restrictive -- freedom of thought and freedom of the press were abolished. Brutal torture of political prisoners was common. Music by 'communist' composers such as Míkis Theodorákis was banned.
75
76	The junta was eventually abolished due to a number of reasons. There had been a heavy anti-Junta movements throughout those seven years, culminating in a takeover of the Athens Polytechnic by students, who [[VoiceOfTheResistance broadcast their own radio station]] with the famous call "This is the Polytechnic. You are listening to the radio station, of the free students, of the free Greeks. Down with the Junta". Another prominent moment was the 1973 mutiny of the destroyer ''Velos'', with the ship fleeing to Sardinia, refusing to return home and sending out anti-Junta messages. The Turkish invasion of UsefulNotes/{{Cyprus}} in 1974 was the final nail in the coffin for the regime. The Army rebelled against the leadership and Greece was returned to a civil government in July 1974. Kóstas Karamanlís returned from France and became Prime Minister, following the first free elections in almost a decade. The monarchy was overwhelmingly (some 70% voting against) abolished by a referendum in December 1974 and a new Republican constitution was written and enacted in 1975.
77
78	'''Modern Greek Politics'''
79
80	Greece is now a modern, democratic country. The parliament, the ''Voulí ton Ellínon'' ('Will or Desire of the Greeks'), is unicameral (has only one chamber) and has 300 members. For most of modern Greek history, either PASOK and ND always held a majority of seats in the ''Voulí''; from 2004 to 2009, ND was in power, from 2009 to 2012, it was PASOK and from 2012 to 2015 it was ND again.
81
82	The ''Voulí'' is made of 300 members and is elected almost entirely based on proportional representation. However, it contains one major non-proportional quirk: [[GoldenSnitch 50 of the seats are reserved for the plurality winner.]] This can elevate what would otherwise be a minority or coalition government into a majority government. For example, in the 2019 election, ND initially was voted into 108 seats out of 300 and 2nd place was Syriza with 86. But since ND was voted into a plurality of seats at first, it finished the election with a majority of 158 due to the extra seats rule.
83
84	For a forty year period from 1975 to 2015, the two main parties in Greece were:
85
86	* '''PASOK''' (''Panellínio Sosialistikó Kómma'', Pan-Hellenic Socialist Party), a centre-left party.
87	* '''Néa Dimokratía''' (New Democracy), a centre-right party, '''opposition'''.
88
89	After the 20 September 2015 general election (the second of that year), the '''government''' consisted of:
90
91	* '''SYRIZA''' (Synaspismós Rizospastikís Aristerás, Coalition of the Radical Left), a far left party,
92	* The '''Independent Greeks''' (''Anexártitoi Éllines'', ANEL), a centre-right or right wing party,
93	The remaining parties with representation (above 3.0% electoral result) in the Voulí are:
94
95	* '''Chrysí Avgi''' (Golden Dawn), a racist and neo-Nazi far right party,
96	* '''Union of Centrists'' (''Énosi Kendróon''), a centre pro-Europe party,
97	* '''To Potámi''' (The River), a centre-Left pro-Europe party,
98	* '''KKE''' (''Kommounistikó Kómma Elládas'', Communist Party of Greece), a Marxist-Leninist far left party. They actively wish to leave the Euro currency and the UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion. They absolutely refuse to form a coalition with anyone.
99
100	Recent economic turmoil and financial problems in Greece led to the extreme right-wing and Neo-Nazi party '''Golden Dawn''' to be elected for the first time. This party made headlines in June 2012 when one of its candidates, Ilías Kasidiáris, [[WouldHitAGirl punched and slapped]] KKE politician Liána Kanélli [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nte1UtRww_k on live television]]. This party's ugly side was revealed in September 2013, when members were allegedly involved in the murder of a HipHop musician called Pávlos Fýssas. This led to the subsequent arrest of key party members. Despite this, the party came ''third'' overall in the January 2015 election, despite the fact that about half of its members were imprisoned!
