Population of Greece - size, ethnic composition, demography and other characteristics. The peoples of Greece: culture and traditions

Greece is an ethnically homogeneous country: almost all of Greece is native language e and, as a rule, knows English, and small other nationalities in Greece also use their native language, usually in everyday life. The population of Greece, according to statistics, is more than 11 million people, and according to these indicators, the country ranks 74th in the world in terms of population. The bulk of the population lives in major cities- Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Volos, Heraklion, and in general more than half of all residents live in cities. The population in Greece occupies the coastal plains with greater pleasure than the hilly and mountainous regions. There are more women in the country than men, the reason for this is the outflow of able-bodied men abroad to work - about 3 million Greeks live outside the Greek borders, in other countries. It must be said that the government of the country began to seriously fear Lately that the nation in Greece is beginning to degenerate: according to statistical data, for last years The mortality rate of the population began to outpace the birth rate, which cannot but be alarming. Now the situation has begun to improve, but at a very slow pace, and child mortality rates have finally begun to decline.

Residents of Greece, their culture and traditions

As already mentioned, almost all the people of Greece are Greeks. This density ethnic group on the territory of the country is due to the fact that during the Hellenistic period the peoples Ancient Greece practically did not mix with other tribes. The only big influence on ethnic composition The population was affected by the years spent under the yoke of the Turkish Empire, although after the First World War more than a million Greeks were returned to their historical homeland from Turkey, and Greek Turks were sent to their country. Since now the majority of the inhabitants of Greece profess Orthodox Christianity, all the traditions and culture of the Greek people are in one way or another connected with religion. In their homes, as well as in shops and offices, in cars and in public transport Greek residents usually keep orthodox icons, even small ones, not a single holiday passes without visiting church, and, although freedom of religion is recognized by law, the church prohibits changing religion.

On this moment The population of Greece is slightly more than ten and a half million people. The range from fifteen to sixty-four years is the age of the bulk of the population and makes up 66.2% of the total population. Children under fifteen make up 14.9% of the Greek population. People over sixty-five years old live in the country at 19.6%. Average age The male population of Greece is 41 years old, the female population is 43 years old. The average life expectancy for men is about eighty years, for women – about eighty-two years.

Recently, there has been a sad fact of a decline in the natural population growth of Greece. If previously this parameter was approximately 1%, now it is only 0.18-0.19%. As you can see, the birth rate has become significantly less than the death rate. But observations have shown that in recent years the infant mortality rate has decreased significantly in Greece, so it is quite possible to expect a change in mortality and birth rates in better side. According to statistics, in Greece boys are born much more often than girls, and on average there is one child per woman.

The largest part of the population of Greece lives in Athens (approximately three million inhabitants), Thessaloniki (seven hundred and fifty thousand) and Patras (two hundred and thirty thousand). The main centers of the country are located in Athens and Thessaloniki: political, economic and cultural.

The literacy rate of the Greek population is at the proper level and amounts to 96%. Moreover, the literacy level of the female half of the population is slightly higher than the literacy level of men. Greece is a country with a very homogeneous ethnic composition of the population. 94% of the country's total population is Greek, 4% Albanian. The remaining 2% includes quite a lot of nationalities, their numbers are so small that there is no need to go into detail and list them.

In the sixth and seventh centuries AD, representatives of the Slavic peoples appeared in almost all corners of Greece. They gradually assimilated with the local residents, and are now full-fledged indigenous inhabitants of the country. At the end of the Middle Ages, Albanians settled in the valleys of Thessaly. The number of Albanians has recently increased significantly due to illegal emigration.

At the same time, many native residents of Greece willingly leave the country and go abroad to the places of residence of ancient Greek communities. For example, 80% of the population of Cyprus are former native residents of Greece. Large Greek communities also exist in North America.

As for religion, we can say with confidence that all Greeks profess Orthodoxy. Christianity is duly legitimized in the Constitution and is rightfully state religion. But in Greece there are also other forms of religion: two hundred and thirty thousand Muslims, seventy thousand Protestants and approximately sixty thousand Catholics. There is also a small group of Jews, numbering only five thousand people, in Thessaloniki. The laws of Greece in no way prohibit freedom of choice of religion, but the promotion of a religion other than Christian is prohibited.

Greece is located on the Balkan Peninsula and nearby islands. It borders with many countries and Republics, for example: Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey and the Republic of Macedonia. The expanses of Greece are washed by the Aegean, Thracian, Ionian, Mediterranean and Cretan seas.

