Athens

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This article is  about the capital of Greece. For other uses, see Athens (disambiguation).

ΔΗΜΟΣ AΘHNAIΩN (Αθήνα)
Flag Seal
and  periphery of Attica"> and  periphery of Attica" width="250" height="255" longdesc="../../../a/t/h/Image%7EAthens_map.png_a523.html" /> Location of the city of Athens within the Perfecture of Attica and  periphery of Attica
Coordinates: 38°00′N 23°43′E
Peripheries	Attica
Perfecture	Attica
Founded	800 BC
Mayor	Nikitas Kaklamanis
Area
- City	427 km²
Elevation	0 m
Population
- City (2006)	4,200,000
- Density	19,619/km²
- Metro	5,303,000
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
Postal codes	10x xx, 11x xx, 120 xx
Area code(s)	210, 211, 212
Licence plate code Yxx, Zxx, Ixx (excluding INx)
Website: http://www.cityofathens.gr

Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína IPA: /a'θina/) is  the capital and  largest city of Greece. Named after goddess Athena, Athens is  a cosmopolitan metropolis with a population of 3.7 million people. The Athens metropolitan area constitutes the center of economic, financial, industrial, cultural and  political life in Greece. The city is  also rapidly becoming a business center in the European Union.

Ancient Athens was a powerful polis city-state and  a renowned center of learning, home of Plato's Academy and  Aristotle's Lyceum. it  is often referred to as the cradle of Western civilization, largely due to the impact of its cultural and  political achievements during the 5th and  4th centuries BCE on the rest of the then known European Continent. The classical era heritage is  still evident in the city, portrayed through a number of ancient monuments and  artworks, the most famous being the Parthenon on the Acropolis. Athens was the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games and, more  recently, of the 2004 Summer Olympics.

[edit] Name

See wiktionary: Athens for the name in various languages.

In ancient Greek, the name of Athens was Ἀθῆναι (Athenai), related tο Ἀθηνᾶ (Athena) and  Ἀθήνη (Athene), the Attic and  Ionic names respectively of the goddess Athena. The city's name may have  been plural, like those of Θῆβαι (Thebai) and  Μυκῆναι (Mykenai), because it  consisted of several parts. In the 19th century, Ἀθῆναι was formally re-adopted as the city's name. Since the official abandonment of Katharevousa Greek in the 1970s, however, the popular form Αθήνα (Athína) has become the city's official name. See also a list of alternative names for Athens.

[ and  population">edit] Settings and  population

Athens sprawls across the central plain of Attica, which is  bound by Mount Aegaleo in the west, Mount Parnitha in the north, Mount Penteli in the northeast, Mount Hymettus in the east, and  the Saronic Gulf in the southwest. Athens has expanded to cover the entire plain making future growth difficult. The geomorphology of Athens causes the so-called temperature inversion phenomenon, partly responsible for the air pollution problems the city has recently faced. (Los Angeles, with similar geomorphology, has similar problems).

Along with its numerous suburbs, Athens has an  official population of about 3.2 million. The actual population, however, is  believed to be quite higher, because during census (taking place once every 10 years) some Athenian residents travel back to their birthplaces and  register as local citizens there. Also unaccounted for is  an undefined number of unregistered immigrants originating mainly from Albania. Therefore it  is estimated that the actual figure reaches or  even surpasses the 3.7 million mark, representing approximately one-third of the total population of Greece.

The ancient site of the city is  centered on the rocky hill of the acropolis. In ancient times the port of Piraeus was a separate city, but it  has now been absorbed into greater Athens. The rapid expansion of the city initiated in the 50's and  60's continues today, especially towards the East and  North East (a tendency that is  greatly related to the new Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport and  Attiki Odos, the freeway that cuts across Attica). By this process, Athens has engulfed many former suburbs and  villages in Attica and  continues to do so.

[edit] Climate

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The Athens Academy, located in central Athens, was designed by Theofil Hansen and  completed in 1885. it  is flanked by the National Library and  the University of Athens.