101
102	There were two general elections held in Greece in 2012, in May and then June, owing to the fact that no government could be formed from the May election. Due to the perceived bad decisions and management, and owing to popular discontent at Prime Minister Giórgos Papandréou's tenure, PASOK was very badly defeated in both elections.
103
104	From this election and between 2012 and 2015, ND was in a coalition with PASOK and DIMAR -- an offshoot far left party that split in 2010 from SYRIZA. However, DIMAR left that coalition in June 2013.
105
106	Due to a failure to elect a president in December 2014 by the Voulí, Samarás called an earlier-than-planned election for 25 January 2015.
107
108	In January 2015, SYRIZA won 149 seats, just 2 short of a majority. As a result of George Papandréou's defection and his formation of a new party, PASÓK suffered very badly and came in last overall. Papadréou himself didn't win a seat; therefore, for the first time in 92 years there was not a representative of his family in the parliament.
109
110	SYRIZA has joined forces with the Independent Greeks, a party [[OddCouple seemingly far from them in terms of ideology]] (right wing) but they both agree that they are anti-austerity and want to fight the Troika. SYRIZA openly intends to rely on votes from non-coalition parties like To Potámi for legislation on other subjects.
111
112	The Greek Prime Minister (''Prothypourgós'') was Alexís Tsípras of SYRIZA. He was the youngest Prime Minister of Greece in its history, aged only forty. He was also the first to choose a [[{{UsefulNotes/Atheism}} secular oath of office]], rather than the usual Greek Orthodox Church religious ceremony. Previous PM Samarás was also harshy criticised for refusing to turn up and hand over to his successor before the oath.
113
114	However, [[HereWeGoAgain due to a split within Syriza in the summer of 2015, Tsipras resigned and another election was called for late September.]] Vassilikí Thánou-Christophílou was sworn in as his interim successor, making her the first female Prime Minister of Greece. Syriza subsequently won that election, but their next term faced dwindling polls.
115
116	In the latter half of 2019, ND, now led by Kyriákos Mitsotákis (son of a former prime minister himself) won the both the European and national elections by a landslide, causing SYRIZA to lose a big chunk of its power.
117
118	Greece is a member of the [[UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion European Union]] since 1981 and of {{UsefulNotes/NATO}} since 1952.
119
120	'''Culture'''
121
122	Culturally, 2004 was a good year for Greek sport - as well as hosting the Olympics in UsefulNotes/{{Athens}}, the Greek football team (which had never before won a match at a major tournament) pulled off a spectacular shock by winning the 2004 European Championships, defeating hosts Portugal in the final. Sadly for the Greek team, the defense of their crown in Austria/Switzerland in 2008 was more of a reversion to type - they lost all of their group games.
123
124	[[StealthPun For those of you wanting an answer to that ancient question]],[[note]][[WhatsAHenway How much does a Grecian urn?]][[/note]] Greece's estimated per capita GDP in 2008 was $32,100. However, that was before the credit crunch and the debt problems Greece is now suffering from, not helped by large-scale tax evasion.
125
126	!! History of Greece
127	[[index]]
128	* UsefulNotes/AncientGreece
129	* UsefulNotes/TheTrojanWar
130	* UsefulNotes/GrecoPersianWars
131	* UsefulNotes/ThePeloponnesianWar
132	* UsefulNotes/MacedonianSuccessionWars
133	* UsefulNotes/TheRomanRepublic
134	* UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire
135	* UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire
136	* UsefulNotes/OttomanEmpire
137	* WorldWarII/WarInEuropeAndAfrica
138	* UsefulNotes/HistoryOfTheColdWar
139	[[/index]]
140
141	!!Greece in fiction:
142	* The last arc of ''Anime/HelloSandybell'' takes place in Greece, specifically Athens and [[spoiler:Lefkada]]
143	* The Creator/JohnLeCarre novel, ''The Little Drummer Girl''.
144	* ''Franchise/JamesBond'':
145	** ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'', the 1981 [[Film/JamesBond film]].
146	** The [[Literature/JamesBond novel]] ''Literature/ColonelSun'' is primarly set in Greece and the Aegean Islands.