The word "Greek" appeared during the Roman Empire. This was the name given to the Greek colonists of Southern Italy. Later they began to call all the inhabitants of Greece, at that time - Hellenes. Until the Middle Ages, the Greeks lived according to their own rules and foundations, having a great influence on the development European culture. But with the resettlement of Vlachs, Slavs, and Albanians, their lives changed somewhat.

Peoples inhabiting Greece

Today Greece is an ethnically homogeneous country - residents speak common language, but also speak English. In terms of the number of people living in the country, Greece ranks 74th in the world. As for faith, almost all Greeks profess Orthodoxy.

The most populated cities in Greece are: Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Volos and Heraklion. There are plenty of mountainous and hilly areas in these cities, but people prefer to live on the coast.

The mixing of blood began at the beginning of our era. In the 6th-7th centuries. n. e. the Slavs occupied most Greek territories, from that moment on, they became part of the Greek people.

In the Middle Ages, Greece was invaded by Albanians. Despite the fact that Greece at that moment was subject to Ottoman Turkey, the influence of this people on the ethnic component was small.

And in the middle of the 20th century. Greece was overrun by Turks, Macedonians, Bulgarians, Gypsies and Armenians.

A huge number of Greeks live abroad, but folk Greek communities still exist. They are located in Istanbul and Alexandria.

It should be noted that today 96% of the population of Greece are Greeks. Only on the borders can you meet representatives of other peoples - Slavic, Wallachian, Turkish and Albanian populations.

Culture and life of the peoples of Greece

Greek culture and life were influenced by many factors, but there are things that have remained unchanged since the times of Ancient Greece.

The houses of Ancient Greece were divided into male and female halves. The women's part was accessible only to close relatives, and the men's part contained living rooms.

The Greeks never attached much importance to clothing. She was always simple and unsightly. Only on holidays can you wear a festive suit, decorated with patterns or made from noble fabric.

(Greeks at the table)

From time immemorial, the Greeks have been very hospitable people. They were always happy to have unexpected guests and unfamiliar travelers. As in the times of Ancient Greece, it is now not customary to sit at the table alone, so people invite each other for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The Greeks love children very much and spend a lot of effort and time on raising them, giving them a good education and make them physically strong.

As for family relationships, the man is the breadwinner, and the wife is the homemaker. In Ancient Greece, it did not matter whether there were slaves in the family, the woman still took part in household chores.

(Greek grandma)

But modern conditions make their contribution to the life of the Greeks. And yet, they try to honor culture, observe religious traditions and, if possible, wear national clothes. In the normal world, these are ordinary European people wearing business suits or professional uniforms.

Even though the people of Greece listen to Western music, watch box-office movies and live like many others, they still manage to adhere to their culture. Every evening, celebrations with wine and national songs take place on the streets and in taverns.

Traditions and customs of the peoples of Greece

Each nationality has its own customs and traditions. The Greeks are no exception. It’s worth starting with the fact that in Greece 12 holidays are celebrated annually at the state level.

One of these holidays is Greek Easter. On this day people organize large-scale celebrations. Independence Day and the Annunciation are accompanied by military parades in all cities of Greece. The Rockwave rock festival has also become a Greek tradition. World rock bands come to this country to give street concerts. The Wine and Moon Festivals that take place in the summer are worth visiting.

Most of the customs are, of course, related to religion. For example, if a Greek is sick or needs God's help, he makes a vow that he will thank the saint.

There is also a custom of offering saints a small model of what they asked to be protected from evil or preserved - photographs or drawings of cars, houses of loved ones, etc.

Every city, region, and town in Greece has its own traditions and customs. They are very similar to each other. But the main thing is that every resident of this country considers it necessary and correct to observe them.

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Books

  • The land where Jesus Christ lived and its neighboring lands. Travel impressions, I. A. Frey. Riga, 1898. Published by I. A. Frey. Illustrated edition. Typographic binding. The condition is good. The bookplate of the “Fyodorov Family” is pasted on the front flyleaf. The book includes travel...
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According to official data from the 2011 census, Greece has a population of 10,815,197 people.