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Zappeion Exhibition Hall and  conference centre designed by Theofil Hansen

Athens enjoys a typical Mediterranean climate, with the greatest amounts of precipitation mainly occurring from mid-October to mid-April. The rest of the year remains largely rainless, making Athens one of the sunniest cities in the European continent. Sheltered by mountain barriers from the full force of the western, rain-bearing winds, Athens has a semi-arid climate and  averages less  than 500 mm of precipitation annually.

Winters are  generally mild, with comfortable daytime temperatures and  cool nights, though light frosts may occur on infrequent occasions (it has to be noted however, that northern suburbs - that stand at a higher elevation - have  a somewhat different microclimate, with cooler summers and  colder winters with quite heavier average snowfall). Winter rainfall tends to occur in the form of short and  sometimes heavy showers. Snow is  relatively rare, although the city has experienced its share of blizzard-like conditions, demonstrated in severe episodes that tend to become more  and more  often in this current decade. The most recent examples include the blizzard of March 1987, February 1992, January 2002, February 2004 and  January 2006 all dumping heavy amounts of snow that literally blanketed the entire metropolitan area for days.

Spring and  autumn are  considered ideal seasons for sightseeing and  indeed for all kinds of outdoor activities.

Summers can be particularly hot and  at times prone to smog and  pollution related conditions (admittedly, however, much less  so compared to the past). The average summer daytime maximum temperature is  32 degrees Celsius (90°F). Heatwaves are  not too common and  mostly happen during the months of July and/or August, when hot air masses come to Greece from the south or  the southwest. it  is only on such days that temperature maxima shoot over 38°C. The all time high temperature for the metropolitan area of Athens is  +45.0°C and  was measured at the Nea Filadelfia suburb (July 2000, HNMS station); the equivalent all time low temperature record is  -10.8°C and  was measured at the Votanikos station. During the severe spell of cold weather, in February 2004, temperatures in Greater Athens dropped to -10.1°C at the Penteli station of the National Observatory of Athens.

[edit] Tourist attractions

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The historical and  luxurious Grande Bretagne hotel in Syntagma Square.

Athens has been a popular destination for travellers since antiquity. Over the past decade, the infrastructure and  social amenities of Athens have  been radically improved, in part due to the city's successful bid to stage the 2004 Olympic Games. The Greek state, aided by the E.U., has poured money into major infrastructure projects such as the new, state-of-the-art "Eleftherios Venizelos" International Airport, the massive expansion of the Metro system, and  the new Attiki Odos ring-road. Home to a vast number of 5 and  4 star hotels, the city is  currently the 6th most visited capital in Europe.

Large parts of the city centre have  been redeveloped under a masterplan called "Unification of Archaeological Sites of Athens".^[1] Notably, the famous Dionysiou Aeropagitou street has been pedestrianised, forming a scenic route. The route starts from the Temple of Olympian Zeus at Vasilissis Olgas Avenue, continues under the southern slopes of its acropolis near Plaka and  finishes just outside the temple of Hephaestus in Theseum. This route provides the visitors views of the Parthenon and  the Agora (the meeting point of ancient Athenians), away from the busy city centre.

Syntagma Square (Constitution Square) is  situated in central Athens and  it is  the site of the former Royal Palace, now the Greek Parliament and  other 19th-century public buildings. The National Garden behind the Parliament and  stretching to the Zappeion is  a verdant oasis in the center city. Syntagma is  the largest square of the city and  it is  also home to a number of luxurious hotels, including the historic Grande Bretagne, Athens' first hotel. Syntagma is  essentially the tourist core of the city, being in the centre of an  area where most of the famous ancient monuments are  located, all within a radius of 2 km.

