Capital of Greece: Athens — Facts & 5-Question Quiz
The capital of Greece is Athens. Greece sits in Europe, has a population of 10,384,971, and uses the EUR. Official languages include Greek.
Quick facts
- Capital: Athens
- Continent: Europe
- Population: ~10,384,971
- Area: 131,957 km²
- Population density: 78.7 people per km²
- Official language: Greek
- Currency: EUR
- ISO code: GR
How big is Greece?
By population, Greece ranks 90th in the world, holding roughly 0.13% of all people on Earth. By land area it ranks 95th.
Those two numbers rarely match, and the gap between them is the interesting part. Greece has 78.7 people per square kilometre, which is somewhat above the world average of 59.4. It is more crowded than its size alone would suggest.
Within Europe, Greece is the 14th most populous country of 46.
Countries of a similar size
The two countries closest to Greece in population are Azerbaijan (10,358,074) and Honduras (10,432,860).
By land area, its closest counterparts are Nicaragua (130,373 km²) and Tajikistan (143,100 km²).
Comparisons like these are worth more than raw figures when you are trying to remember them. A number on its own is hard to hold; a number next to a country you already have a feel for is much easier.
Language and currency
Greek is spoken officially in 2 countries in this dataset, including Cyprus.
The EUR is not unique to Greece — it is also used by Andorra, Austria, Belgium and Croatia, and 21 others. Shared currencies usually mark a monetary union or a long-standing peg, and they are a useful shortcut in quizzes: get one country's currency and you often get several.
How to remember Greece
Athens is named after the goddess Athena, and its most famous temple on the Acropolis, the Parthenon, was built for her. Nine stripes, blue and white like the sea and its waves.
The flag of Greece: blue and white
🇬🇷 The flag is nine horizontal stripes of blue and white, with a white cross on a blue square in the top-left corner. Blue and white are often linked to the Greek sky and sea. The cross stands for the Greek Orthodox Church. The stripes have no official meaning, but the most popular story is that the nine stripes match the nine syllables of the motto 'Freedom or Death'.
Region and neighbours
Greece is a country in southeastern Europe at the southern tip of the Balkans, with coasts on the Aegean, Ionian and Mediterranean seas. It shares land borders with 4 countries: Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey.
- Albania 🇦🇱 — capital Tirana
- North Macedonia 🇲🇰 — capital Skopje
- Bulgaria 🇧🇬 — capital Sofia
- Turkey 🇹🇷 — capital Ankara
Three facts about Greece
- Greece has thousands of islands, and up to 227 of them have people living on them.
- Mount Olympus, home of the gods in Greek myths, is the highest mountain in Greece at about 2,918 m.
- Athens hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.
Sources: Wikipedia: Greece, Wikipedia: Flag of Greece, Wikipedia: Athens, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Greece
- European capitals quiz — match Greece to Athens
- European flags quiz — spot the Greece flag among its neighbours
Greece capital quiz
What is the capital of Greece 🇬🇷?
- Vaduz
- Podgorica
- Helsinki
- Athens
Show answer
Athens
What is the capital of Czechia 🇨🇿?
- London
- Riga
- Tirana
- Prague
Show answer
Prague
What is the capital of Portugal 🇵🇹?
- Belgrade
- Lisbon
- Riga
- Athens
Show answer
Lisbon
What is the capital of Sweden 🇸🇪?
- Vilnius
- Vatican City
- Stockholm
- Oslo
Show answer
Stockholm
What is the capital of Hungary 🇭🇺?
- Vatican City
- Podgorica
- Budapest
- Moscow
Show answer
Budapest
Greece capital quiz tip
The usual wrong answer is Thessaloniki, Greece's second city. The capital is Athens.
Greece in Europe
The largest countries by population sharing this continent are Russia, Germany, United Kingdom and France.
If you are learning capitals region by region — far more effective than working alphabetically — Europe is the block Greece belongs to, and its neighbours are the ones worth learning alongside it.
Try the Country to Capital Quiz, or the harder reverse direction. There is also a full country profile for Greece.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Greece?
The capital of Greece is Athens.
Is Thessaloniki the capital of Greece?
No. Thessaloniki is Greece's second-largest city; the capital is Athens.
What is the population of Greece?
About 10,384,971, making it the 90th most populous country in the world.
How big is Greece?
131,957 square kilometres, ranking 95th by land area, at a density of 78.7 people per square kilometre.
What currency does Greece use?
The EUR, shared with 25 other countries.
What are the colours of the Greece flag?
The flag of Greece is nine horizontal stripes of blue and white, with a white cross on a blue square in the top-left corner. Blue and white are often linked to the Greek sky and sea. The cross stands for the Greek Orthodox Church. The stripes have no official meaning, but the most popular story is that the nine stripes match the nine syllables of the motto 'Freedom or Death'.
Which countries border Greece?
Greece shares land borders with Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey.
How can I remember the capital of Greece?
Athens is named after the goddess Athena, and its most famous temple on the Acropolis, the Parthenon, was built for her. Nine stripes, blue and white like the sea and its waves.
More capitals to learn
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