147	* ''Film/MyBigFatGreekWedding''
148	* ''Theatre/MammaMia''
149	* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' - The MoeAnthropomorphism of Greece is the [[NiceGuy laid-back]], [[HeavySleeper perpetually sleepy]] Herakles Karpouzi. He also philosophizes and likes cats.
150	* ''Literature/CaptainCorellisMandolin''
151	* ''Film/SummerLovers'' - RomanticComedy about Americans (Peter Gallagher and Creator/DarylHannah) on vacation in Greece with an emphasis on SceneryPorn.
152	* ''Film/ZorbaTheGreek''
153	* ''Film/{{Z}}''
154	* ''Recap/AsterixAtTheOlympicGames''
155	* The ''ComicBook/SuskeEnWiske'' stories "De Mottenvanger" and "De Kadulle Cupido".
156	* Many films titled Hercules, including [[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} the animated one]], [[Film/{{Hercules 1958}} an Italian live-action film in the 1950s]], [[Film/{{Hercules 1983}} an unrelated one in the 1980s]], and [[Film/{{Hercules 2014}} another unrelated one in the 2010s]].
157	* ''Film/JasonAndTheArgonauts'' (1963 film)
158	* ''Series/JasonAndTheArgonauts'' (2000 miniseries)
159	* ''Film/ClashOfTheTitans1981''
160	* ''Film/ClashOfTheTitans2010''
161	* ''Film/{{Alexander}}''
162	* ''Film/{{Troy}}''
163	* ''Film/{{Intolerance}}''
164	* ''Film/The300Spartans'', the comic book it inspired, and its subsequent film adaptation, ''Film/ThreeHundred''.
165	* ''Film/TheLegendOfHercules''
166	* ''Film/{{Immortals}}''
167	* ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'' - Though inevitable given that Myth/ClassicalMythology is the topic, the characters don't actually visit Greece until near the end of ''The House of Hades'' (and even then only in Epirus, presently shared with UsefulNotes/{{Albania}}); it's only properly explored in the last book, ''The Blood of Olympus''.
168	* The British TV series ''[[Series/WhoPaysTheFerryman Who Pays the Ferryman?]]'' was filmed on location in Crete and had a number of Greek actors (to say nothing of most of the extras). And the memorable theme tune was composed by a Greek. Although set in the then-modern day (1977), a lot of the storyline related to what happened on Crete during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Coming as it did at a time when more and more people from northern European countries were looking at Greece as a holiday destination, it was responsible for a considerable TouristBump.
169	* ''VideoGame/OutToLunch'': The second world takes place here.
170	* ''VideoGame/ZeusMasterOfOlympus'': Each campaign focuses on a different city-state and elements of Myth/GreekMythology.
171	* The ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' series, except the [[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 2018 game]], which takes place in Norway instead.
172	* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'' takes place in Greece.
173	* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert'': The Allied forces second-in-command is Greek, General Nikos Stavros. Mission 5 of the Soviet campaign concerns the capture of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalcis Chalcis Island]], while a mission in the ''Counterstrike'' expansion pack covers the fall of Greece to the Soviet invasion and has you evacuating Stavros [[DoomedHometown through the burning remains of his hometown.]]
174	* ''ComicBook/{{Democracy}}'', a graphic novel which takes place in Ancient Athens and has to do with how, well… [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin democracy was formed]].
175	* ''VideoGame/ImmortalsFenyxRising'' is set in Greece with a humorous mythological take.
176	* ''VideoGame/BodyHarvest'' begins in Greece in 1916 as the Bugs take advantage of the chaos of World War I to capture and harvest humans.
177	* The plot of ''VideoGame/NoOneLivesForever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way'' revolves around tensions rising between the United States and the Soviet Union over the island of Chios, with the final mission taking place on the island itself.
178	* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyAdvancedWarfare'' has the mission Manhunt, set in Santorini, where you are tasked with assassinating Hades, the head of the KVA.
