Athens

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For other uses, see Athens (disambiguation).
Athens
Αθήνα
Athīna
The Parthenon in Athens.
The Parthenon in Athens.
Flag of Athens
Location
Athens is located in Greece
Coordinates 37°58′N 23°43′E / 37.967°N 23.717°E / 37.967; 23.717Coordinates: 37°58′N 23°43′E / 37.967°N 23.717°E / 37.967; 23.717
Time zone: EET/EEST (UTC+2/3)
Elevation (min-max): 70 - 338 m (230 - 1109 ft)
Government
Country: Greece
Periphery: Attica
Districts: 7
Mayor: Giorgos Kaminis  (Independent)
(since: 29 December 2010)
Population statistics (as of 2011[1])
Metropolitan
 - Population: 3,737,550
 - Area: 2,928.717 km² (1,131 sq mi)
 - Density: 1,276 /km² (3,305 /sq mi)
Municipality
 - Population: 655,780
 - Area: 38.964 km² (15 sq mi)
 - Density: 16,830 /km² (43,591 /sq mi)
Codes
Postal: 10x xx, 11x xx, 120 xx
Telephone: 21
Auto: Yxx, Zxx, Ixx (excluding ZAx and INx)
Website
www.cityofathens.gr
Flag of Greece.svg

Athens is the capital city of Greece. It is one of the most famous cities in the world. The city is named after Athena. She is the goddess of wisdom and war in Greek mythology. Athens has a population of over three million people and is growing. It is in the prefecture, or division of the country, of Attica.

Contents

[change] History of Athens

Main page: Ancient Athens

It is known that there were settlements in the Attica region since prehistoric times. It is unknown, however, when exactly one of them was first called "Athens". According to Plato (in Timeos dialogue), when Solon visited Egypt, some priests told him that according to their archives there was a city called Athens at least from 9600 BC. There is no evidence to support this.

According to Greek mythology the name "Athens" have given in the time of its first king Cecrops about 2000 BC.

Later, the myth of Theseas shows that the city was a vassal of Minoic Crete until an expedition that overthrown that status-quo.

According to Homer's Iliad Athens took the side of Mykenae in the Troic War, senting 50 ships (that means 1650 – 2750 men) under the command of its king Menestheas. That shows that it was already a relatively major city of Greece, since a few other cities sent more.

Athens was a powerful city in Classical times. It was known for the amount of learning that happened there. The city was home to Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum. It also had its own Constitution. Athens also created the world's first known democracy.

The city started to decline in 529, when the Emperor Justinian I closed its philosophical schools. Parthenon had made in Cristian Church. That act saved it later from destraction of non Christian temoples, in times of deep Theocracy.

The Ottoman Turks took control of Athens in 1458. The Turks made the Parthenon into a Muslim mosque. The Parthenon was later damaged in 1687 when gunpowder exploded inside it.

Athens was freed from the Turks during the Greek war of independence (1821-1833). It was then made into the capital of Greece.

[change] Events

[change] Sister cities

Athens has these sister cities:

[change] References

  1. ↑ PDF "(875 KB) 2001 Census" (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΣΥΕ). www.statistics.gr. http://www.statistics.gr/gr_tables/S1101_SAP_1_TB_DC_01_03_Y.pdf PDF. Retrieved 2007-10-30. 
  2. ↑ http://www.lacity.org/sistercities/
  3. ↑ http://www.chicagosistercities.com/index.php
  4. ↑ http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/ying/default.htm

[change] Other websites

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