Near Syntagma Square stands the Kallimarmaro Stadium, the place where the first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896. it  is a replica of the ancient Athens Stadium. it  is the only major stadium (60,000 spectators) made entirely of white marble from Penteli, the same as that used for the construction of the Parthenon. Athens features a number of hills. Lykavittos is  one of the tallest hills of the city proper that, according to an  ancient legend, was actually a boulder thrown down from the sky by the Goddess Athena. Located in the city centre, near Alexandras Avenue and  Vassilissis Sofias Avenue, it  offers views of sprawling Athens below. On top of it, stands St. George's church. Philopappos Hill is  yet another famous hill, located just to the southwest of Acropolis.

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National Gardens Designed by Amalia, the first Queen of Greece, it  is an  oasis in Central Athens.

The city's classical museums include the National Archaeological Museum of Athens at Patission Street (which holds the world's greatest collection of Greek art), the Benaki Museum in Pireos Street (including its new Islamic Art branch),^[2] the Byzantine Museum and  the Museum of Cycladic Art in the central Kolonaki district (recommended for its collection of elegant white metamodern figures, more  than 3,000 years old).^[3] Most museums were renovated ahead of the 2004 Olympics. A new Acropolis Museum, scheduled to open in late 2006^[4] in the Makriyanni district was designed by Swiss-French architect Bernard Tschumi. The Athens Planetarium,^[5] located in Andrea Syngrou Avenue, is  considered to be among the world's best.

The old campus of the University of Athens, located in the middle section of Panepistimiou Street, is  one of the finest buildings in the city. This combined with the adjacent National Library and  the Athens Academy form the imposing "Athens Trilogy", built in the mid-19th century. However, most of the university's functions have  been moved to a much larger, modern campus located in the eastern suburb of Zográfou. The second most significant academic institution of the city is  the Athens Polytechnic School (Ethniko Metsovio Politechnio), located in Patission Street. more  than 20 students were killed inside the School in November 17, 1973 during the Athens Polytechnic Uprising against the military junta that ruled the nation from April 21, 1967 until July 23, 1974.

The Greek Parliament, located in Syntagma Square.

Changing of the Guard Evzones in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma Square.

The Panathinaiko Kallimarmaro Stadium, site of the 1896 Olympic Games.

View of central Athens from its acropolis. In the foreground: The Theatre of Herodes Atticus

[ and  shopping">edit] Entertainment, nightlife and  shopping

[edit] Central Athens

The mid-section of the popular pedestrianized Ermou (Greek: Ερμου) Street in central Athens.

Athens is  home to 148 theatrical stages, more  than any other European city^[6] (including the famous ancient Herodes Atticus Theatre, home to the Athens Festival,^[7] which takes place from May to October each year). In addition to a large number of multiplexes, Athens features many romantic, open air garden cinemas. Athens also has a vast number of music venues including a state of the art music hall known as the "Megaron Moussikis"^[8] that attracts world-famous artists all year round. The Psirri neighbourhood - aka Athens's "meat packing district" - features mainstream and  trendy bars making it  a hotspot for the city, and  a number of live music restaurants called "rebetadika", after rebetiko, a unique kind of music that blossomed in Syros and  Athens from the 1920s till the 1960s.Rebetiko is  admired by many, therefore virtually every night rebetadika get crammed by people of all ages that will sing, dance and  drink wine until dawn. Plaka remains the traditional top tourist destination, with many tavernas featuring traditional music, but the food, though exceptionally good, is  often more  expensive compared to other parts of the city. Plaka, lying just beneath the Acropolis, is  famous for its numerous neoclassic buildings, making it  one of the most scenic districts of Athens.

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Night view of part of central Athens and  the port of Piraeus

Nearby Monastiraki, on the other hand, is  famous for its string of small tourist shops as well as its crowded flea market and  the tavernas that specialize in souvlaki. Another district notably famous for its student-crammed, stylish cafés is  Theseum, lying just west of Monastiraki. Theseum, or  Thission is  home to the remarkable ancient temple of Hephaestus, standing on top of a small hill. The Gazi area, one of the latest in full redevelopment, is  located around a historic gas factory, that has been converted into the Technopolis cultural multiplex and  has a number of expensive small clubs, bars and  restaurants, as well as Athens's nascent "gay village". The relatively recent and  rapid redevelopment of these areas has brought the - recently relatively forgotten - city centre back into the limelight.