179
180	!!Fictional Greek people
181	* Dimitri Levendis in ''Series/{{Spooks}}'' is the son of Greek immigrant parents. He works for [[UsefulNotes/SecretIntelligenceService [=MI5=]]].
182	* Stella Bonasera in ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' is a half-Greek, half-Italian American cop, who self identifies as Greek and speaks the language fluently.
183	* Creator/MarvelComics has ComicBook/{{Elektra}} and ComicBook/XMen villain Avalanche (Dimitros Petrakis).
184	** Also from Marvel, Michael Morbius, better known as ComicBook/{{Morbius}} [[OurVampiresAreDifferent the Living Vampire]], was born and raised in Nafplio, a seaport town in the Peloponnese in Greece.
185	* As covered above, General Nikos Stavros from ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert.''
186
187	!!Famous Greeks
188	* '''Creator/{{Aeschylus}}'''
189	* '''UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat'''
190	* '''Creator/{{Aristophanes}}'''
191	* '''Creator/{{Aristotle}}'''
192	* '''UsefulNotes/{{Cleopatra VII}}'''
193	* '''Creator/CostaGavras'''
194	* '''Creator/{{Euripides}}'''
195	* '''Creator/{{Hesiod}}'''
196	* '''Creator/{{Homer}}'''
197	* '''UsefulNotes/{{Pericles}}'''
198	* '''Creator/{{Plato}}'''
199	* '''Creator/{{Sappho}}'''
200	* '''Creator/{{Socrates}}'''
201	* '''Creator/{{Sophocles}}'''
202	* '''UsefulNotes/{{Theodora}}'''
203	* '''Creator/{{Thucydides}}'''
204	* '''Music/{{Vangelis}}'''
205	* '''Creator/{{Xenophon}}'''
206	* ''' Giánnis Antetokoúnmpo''' (b 1994), [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]] star with the Milwaukee Bucks and two-time reigning league MVP (2019, 2020). If the last name doesn't look quite Greek to you, that's because he's the Greek-born son of UsefulNotes/{{Nigeria}}n immigrants.
207	* '''María Cállas''' (1923--1977), a soprano and one of the most renowned opera singers of the 20th century. Famously had a long relationship with Aristotle Onássis. Well-known for her interpretations of Bel Canto and [[Music/GiuseppeVerdi Verdi]] operas.
208	* '''Níkos Gális''' (b 1957), Hall of Fame basketball player; born in New Jersey to Greek parents. Though he never played in the NBA, he had a legendary career in European basketball, and is widely credited with making basketball one of Greece's most popular sports.
209	* '''Mános Hatzidákis''' (1925--1994), Greece's most famous composer. Wrote many of Alíki Vougioukláki's most famous songs. Also wrote the title song of the film ''Film/NeverOnSunday'', sung by Mercoúri (see below) for which he won an Oscar.
210	* '''Melína Mercoúri''' (1920--1994), probably most famous for starring in Jules Dassin's 1960 Comedy/Drama film ''Film/NeverOnSunday''. Also served for as Minister for Culture between 1981--1989 and again in 1993-1994, under PASOK.
211	* '''Nána Moúskouri''' (b 1934), a folk/Pop/Easy listening singer, famous for her trademark large black glasses.
212	* The '''Onássis''' clan, especially:
213	** '''Aristotélis/Aristotle''' (1906--1975), a billionaire shipping magnate. Born in Smýrni in UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}} (now Izmir) and living in Buenos Aires, UsefulNotes/{{Argentina}} for much of his life, he founded the Greek flag-carrier airline, Olympic Airways/Airlines (which went bust in 2009). Most famous for having married UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy's widow Jackie in 1968. They remained married until his death in 1975. Also famously had a long relationship with opera singer and fellow Greek María Cállas.
214	** '''Christína''' (1950--1988), his only daughter, and his only surviving child and heir when he died in 1975 (his son Aléxandros having died in a plane accident in 1973). She married four times and like her brother, died young. She only had one daughter out of her marriages, '''Athiná Onássis-Roussel''' (b 1985), and as his only surviving heir at all, she now possesses 55% of her grandfather's fortune (reportedly over a billion dollars; the rest of it went to either Jackie Onassis or the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, established in honor of Aristotle's son).