  • Men: 5,303,690 (49.2%)
  • Women: 5,484,000 (50.8%)

According to the age:

  • 0-14 years: 1666888 (15.20%) 2008 14.4% 1614785
  • 15-64: 7423889 (67.71%) 2008 67,5% 7569304
  • 65 years and older: 1,873,243 (17.08%) 2008 18.1% 2,029,695

Literacy Index (2001):

  • Total: 96%
  • Men: 97.8%
  • Women: 94.2%

Mother's age at birth of first child: 29.87 years

Average life expectancy of Greeks:

Greece has the highest average life expectancy - 79.78 years (78.2 years for men and 81.9 years for women). Many attribute the longevity of local residents to the country's excellent climate and healthy Mediterranean cuisine.

Greeks and religion

In terms of religious composition, Greek society is quite homogeneous. The main denomination in the country is Greek Orthodox Christians. As for other directions in religion, in Greece there are several communities of Catholics and Uniates (Catholics following the Byzantine liturgical tradition).

Urban and rural population of Greece:

A serious outflow of the rural population to cities occurred after the urbanization that followed the end of World War II. And if in 1940 the share of the urban population was about 33%, then in 1982 this figure became 54%, and in 1996 - 71%.

According to the latest data, the urban population lives in 25 cities in Greece:

City Population of the City
1 Athens 3.089.698
2 Thessaloniki 788.952
3 Patras 168.034
4 Larisa 144.651
5 Heraklion 140.730
6 Hair 86.046
7 Ioannina 65.574
8 Trikala 61.653
9 Chalkis 59.125
10 Serres 58.287
11 Alexandroupoli 57.812
12 Xanfi 56.122
13 Katerini 55.997
14 Kalamata 54.100
15 Kavala 54.027
16 Chania 53.910
17 Lamia 52.006
18 Komotini 50.990
19 Rhodes 49.541
20 Agrino 46.899
21 Drama 44.823
22 Veria 43.158
23 Kozani 41.066
24 Karditsa 38.554
25 Rethymno 32.468

The bulk of the population (59%) is employed in tourism and services, 21% in industry and 20% in agriculture.

Ethnic composition

The history of the formation of the Greek people. During classical Greece (until about the 4th century BC), local residents practically did not allow incest with other tribes. This continued until the establishment of Macedonian rule, when many peoples and tribes became part of a vast empire, and, consequently, the process of inbreeding began.

In the 6th-7th centuries. AD Slavic peoples entered the territory of Greece. In the Middle Ages, the fertile valleys of Thessaly were chosen by the Albanians. Then, starting in 1453, Greece was ruled for almost 4 centuries Ottoman Empire However, oddly enough, the Turkish influence on the formation of the country's population turned out to be small.

Further, the homogeneity of the Greek population continued to increase. So, in 1919-1922. A large-scale exchange of populations took place, which led to significant migrations. Big number ethnic Turks returned to their historical homeland, and over 1.2 million Greeks from different parts The Ottoman Empire resettled back to Greece. Approximately the same exchange, only on a much smaller scale, took place in 1919 between Greece and Bulgaria. Before World War II, quite a lot of Jews lived in Greece, however, almost all of them were exterminated by the Nazis in death camps.

Thus, due to various circumstances, by the middle of the twentieth century, the population of Greece almost entirely consisted of only Greeks. National minorities were only a small part of the country's population. The most numerous of them were Turkish (about 100,000 people). In addition, Bulgarians, Armenians, Slavs, Gypsies and some representatives of other peoples lived in the country.

The 60s and early 70s of the 20th century saw a period of large-scale emigration of Greeks from the country. Most of them went to work in more prosperous European countries, for example, to Germany and Belgium.

Today there are many foreigners in Greece - more than 10% of the country's population, that is, more than 1 million. More than half of the national minorities are Albanians, and there are also many immigrants from the Middle East, former Soviet republics, Balkan countries, etc. A considerable part of the immigrants live in the country illegally.

Greek diaspora

The Greek diaspora is one of the largest in the world. Approximately 7 million ethnic Greeks today live outside their home country.

More than 800,000 people settled on the island of Cyprus, thus accounting for 80% of the total population of this island state.

Large Greek communities in Germany (354,500), UK (212,000), USA 3,000,000, Australia (700,000), Russia (180,000), Canada (350,000). Over the last century, thousands of Hellenes have emigrated to these countries: some in search of work, some for political reasons, some due to overpopulation in certain regions of the country. Many Greeks can be found in countries such as Turkey, Argentina, and Canada. Despite the fact that many Greeks living in the countries former USSR and, in particular, Russia, have returned to their homeland, the Greek diaspora in Russia is still strong and numbers about 141,000 people.

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