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2004 Olympic Torch Relay
The 2004 Summer Olympics Torch Relay took the Olympic Flame across every habitable continent, returning to Athens, Greece. Every city which had hosted, will host, or coincidentally elected to host the Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics and the Youth Olympics was revisited by the torch, as well as several other cities chosen for their international importance. The main reason why the torch relay went around the world was to highlight the fact that the Olympic Games were started in Greece (in ancient times) and in modern times have been held around the world and then took place in Greece in 2004. The relay was the first time the Olympic flame had travelled to Africa and South America. The flame was transported from country to country aboard a specially-equipped Boeing 747 leased from Atlanta Icelandic (Registration TF-ARO) called ''Zeus''. On board the flame was carried and burned continuously in specially modified miners lamps. Route in Greece (first phase) 25 March: * Ol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates and is the capital of the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years and its earliest human presence beginning somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennia BC. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state. It was a centre for the arts, learning and philosophy, and the home of Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum. It is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy, largely because of its cultural and political influence on the European continent—particularly Ancient Rome. In modern times, Athens is a large cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Gre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elis (city)
Elis ( grc, Ἦλις, , in the local dialect: Ϝᾶλις, Modern el, Ήλιδα, Elida) was the capital city of the ancient polis (city-state) of Elis, in ancient Greece. It was situated in the northwest of the Peloponnese, to the west of Arcadia. Just before the Peneius emerges from the hills into the plain, the valley of the river is contracted on the south by a projecting hill of a peaked form, and nearly in height. This hill was the acropolis of Elis, and commanded as well the narrow valley of the Peneius as the open plain beyond. The ancient city lay at the foot of the hill, and extended across the river, as Strabo says that the Peneius flowed through the city; but since no remains are now found on the right or northern bank, it is probable that all the public buildings were on the left bank of the river, more especially as Pausanias does not make any allusion to the river in his description of the city. Elis is mentioned as a town of the Epeii by Homer in the Catalogu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Messini
Messini ( el, Μεσσήνη, before 1867: Νησί ''Nisi'') is a municipal unit (''dimotiki enotita'') and the seat town (''edra'') of the municipality (''dimos'') of Messini within the regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') of Messenia in the region (''perifereia'') of Peloponnese, one of 13 regions into which Greece has been divided. Before 2011 the same hierarchy prevailed, according to Law 2539 of 1997, the Kapodistrias Plan, except that Messenia was a ''nomos'' and the Municipal unit was a locality (''topiko diamerisma''). The ''dimos'' existed under both laws, but not with the same constituents. Messini (modern pronunciation) is not to be confused with its ancient namesake, Messene, located to the north in the shadow of Mount Ithome. Ancient Messene is an equally large but abandoned site of ruins partially occupied by the small village of Mavrommati. Geography The modern town has some 6,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest municipality of Messinia regional unit. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Petalidi
Petalidi ( el, Πεταλίδι) is a village and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Messini, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 104.970 km2. Petalidi is situated on the western shore of the Messenian Gulf, 14 km southwest of Messini, 20 km southwest of Kalamata and 25 km east of Pylos. The road Greek National Road 82 (Pylos – Kalamata) passes through the north of the municipal unit. Its population is about 1,300 inhabitants. Petalidi is a touristic place in Messinia, visited mostly in summer months. Landmarks of the village are: The central square with the Church of Agios Nikolaos, the seafront, the lighthouse, the park on the port, the fount of Liar (η βρύση του ψεύτη in Greek) and the football field beside the sea. Subdivisions The municipal unit Petalidi is subdivided into the following communities (2011 population in b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Koroni
Koroni or Corone ( el, Κορώνη) is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is a municipal unit. Known as ''Corone'' by the Venetians and Ottomans, the town of Koroni (pop. 1,397 in 2011) sits on the southwest peninsula of the Peloponnese on the Gulf of Messinia in southern Greece, by road southwest of Kalamata. The town is nestled on a hill below a Venetian castle and reaches to the edge of the gulf. The town was the seat of the former municipality of Koróni, which has a land area of and a population of 4,366 (2011 census). The municipal unit consists of the communities Akritochori, Charakopio, Chrysokellaria, Falanthi, Kaplani, Kompoi, Koroni, Vasilitsi, Vounaria and Iamia. It also includes the uninhabited island of Venétiko. History The town was founded in ancient times. The 2nd century Greek geographer Pausanias in his book ''Messen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Methoni, Messenia