215	* '''Démis Roússos''' (1946--2015), a singer who was a famous and unlikely sex symbol in the 1970s.
216	* '''Míkis Theodorákis''' (b 1925), Greece's ''other'' famous composer, best-known for scoring ''Film/ZorbaTheGreek'', ''{{Film/Z}}'' and ''Film/{{Serpico}}''.
217	* '''Alíki Vougioukláki''' (1934--1996), Greece's most famous actress, well known for her blonde hair and for starring in many, ''many'' films of the 1960s.
218
219	!! See also:
220	[[index]]
221	* UsefulNotes/{{Athens}} (capital city)
222	* GreekMedia
223	* UsefulNotes/ThisIsHellas (Greek military)
224	[[/index]]
225	----
226	[[AC:The Greek flag]]
227	https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/greece_flag_4085.png
228	->The equilateral cross at the canton represents the Greek Orthodox Church, the nation's dominant religion (97% of the total population). The nine stripes have various interpretations -- one popular version equates it with the syllables of the words "Ελευθερία ή θάνατος" (Eleftheria i Thanatos -- "[[GiveMeLibertyOrGiveMeDeath Freedom or Death]]"), the battle cry of the anti-Ottoman LaResistance; another has it simply as the letters of the word "Ελευθερία" (Eleftheria -- "freedom"), and still another equates them with the Muses, goddesses of art and civilization in Greek mythology. The flag's blue and white colors also have varying meanings, such as the sky and the sea, or the traditional colors of the Greek people since antiquity.
229	----
230	[[AC:The Greek national anthem]]
231
232	->Σε γνωρίζω από την κόψη
233	->Του σπαθιού την τρομερή,
234	->Σε γνωρίζω από την όψη,
235	->Που με βιά μετράει τη γη.
236
237	->Απ’ τα κόκκαλα βγαλμένη
238	->Των Ελλήνων τα ιερά,
239	->Και σαν πρώτα ανδρειωμένη,
240	->Χαίρε, ω χαίρε, ελευθεριά!
241	->Και σαν πρώτα ανδρειωμένη,
242	->Χαίρε, ω χαίρε, ελευθεριά!
243	[[note]]
244	->Se gnorízo apó tin kópsi
245	->Tou spathioú tin tromerí,
246	->Se gnorízo apó tin ópsi,
247	->Pou me viá metráei ti gi.
248
249	->Ap’ ta kókkala vgalméni
250	->Ton Ellínon ta ierá,
251	->Kai san próta andreioméni,
252	->Chaíre, o chaíre, eleftheriá!
253	->Kai san próta andreioméni,
254	->Chaíre, o chaíre, eleftheriá!
255	[[/note]]
256
257	--
258
259	->I recognize you by the fearsome,
260	->sharpness of the sword,
261	->I recognize you by your face
262	->that hastefully defines the land.
263
264	->From the sacred bones,
265	->of the Hellenes arisen,
266	->and valiant again as you once were,
267	->Hail, o hail, Liberty!
268	->And valiant again as you once were,
269	->Hail, o hail, Liberty!
270	----
271	[[AC:Government]]
272	* Unitary parliamentary republic
273	** President: Katerina Sakellaropoulou
274	** Prime Minister: Kyriakos Mitsotakis
275	** Speaker of the Parliament: Konstantinos Tasoulas
276	----
277	[[AC:Miscellaneous]]
278	* '''Capital and largest city:''' Athens ('''Greek:''' ''Αθήνα Athína'')
279	* '''Population:''' 10,718,565
280	* '''Area:''' 131,957 km
281	(50,949 sq mi) (95th)
282	* '''Currency''': Euro (€) (EUR)
283	* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' GR
284	* '''Country calling code:''' 30
285	* '''Highest point:''' Mount Olympus (2917 m/9,570 ft) (71st)

Context UsefulNotes / Greece