Fun Facts

• With over about 9,000 miles of coastline, no point in Greece is more than 85 miles from water. And there are more than 2,000 Greek islands, but only 170 are populated.

• You’ll see the superstitious “evil eye” everywhere here. The big blue eye-shaped designs are on everything from jewelry to décor. Wearing the charms, or even just blue beads, is believed to ward off the evil eye. This is also why all the homes in Cycladic architecture are painted blue in some part.

• Don’t wave hello or goodbye to a Greek! An open-palmed wave, fingers extended, is the most common body language insult given—it’s the equivalent of giving the finger. When Greeks wave in salutation, they do so with the palm closed.

• Greece is the most sexually active country in the world according to condom companies.

During summertime, there are more tourists in Greece than Greeks.