The chic Kolonaki area, near Syntagma Square, is  full of boutiques catering to well-heeled customers by day and  bars and  luxurious restaurants by night. Ermou Street, an  approximately 1 km pedestrian road connecting Syntagma Square to Monastiraki, has traditionally been considered a consumer paradise for both the Athenians and  tourists. Full of fashion shops and  shopping centres featuring most international brands, it  is in the top 5 most expensive shopping streets in Europe and  the tenth most expensive retail street in the world.^[9] Near there, the renovated Army Fund building in Panepistimiou Street includes the "Attica" department store and  several high-class designer stores.

[edit] Suburbs

Highway intersection in the northern suburb of Maroussi.

The Athens Metropolitan Area consists of 54 densely populated municipalities, sprawling around the city of Athens to virtually all directions. According to their geographic location in relation to the city of Athens, the suburbs are  divided into four zones namely the northern suburbs (including Ekali, Nea Erythrea, Agios Stefanos, Drosia, Kryoneri, Attica, Kifissia, Maroussi, Pefki, Vrilissia, Melissia, Pendeli, Halandri and  Filothei), the southern suburbs (including Palaio Faliro, Elliniko, Glyfada, Alimos, Voula and  the southernmost suburb of Vouliagmeni), the eastern suburbs (including Zographou, Vyrona, Kaisariani,Cholargos, Papagou and  Aghia Paraskevi) and  the western suburbs (including Peristeri, Ilion, Egaleo, Petroupoli and  Nikaia). The northern and  most of the southern suburbs are  particularly affluent districts, resided primarily by middle-to-high and  high incomers. The western suburbs are  primarily resided by middle incomers with certain few areas resided by middle-to-low incomers and  still others resided by middle-to-high incomers. Finally the eastern suburbs are  primarily resided by middle and  middle-to-high incomers.

The Athens city coastline, extending from the major commercial port of Piraeus to the southernmost suburb of Varkiza for some 30 km, is  also connected to the city centre with a tram (which, although modern can be slow during rush hours) and  it boasts a series of high class restaurants, cafes, exciting music venues and  modern sports facilities. In addition, Athens is  packed with trendy and  fashionable bars and  nightclubs that are  literally crowded by the city's youth on a daily basis. Especially during the summer time, the southern elegant suburbs of Glyfada, Voula and  Vouliagmeni become home to countless such meeting points, situated all along Poseidonos and  Alkyonidon Avenues. In the winter time, the focus of the nightlife moves up into the city centre, in Piraeus as well as across the northern suburbs. In addition, "Bournazi" at the western suburb of Peristeri has also become eminent for its intense nightlife, becoming a hotspot, mainly for the residents of the western Athenian suburbs. In the northern districts, the classy suburb of Kifissia hosts a vast number of expensive restaurants, bars and  cafés.

The Mall Athens is  a massive, American-style mall, located in the affluent northern suburb of Maroussi, that provides a vast number of selections.

The Athens Olympic Stadium; capacity: 76,000.

Nearby is  the entirely new attraction of the massively upgraded main Olympic Complex (known by its Greek acronym OAKA). The whole area has been redeveloped under designs by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava with steel arches, landscaped gardens, fountains, futuristic passages and  a landmark new blue glass roof which was added to the main Stadium. A second Olympic complex, next to the sea at the beach of Kallithea (Faliron), also boasts futuristic stadiums, shops and  an elevated esplanade. Work is  underway to transform the grounds of the old Athens Airport - named Hellinikon - in the southern suburbs into a massive landscaped park (considered to be the largest in Europe when ready).

