Greece: Flag and Facts
Greece's flag has nine equal horizontal stripes of blue and white, with a white cross on a blue square in the upper-left corner.
- Official name
- Hellenic Republic
- Capital
- Athens
- Region
- Southern Europe
- Population
- 10 million (2025)
- Languages
- Greek
- Currency
- Euro
- Area
- 131,990 km² (50,962 sq mi)
- People
- Greek
- Calling code
- +30
- Highest point
- Mount Olympus 2,917
- Independence
- 3 February 1830 (from the Ottoman Empire)
- National symbols
- Greek cross (white cross on a blue field)
- Borders
- Albania, Bulgaria, Türkiye, North Macedonia
About Greece
The cross represents Greek Orthodoxy. The stripes and colors have no official meaning, though people often guess at one. The Greek cross on its own, white on blue, also counts as a national symbol.
Independence from the Ottoman Empire came on 3 February 1830, and Greece started out as a kingdom. Over the next century it gradually took in nearby islands and lands where Greek was spoken. Italy invaded in 1940 and Germany occupied the country from 1941. A civil war followed, ending with the defeat of the communists in 1949. NATO membership came in 1952. A military coup in 1967 drove the king out, and when that dictatorship fell in 1974, Greece dropped the monarchy and became a parliamentary republic.
Did you know?
- Mount Olympus, the tallest peak in Greece, reaches 2,917 meters.
- Greece is slightly smaller than Alabama.
- Mountain ranges continue into the sea as peninsulas and chains of islands.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about Greece
When is Greek Independence Day?
25 March, which marks the 1821 start of the fight for independence.
What is the capital of Greece?
Athens, with about 3.154 million people.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.