Paige's+Europe+Project

=Greece= Greece is a very beautiful country. Greece is a very mountainous country and is mainly surrounded the Mediterranean Sea. It is made up of more than 1,400 islands. During the Greek Dark Ages Greece was made up of many small villages. Those villages began to evolve and grew into city-states. Many of the people who live in Greece have a very refined taste of Olive Oil, which is a main ingredient you will find in a majority of Greek dishes. Many tourists will go to Greece to see the geography, learn more about Greece, and will try some new foods. toc

Geography
The geography of Greece is very mountainous and is surrounded by lots of water. (Picture of Mount Olympus)Greece is mostly surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. Many greek cities were founded around the Black Sea, Italy, Sicily, Spain, France, and North Africa. Greece has nearly 1,500 islands that extends southward from the European continent into the Aegean cretan, Mediterranean, Ionian, and Thracian seas. Western and Central Greece contains high, steep peaks and mountains. Greece is one of the most mountainous country out of all the countries in Europe. The Pindus Mountains, a range of the Dinaric Alps that stretch south from Albania and Macedonia, dominates most of the Western half of the country. The highest Greek mountain is Mount Olympus. It forms the highest point in greece at 2,919 meters above Sea level. The geography of Greece is very beautiful and is enjoyed by all.

Greece has the largest coastline in all of Europe mainly due to all of the islands. Most of the islands are located in the Aegean between the mainland and Turkey. Out of all of the islands that largest is Crete. It’s about 3,219 cubic miles. The most famous islands are Santorini (35.12 cubic miles), Mykonos (40.61 cubic miles), Rhodes (544 cubic miles), Zakynthos (157.4 cubic miles), and Corfu (236.9 cubic miles). The capital of greece is Athens. It is a total of 15.04 cubic miles. About 20% of Greece is made up of Islands.

History
Greece’s history can lead back to the stone ages. When people would wear tunics and when Greece was just made up of some small villages scattered around. Before the Archaic period during the so-called “Greek Dark Ages” people lived in small farm villages. Many of the villages began to evolve later in the years. They developed many governments and organized their citizens according to some sort of constitution or laws. Every city-state ,also known as poleis, was said to be protected by a particular god or goddess which owed a great deal of reverence, respect, and sacrifice. For example there is a sacrifice called “ The Aztec Sacrifice,” which is where they would owe the God or Goddess a blood-debt. This sacrifice was one of most popular sacrifices that the city-states would owe.

One of the most known greek historic events in time was Greek Mythology. Greek Mythology had to do with the belief of Gods and Goddess. This added elaborate stories and personalities to the civilians thoughts. Many of these myths and legends were made to enrich a large portion of literature and arts. For example the legend of Delphi is where you worship Apollo as the god of light, harmony, and order was established between the 11th and 9th centuries.

Food
Greek dishes were very unique and had their own style. Many greeks would cook with many of the same ingredients if many different dishes. Some of the most popular ingredients are lemon juice, tomatoes, peppers, oregano, and garlic. Some popular dishes that greeks will make are Moussaka which is a casserole, Tyropites which are little pastry triangles filled with cheese, and Baklava which is pastry with a cinnamon-nutmeg filling. Many meats that they would use goat, sheep/lamb, and pork. Many Greeks say that they have a very refined taste of Olive Oil, so it will be one of the main ingredients in almost every Greek dish.

Many Greeks like to eat healthy and live a healthy lifestyle. Many Greeks will follow the “Mediterranean Diet.” A Mediterranean Diet is a healthy diet that has low rates of cancer, obesity, Alzheimer's disease, and heart disease. Some popular dishes that are included in the diet are: lemon salmon with lima beans, grilled lamb chops with mint, Artichokes Provencal, and Spicy escarole with garlic. Many of these dishes are very healthy and unique.