The major waste management efforts undertaken in the last decade (especially the plant built on the small island of Psytalia) have  made pollution of the Saronic Gulf a thing of the past and  now the coastal waters of Athens are  a haven for swimmers. Athens has some of the cleanest and  most pristine beaches in Europe. In fact many of Athens' elegant southern suburbs (such as Alimos, Palaio Faliro, Elliniko, Voula, Vouliagmeni and  Vari) host a number of beautiful, sandy beaches, most of which are  operated by the Greek National Tourism Organization.^[10] This means that one has to pay a fee in order to get in. Nonetheless, this fee is  not expensive in most cases and  it includes a number of related, convenient services like parking facilities, cocktail drinks and  umbrellas. These beaches are  extremely popular in the summer by both Athenians and  foreign tourists.

The city is  surrounded by four easily accessible mountains (Parnitha and  Penteli to the north, Hemmettus to the southeast and  Egaleo to the west). Mount Parnitha, in particular, is  the tallest of the city (1,453 m) and  it has been declared a protected National Park. it  has tens of well-marked paths, gorges, springs, torrents and  caves and  you may even meet deer or  bears while exploring its dense forests. Hiking and  mountain biking in all four mountains have  been and  still remain popular outdoor activities for many Athenians. Casinos operate on both Mount Parnitha, some 30 km from downtown Athens (accessible by car or  cable car) and  the nearby town of Loutraki (accessible by car via the Athens - Corinth National Highway or  the suburban railway).

The nearby islands of Salamina, Aigina, Poros, Hydra and  Spetses are  also sites of spectacular natural beauty and  historical architecture. The Athens municipality maintains a website of tourist interest.^[11]

[edit] Transportation system

Lower section of busy Patission Avenue in central Athens.

Athens Suburban Railway.

The Athens Mass Transit System is  currently one of the most modern and  efficient systems in Europe. it  consists of a large bus fleet, a trolley fleet that mainly serves the downtown area,^[12] the Athens Metro,^[13] a tram line connecting the southern suburbs to the city center^[14] and  the Athens Suburban Railway^[15] services. it  has to be noted, however, that the public transportation system is  occasionally disrupted by the striking of its public employees.

The Athens Metro is  one of the most impressive underground Mass Transit systems in the world. it  currently operates four lines, three of which are  distinguished by the colors used in the relevant maps and  signs (green, blue and  red). The historic Green Line, which is  the oldest and  for the most part runs on the ground, connects the port of Piraeus to the northern suburb of Kifissia. it  will be extended the next years to Drosia. The line is  25 km long and  has 24 stations. The other two lines were constructed mainly during the 1990s and  the first sections opened in January 2000. They run entirely underground. The Blue Line runs from the central Monastiraki district to Doukissis Plakentias avenue, in the eastern suburb of Halandri. The Blue Line then ascends on ground level and  reaches Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, using the Suburban Railway rails. The Red Line runs from Aghios Antonios to Aghios Dimitrios. Extensions to both lines are  under construction, most notably westwards to Egaleo, southwards to the Old Hellinikon Airport East Terminal (future Metropolitan Park) and  eastwards towards the easternmost suburb of Aghia Paraskevi. The fourth line is  the Athens Suburban Railway

(Proastiakós) which connects Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport to the city of Corinth, 80 km west of Athens, via the central Larissa Train Station. The metro network, Suburban Railway not included, has a current length of 91 km and  it is  expected to reach 124 km (72 stations) by the year 2009. it  is managed by three different companies, namely ISAP,^[16] Attiko Metro (lines 2 & 3) and  Proastiakós (line 4).

The bus service consists of a huge network of lines operated by normal buses, electric buses, and  natural gas run buses (the largest fleet of natural gas run buses in Europe). There are  plenty of bus lines serving the entire Athens Metropolitan Area.

A detailed map of the Athens Metro including future expansions.

The tram runs from Syntagma Square to the southwestern suburb of Palaio Faliro, where the line splits in two branches. The first branch runs all along the Athens coastline towards the southern suburb of Glyfada while the other one heads towards the Piraeus district of Neo Faliro. Both Syntagma - Palaio Faliro - Neo Faliro and  the Syntagma - Glyfada lines opened on 19 July 2004. Further extensions are  planned towards the major commercial port of Piraeus and  the southernmost suburb of Vouliagmeni.