Methoni ( el, Μεθώνη, it, Modone, vec, Modon) is a village and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality of Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 97.202 km2. Its name may be derived from Mothona, a mythical rock. It is located 11 km south of Pylos and 11 km west of Foinikounta. The municipal unit of Methoni includes the nearby villages of Grizokampos, Finikouda, Foiniki, Lachanada, Varakes, Kainourgio Chorio, Kamaria, Evangelismos, and the Oinnoussai Islands. The islands are Sapientza, Schiza, and Santa Marina; they form a natural protection for Methoni harbour. The town is also known by the Italian name ''Modone'', which it was called by the Venetians. Its economy is dominated by tourism, attracted by its beaches (including Tapia, Kokkinia and Kritika) and its historical castle. Subdivisions The municipal unit of Methoni is s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pylos
Pylos (, ; el, Πύλος), historically also known as Navarino, is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It was the capital of the former Pylia Province. It is the main harbour on the Bay of Navarino. Nearby villages include Gialova, Pyla, Elaiofyto, Schinolakka, and Palaionero. The town of Pylos has 2,345 inhabitants, the municipal unit of Pylos 5,287 (2011). The municipal unit has an area of 143.911 km2. Pylos has been inhabited since Neolithic times. It was a significant kingdom in Mycenaean Greece, with remains of the so-called " Palace of Nestor" excavated nearby, named after Nestor, the king of Pylos in Homer's ''Iliad''. In Classical times, the site was uninhabited, but became the site of the Battle of Pylos in 425 BC, during the Peloponnesian War. After that, Pylos is scarcely mentioned u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gargalianoi
Gargalianoi ( el, Γαργαλιάνοι) is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Trifylia, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 122.680 km2. It is situated from the Ionian Sea coast, north of Pylos, south of Kyparissia and west of Kalamata. The Greek National Road 9 ( Patras - Pyrgos - Pylos) passes through the town. Subdivisions The municipal unit Gargalianoi is subdivided into the following communities: * Floka *Gargalianoi * Lefki * Marathopoli *Mouzaki * Pyrgos * Valta * Tragana Famous inhabitants * Theophrastos Anagnostopoulos, who later anglicized his name to Theodore Agnew, father of United States Vice President Spiro Agnew"Greek Town Welcomes Agnew", by Peter Grose, ''The New York Times'', October 20, 1971, p. 2 * Tellos Agras, Officer of the Hellenic Army during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia * Theophilos III of Jerusalem, P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Filiatra
Filiatra ( el, Φιλιατρά), is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Trifylia, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 114.877 km2. Filiatra is situated near the Ionian Sea coast in western Messenia. It is located 11 km northwest of Gargalianoi, 13 km southwest of Kyparissia, 29 km northwest of Pylos and 49 km west of Kalamata. The Greek National Road 9 ( Patras - Pyrgos - Kyparissia - Pylos) passes through the town. Filiatra was founded around the 12th and the 13th centuries. It was built near the site of the ancient city Erana. Filiatra has several schools, churches and shops. A scaled reproduction of the Eiffel Tower stands at the entrance to the village. The local soccer club is Erani Filiatra. Subdivisions The municipal unit Filiatra is subdivided into the following communities (2011 population in brackets): * Chalaz ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kyparissia
Kyparissia ( el, Κυπαρισσία) is a town and a former municipality in northwestern Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Trifylia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 101.018 km2. The town proper has around 5,100 inhabitants. Geography The town is situated on the Gulf of Kyparissia, a bay of the Ionian Sea, one of the main breeding grounds of the endangered loggerhead sea turtle. Kyparissia is 38 km north of Pylos, 46 km northwest of Kalamata and 51 km southeast of Pyrgos. The Greek National Road 9 (Pyrgos - Methoni) passes through the town. Kyparissia is the terminus of a now disused railway line from Kalo Nero, on the line from Pyrgos to Kalamata. The town has a port, which is mainly used for cargo purposes. On a hill east of the town centre lies a fortress built during the Frankish period. Subdivisions The municipal unit Kyparissia is sub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kopanaki
Kopanaki ( el, Κοπανάκι) is a town in northwestern Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. It was the seat of the former municipality of Aetos and now it belongs to the municipality of Trifylia. Agriculture, specifically olive farming, is the main economic activity in the village. The community Kopanaki also includes the small villages Agios Dimitrios and Rizochori. Being the geographical and economic center of upper Trifylia, Kopanaki is well known for "pazari" (bazaar) or "agora", that takes place in the central square every Sunday since 1900 and attracts further population. The messenian tradition of baking "gournopoula" (pork) and selling it on the edge of the street started from this location, initially only on Sundays, for the visitors from far away, so they could have a hearty meal and the power to do the return trip. Today in many places of the region lying on main road someone can find (no matter the day) grilled gournopoula. Population Geography Kopanaki is situated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dorio, Messenia
Dorio ( el, Δώριο) is a village and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Oichalia, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 102.832 km2. The population of the municipal unit is 2,983, and of the village alone 915 (2011 census). Dorio is above sea level. The small settlement of Ano Dorio is nearby. Dorio has been mentioned in Homer's ''Iliad'', and by Strabo and Pausanias. Homer recounts a myth that Dorio was the location of a music competition between Thamyris In Greek mythology, Thamyris (Ancient Greek: Θάμυρις, ''Thámuris'') was a Thracian singer. He is notable in Greek mythology for reportedly being a lover of Hyacinth and thus to have been the first male to have loved another male, but when ... and the Muses. References Athens2004.com - Dorio Populated places in Messenia {{Peloponnese-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
