Greece is a country in the south-eastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula, covering an area of 131,957 square km. and a population over 11,5 million people. It borders with Albania, FYROM and Bulgaria to the north and by Turkey to the east. Its capital is Athens, with population over 4,5 million people. Greece has been a member state of the European Union since 1981. The Aegean Sea surrounds the mainland to the east and south, whilst the Ionian Sea to the west, both of which feature a vast number of islands.
Currency: Greece’s local currency is Euro. Notes are in denominations of: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500, Coins are in denominations of: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, 1 and 2 Euro.
Climate: Greece has a Mediterranean climate with plenty of sunshine, mild temperatures and limited amount of rainfall due to its rugged relief and differences between the mainland and the sea. In the summer, the city has hot and dry days that are cooled by seasonal winds called 'meltemi', while mountainous regions have generally lower temperatures. The winters are mild in lowland areas, with a minimum amount of snow and ice, yet the mountains are usually snow-covered.
Time: The local time is +2 hours GMT.
The standard electric current in Greece is 230V AC (50Hz). All appliances from North America need a transformer and British ones need an adaptor.
2013 Calendar of Greek Holidays:
January 1 - New Year's Day
January 6 - Epiphany Day
March 25 - Greek Independence Day
May 3rd - Good Friday
May 5th – Greek Orthodox Easter
May 1 - Labour Day
August 15 - Assumtion Day
October 26 – For Thessaloniki St. Dimitrios Day
October 28 - Greek National Day
December 25 - Christmas Day
December 26 - Boxing Day