There are  many taxis in Athens. They are  quite cheap and  during rush hours it  is even considered normal to flag a taxi even when another customer is  already in (although, formally, this is  forbidden); in that case, if the one flagging the taxi happens to go to the approximate direction as the customer already using it  and the customer does not mind (seldom if ever is  this an  issue), he is  also allowed in, and  each one gives the fare they would normally give as if they were the only customer.

Athens is  served, since March 2001, by the ultra modern Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport located near the town of Spata, in the eastern Mesoghia Plain, some 35 km east of Athens. There is  an Express Bus service connecting the airport to the metro system and  2 express bus services connecting the airport to Piraeus port and  the city centre respectively. Athens is  also the hub of the Greek National Railway System. Ferries departing from the port of Piraeus connect the city to the Greek islands of the Aegean Sea, westbound to Elefsina. There are  two main highways that travel both to the west, towards the city of Patra in Peloponessus (GR-8A, E94) and  to the north, towards Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki (GR-1, E75). In 2001-2004 a ring road toll-expressway (Attiki Odos) was gradually completed, extending from the western industrial city of Elefsina all the way to the Athens International Airport, after encircling the city from the north. The Ymittos Ringroad is  a separate section of Attiki Odos connecting the eastern suburb of Kaisariani to the northeastern town of Glyka Nera and  this is  where it  meets the main part of the ring-road. The total length of Attiki Odos is  now approximately 70 km.

Tramway of Athens.

Exhibition of archaeological finds that came to light during the construction of the project displayed at the Syntagma Metro station.

Check-in point in the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, "European Airport of the Year 2004".

[edit] Municipality

Arch of Hadrian in central Athens, with the Acropolis seen in the background.

The modern city of Athens consists of what was formerly a conglomeration of distinct towns and  villages that gradually expanded and  merged into a single large metropolis; most of this expansion occurred during the second half of the 20th century. The Greater Athens area is  now divided into 54 municipalities, the largest of which being the Municipality of Athens or  Dimos Athinaion, with a population of approximately 750,000 people.

The next largest municipalities are  the Municipality of Piraeus, the Municipality of Peristeri and  the Municipality of Kallithea. Athens can therefore refer either to the entire metropolitan area or  to the Municipality of Athens. Each of these municipalities has an  elected district council and  a directly elected mayor. Mrs. Dora Bakoyanni of the conservative New Democracy party was the Mayor of Athens from 1 January 2003 until 15 February 2006, when she joined the Greek Cabinet as the Minister of Foreign affairs. She was the 76th Mayor of Athens and  the first female ever to hold the post in the history of the city. She was replaced by Theodoros Behrakis. The next municipal elections occurred in October 2006, and  as of those results, Nikitas Kaklamanis will be the new mayor of Athens.

The Municipality of Athens is  divided into seven municipal districts or  demotika diamerismata. The 7-district division, however, is  mainly used for administrative purposes. For Athenians the most popular way of dividing the city proper is  through its neighbourhoods (usually referred to as areas in English), each with its own distinct history and  characteristics. Those include Pagrati, Ambelokipi, Exarhia, Ano and  Kato (Upper and  Lower) Patissia, Ilissia, Ano and  Kato Petralona, Mets, Koukaki as well as Kypseli, world's second most densely populated urban area. For someone unfamiliar with Athens, getting to know these neighbourhoods can often come particularly handy in both exploring and  understanding the city.

Municipality of Athens Seal

Remains of the West Gate of the agora

The Karyatides statues of the Erechtheion on its acropolis

[edit] Sister cities

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Vertical panorama of part of central Athens from its Acropolis. In the background: the picturesque Anafiotika district and  the Lykavittos Hill.

