Athens

"Athenian" redirects here. For other uses, see Athenian (disambiguation) and Athens (disambiguation).

Athens
Αθήνα, Athína
Capital city
Acropolis of Athens from Mount Lycabettus
Zappeion
Temple of Olympian Zeus
Old Royal Palace
(The Hellenic Parliament)
Metropolitan Cathedral
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
Academy of Athens
Monastiraki square and Acropolis of Athens
Flag of Athens
Flag
Official seal of Athens
Seal
Nicknames: 
τὸ κλεινὸν ἄστυ (tò kleinòn ásty, "the glorious city")
τὸ ἰοστεφὲς ἄστυ (tò iostephès ásty, "the violet-crowned city")
The City of Wisdom[1]
City of Reason[2]
Athens is located in Greece
Athens
Athens
Location within Greece
Athens is located in Balkans
Athens
Athens
Location within Europe
Athens is located in Europe
Athens
Athens
Athens (Europe)
Coordinates: 37°59′03″N 23°43′41″E / 37.98417°N 23.72806°E / 37.98417; 23.72806
CountryGreece
Geographic regionCentral Greece
Administrative regionAttica
Regional unitCentral Athens
Named forAthena
Districts7
Government
 • TypeMayor–council government
 • MayorHaris Doukas[3] (PASOK)
Area
 • Capital city and municipality
38.964 km2 (15.044 sq mi)
 • Urban
412 km2 (159 sq mi)
 • Metro
2,928.717 km2 (1,130.784 sq mi)
Highest elevation
338 m (1,109 ft)
Lowest elevation
70.1 m (230.0 ft)
Population
 (2021)[4]
 • Capital city and municipality
643,452
 • Rank1st urban, 1st metro in Greece
 • Urban
3,059,764
 • Urban density7,400/km2 (19,000/sq mi)
 • Metro
3,638,281
 • Metro density1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi)
DemonymAthenian
GDP (2022)
[5]
 • Metro€97 billion
 • Per capita€25,800
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal codes
10x xx, 11x xx, 120 xx
Telephone21
Vehicle registrationYxx, Zxx, Ixx
Patron saintDionysius the Areopagite (3 October)
Major airport(s)Athens International Airport
Websitecityofathens.gr

Athens[a] (/ˈæθɪnz/ ATH-inz)[6] is the capital and largest city of Greece. A major coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica region and is the southernmost capital on the European mainland. With its urban area's population numbering over three and a quarter million, it is the eighth largest urban area in the European Union. The Municipality of Athens (also City of Athens), which constitutes a small administrative unit of the entire urban area, had a population of 643,452 (2021)[4] within its official limits, and a land area of 38.96 km2 (15.04 sq mi).[7][8]

Athens is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years,[9] and its earliest human presence beginning somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennia BC. According to Greek mythology the city was named after Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom, but modern scholars generally agree that the goddess took her name after the city.[10] Classical Athens was one of the most powerful city-states in ancient Greece. It was a centre for democracy, the arts, education and philosophy,[11][12] and was highly influential throughout the European continent, particularly in Ancient Rome.[13] For this reason, it is often regarded as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy in its own right independently from the rest of Greece.[14][15]

In modern times, Athens is a large cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece. It is a Beta (+) - status global city according to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network,[16] and is one of the biggest economic centers in Southeastern Europe. It also has a large financial sector, and its port Piraeus is both the 2nd busiest passenger port in Europe,[17] and the 13th largest container port in the world.[18] The Athens metropolitan area or Greater Athens[19] extends beyond its administrative municipal city limits as well as its urban agglomeration, with a population of 3,638,281 (2021)[4][20][21] over an area of 2,928.717 km2 (1,131 sq mi).[8]

The heritage of the Classical Era is still evident in the city, represented by ancient monuments, and works of art, the most famous of all being the Parthenon, considered a key landmark of early Western culture. The city also retains Roman, Byzantine and a smaller number of Ottoman monuments, while its historical urban core features elements of continuity through its millennia of history. Athens is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Acropolis of Athens and the medieval Daphni Monastery. Athens is also home to several museums and cultural institutions, such as the National Archeological Museum, featuring the world's largest collection of ancient Greek antiquities, the Acropolis Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art, the Benaki Museum, and the Byzantine and Christian Museum. Athens was the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896, and 108 years later it hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics, making it one of five cities to have hosted the Summer Olympics on multiple occasions.[22]

  1. ^ "Athens: City of Wisdom". Washington Independent Review of Books. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Athens and Jerusalem: City of Reason, City of Faith". RANE Network. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  3. ^ Municipality of Athens, Municipal elections – October 2023, Ministry of Interior
  4. ^ a b c "Census 2021 GR" (PDF) (Press release). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 19 July 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  5. ^ "EU regions by GDP, Eurostat". www.ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  6. ^ Wells, John C. (1990). "Athens". Longman pronunciation dictionary. Harlow, England: Longman. p. 48. ISBN 0-582-05383-8.
  7. ^ "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Characteristics". Hellenic Interior Ministry. ypes.gr. Archived from the original on 4 January 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2007.
  9. ^ Vinie Daily, Athens, the city in your pocket, p. 6.
  10. ^ Greenberg, Mike; PhD (23 February 2021). "Athena Facts: Things that not many people know about..." Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  11. ^ "Contents and Principles of the Programme of Unification of the Archaeological Sites of Athens". Hellenic Ministry of Culture. yppo.gr. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  12. ^ CNN & Associated Press (16 January 1997). "Greece uncovers 'holy grail' of Greek archeology". CNN. Archived from the original on 6 December 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2007.
  13. ^ Encarta Ancient Greece from the Internet Archive– Retrieved on 28 February 2012. Archived 31 October 2009.
  14. ^ "Athens". Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 31 December 2008. Ancient Greek Athenai, historic city and capital of Greece. Many of classical civilization's intellectual and artistic ideas originated there, and the city is generally considered to be the birthplace of Western civilization
  15. ^ BBC History on Greek Democracy Archived 19 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine – Accessed on 26 January 2007
  16. ^ "The World According to GaWC 2020". GaWC – Research Network. Globalization and World Cities. Archived from the original on 24 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  17. ^ "Maritime passenger statistics". Eurostat. Eurostat. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  18. ^ "World Shipping Council- Top 50 Ports". World Shipping Council. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  19. ^ Monthly Statistical Bulletin of Greece, December 2012. ELSTAT. 2012. p. 64.
  20. ^ "Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός – ELSTAT". www.statistics.gr. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  21. ^ "Athens, Greece Metro Area Population 1950–2023". www.macrotrends.net. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  22. ^ CNN & Sports Illustrated (5 September 1997). "Sentiment a factor as Athens gets 2004 Olympics". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2008. Retrieved 28 March 2007.


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