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Athens


Acropolis in Athens (large version)

Athens, named after the goddess Athena, is the capital of Greece. Athens was home to one of the earliest recorded formal democracies, and is the site of the Acropolis and its Parthenon. The ancient port city of Piraeus has been absorbed by modern Athens.

As of the 1991 census, Athens had a population of 3,072,866, making it by far Greece's largest city, with nearly a third of the country's total population.

It is served by a newly constructed and opened airport, the Eleftherios Venizelos Airport, about a 40-minute taxi ride from the city centre (depending upon traffic).

Things to see in Athens

The Acropolis, with the Parthenon.
Agora[?].
Arch of Hadrian[?].
National Archaeological[?] and Benakis Museum[?].
National Gardens, planted in the XIX Century.
Kerameikon.
Likabitos[?] hill.
Lysikrates monument[?].
Monastiraki Square, with a colourist street marketplace.
Olympeion.
Piraeus harbour[?].
Philopappos monument[?],
Plaka.
Pnyx[?].
Syndagma Square, the heart of the modern Athens.
Winds´ Tower[?].

Athens was the host of the 1896 Olympics, the 1906 Intermediary Olympics and will be the host of the 2004 Summer Olympics.


See also Athenian democracy - Athenian empire


Athens is also the name of a number of places in the United States of America:



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