Athens has the following sister cities:

• Yerevan, Armenia

• Los Angeles, California, USA
• Chicago, Illinois, USA
• Washington, DC, USA
• Paris, France
• Montreal, Canada

• Belgrade, Serbia

• Santiago, Chile
• Madrid, Spain
• Nicosia, Cyprus
• Rabat, Morocco
• Cusco, Peru
• Rome, Italy
• Sofia, Bulgaria
• Berlin, Germany
• Moscow, Russia
• Prague, Czech Republic
• Bucharest, Romania
• Warsaw, Poland
• Kiev, Ukraine
• Boston, USA
• Athens, Georgia USA
• Tirana, Albania
• Beirut, Lebanon
• Tbilisi, Georgia
• Xi'an, People's Republic of China
• Barcelona, Spain
• Genova, Italy
• Istanbul, Turkey
• Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Havana, Cuba
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
• Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories

[edit] Professional sports

Athens is  home to some of the most prestigious clubs in Europe. Panathinaikos and  AEK Athens which are  both multisport clubs and  Olympiacos in Piraeus. it  also home to innumerable other clubs some of them listed above. Beach volleyball and  windsurfing are  both very popular in the area. Area beaches are  popular with surfers, who have  created their own subculture.

Athens has twice played host to the summer Olympic Games: in 1896 and  in 2004. The 2004 Summer Olympics inspired the creation of the Athens Olympic Stadium, which has been called one of the best stadiums in the world. The city has also hosted the UEFA Champions League final twice, in 1994 and  in 2007.

The Athens area contains all kinds of terrain, notably the hills and  mountains rising around the metropolis (it's the only major city in the Europe bisected by a mountain range); four mountain ranges extend into city boundaries. Thousands of miles of trails crisscross the city and  neighboring areas, providing exercise and  wilderness access on foot, bike, or  horse. Across the county a great variety of outdoor activities are  available, such as skiing, rock climbing, gold panning, hang gliding, and  windsurfing. Numerous outdoor clubs serve these sports, including the Athens Chapter of the Sierra Club, which leads over 4,000 outings annually in the area.

Athens also boasts a number of sports venues, most noticeably Athens Olympic Stadium and  Karaiskaki Stadium, a state-of-the-art sports and  entertainment complex that also hosts concerts and  awards shows such as the Arions.

[edit] 2004 Olympic Games

The olympic flame at the Opening Ceremony.

Athens was awarded the 2004 Summer Olympics on September 5, 1997 in Lausanne, Switzerland, after having lost a previous bid to host the 1996 Summer Olympics, to Atlanta, USA. it  would be the second time Athens would have  the honour of hosting the Olympic Games, the first one being in 1896. After the unsuccessful bid of 1990, the 1997 bid was radically improved, and  also included an  appeal to Olympic history. In the last round of voting, Athens defeated Rome with 66 votes to 41. Prior to this round, the cities of Buenos Aires, Stockholm and  Cape Town had already been eliminated from competition after having received fewer votes.

During the first three years of preparations, the International Olympic Committee had repeatedly expressed some concerns over the status of progress in construction work of some of the new Olympic venues. In the year 2000 the Organising Committee's president was replaced by Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, who was the president of the Bidding Committee back in 1997. From that point on, preparations continued at a highly accelerated, almost frenzied pace. Although the heavy cost was criticized, as is  usually the case with most Olympic cities, Athens was literally transformed into a more  functional city that enjoys state-of-the-art technology both in transportation and  in modern urban development. Some of the finest sporting venues in the world were created in the city, almost all of which were fully ready on schedule. The 2004 Games were adjudged a huge success, as both security and  organization were exceptionally good and  only a few visitors reported minor problems, mainly concerning transportation or  accommodation issues. Essentially, the only notable problem was a somewhat sparse attendance of some preliminary events. Eventually, however, a total of more  than 3.2 million tickets were sold, which was higher than any other Olympics with the exception of Sydney (more than 5 million tickets were sold there in 2000).

[edit] Photo Gallery

Aerial view of portions of central Athens, the port of Piraeus, and  some of the city's southern suburbs. The Saronic Gulf lies in the background.

The imposing Greek Parliament on Syntagma Square is  the former Royal Palace.

View of part of central Athens and  some of the city's southern suburbs from Lykavittos Hill

View of Herodes Atticus Theater from atop the Acropolis

[edit] See also

• Athens Metro
• Eurovision Song Contest 2006
• Hellenic civilization
• Politics of Greece
• National Technical University of Athens
• University of Athens
• List of monarchies
• List of Mayors of Athens

[edit] Cities nicknamed "Athens"

See Athens (disambiguation) for other cities named "Athens".

• Athens of the East - Madurai, India
• Athens of the West - Berkeley, California
• Athens of the South - Nashville, Tennessee
• Athens of the North - Edinburgh, Scotland
• Athens of America - Boston, Massachusetts
• Spree Athens - Berlin, Germany
• Athens on the Isar - Munich, Germany
• Athens of Cuba - Matanzas, Cuba
• Athens of Latin America - Bogotá, Colombia
• Athens of Finland - Jyväskylä, Finland
• Serbian Athens - Novi Sad, Serbia
• Athens of the Bodrog – Sárospatak, Hungary
• Lusa Athens - Coimbra, Portugal
• Brazilian Athens - São Luís, Brazil
• Athens of Minas Gerais - Juiz de Fora, Brazil
• Sardinian Athens - Nuoro, Sardinia, Italy

[edit] References

1. ^ astynet.gr
2. ^ benaki.gr
3. ^ cycladic-m.gr
4. ^ culture.gr
5. ^ eugenfound.edu.gr
6. ^ urbanaudit.org
7. ^ hellenicfestival.gr
8. ^ megaron.gr
9. ^ cushwake.com
10. ^ gnto.gr
11. ^ cityofathens.gr
12. ^ oasa.gr
13. ^ ametro.gr
14. ^ linuxweb.internet.gr
15. ^ proastiakos.gr
16. ^ isap.gr

[edit] External links

• City of Athens official website
• Athens contemporary architecture and  suggested walking routes
• Athens in 421 BCE
• Street photography and  pictures from the Cow Parade in Athens
• Athenian Owl coins
• Athens on Placeopedia

Coordinates: 38°00′N 23°43′E

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Summer Olympic Games host cities

1896: Athens • 1900: Paris • 1904: St. Louis • 1908: London • 1912: Stockholm • 1920: Antwerp • 1924: Paris • 1928: Amsterdam • 1932: Los Angeles • 1936: Berlin • 1948: London • 1952: Helsinki • 1956: Melbourne • 1960: Rome • 1964: Tokyo • 1968: Mexico City • 1972: Munich • 1976: Montreal • 1980: Moscow • 1984: Los Angeles • 1988: Seoul • 1992: Barcelona • 1996: Atlanta • 2000: Sydney • 2004: Athens • 2008: Beijing • 2012: London

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Capital cities of the European Union

Amsterdam · Athens · Berlin · Bratislava · Brussels · Budapest · Copenhagen · Dublin · Helsinki · Lisbon · Ljubljana · London · Luxembourg City · Madrid · Nicosia · Paris · Prague · Riga · Rome · Stockholm · Tallinn · Valletta · Vienna · Vilnius · Warsaw

World Heritage Sites in Greece

Acropolis, Athens | Archaeological Site of Delphi | Archaeological Site of Epidaurus | Archaeological Site of Olympia | Archaeological Site of Vergina | Archaeological Sites of Mycenae and  Tiryns | Christian Sites of Pátmos | Delos | Meteora | Monasteries of Daphni, Hosios Loukas and  Nea Moni | Mount Athos | Mystras | Paleochristian and  Byzantine Monuments of Thessalonika | Pythagoreion and  Heraion of Samos | Medieval City of Rhodes | Temple of Apollo Epicurius, Bassae