Editing Athens (section)

{{short description|Capital and largest city of Greece}}
{{redirect|Athenian|other uses|Athenian (disambiguation)|and|Athens (disambiguation)}}
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{{Use British English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Athens
| native_name        = {{native name|el|Αθήνα}}
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| border             = infobox
| perrow             = 1/2/2/2
| total_width        = 300
| align              = center
| caption_align      = center
| image1                   = Monastiraki Square and Acropolis in Athens (44149181684).jpg
| caption1                 = [[Monastiraki|Monastiraki square]] and [[Acropolis of Athens]]
| imagesize1               = 150px
| image2 = The Parthenon in Athens.jpg
| caption2                 = [[Parthenon|The Parthenon]]
| imagesize2 = 170px
| image3 = Attica 06-13 Athens 27 Zappeion.jpg
| caption3                 = [[Zappeion]]
| image5 = The Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens (Metropolis of Athens) in April 2019.jpg
| caption5                 = [[Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens|Metropolitan Cathedral]]
| image4 = Griechisches Parlament nachts (Zuschnitt).jpg
| caption4                = [[Old Royal Palace]]<br/><small>([[Hellenic Parliament|The Hellenic Parliament]])</small>| image6 = Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center - 52036972429.jpg
| caption6                 = [[Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center]]
| image7 = Akademie von Athen.jpg
| caption7                 = [[Academy of Athens (modern)|Academy of Athens]]
}}
| settlement_type    = [[Capital city]]
| nicknames          = {{lang|el|τὸ κλεινὸν ἄστυ}} ({{transliteration|el|tò kleinòn ásty}}, "the glorious city")<br/>{{lang|el|τὸ ἰοστεφὲς ἄστυ}} ({{transliteration|el|tò iostephès ásty}}, "the [[City of the Violet Crown|violet-crowned city]]") <br /> The City of Wisdom<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 March 2022 |title=Athens: City of Wisdom |url=https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/index.php/bookreview/athens-city-of-wisdom |access-date=10 September 2022 |publisher=Washington Independent Review of Books}}</ref><br/>City of Reason<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 July 2022 |title=Athens and Jerusalem: City of Reason, City of Faith |url=https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/athens-and-jerusalem-city-reason-city-faith |access-date=18 October 2022 |publisher=RANE Network}}</ref>
| image_flag         = Flag of the City of Athens.svg
| flag_link          = 
| image_seal         = Coat of Arms of Athens (English Version).svg
| pushpin_map        = Greece#Europe
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within Greece##Location within Europe
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| coordinates        = {{coord|37|59|03|N|23|43|41|E|display=it}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flagicon|Greece}} [[Greece]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[Geographic regions of Greece|Geographic region]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Central Greece (geographic region)|Central Greece]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Administrative regions of Greece|Administrative region]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Attica (region)|Attica]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[Regional units of Greece|Regional unit]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Central Athens (regional unit)|Central Athens]]
| government_type    = [[Mayor–council government]]
| leader_party       = {{nowrap|[[PASOK – Movement for Change|PASOK]]}}
| leader_title       = [[List of mayors of Athens|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = [[Haris Doukas]]<ref name=mayor>[https://ekloges.ypes.gr/current/d/home/en/municipalities/9186/ Municipality of Athens, Municipal elections – October 2023]{{Dead link|date=March 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Ministry of Interior</ref>
| named_for          = [[Athena]]
| parts_type         = Districts
| parts_style        = para
| p1                 = 7
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = 
| population_as_of   = 2021
| population_footnotes = <ref name=census21/>
| area_total_km2     = 38.964
| population_total   = 643,452
| total_type         = Capital city and municipality
| population_rank    = [[List of cities in Greece|1st]] urban, 1st metro in Greece
| population_urban   = 3,059,764
| area_urban_km2     = 412
| population_density_urban_km2 = auto
| population_metro   = 3,638,281
| area_metro_km2     = 2,928.717
| population_density_metro_km2 = auto
| population_demonym = [[wikt:Athenian|Athenian]]
| demographics_type1 = GDP
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web |  url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tgs00003/default/table?lang=en | title=EU regions by GDP, Eurostat|access-date=18 September 2023|website=www.ec.europa.eu}}</ref>
| demographics1_title1 = Metro
| demographics1_info1 = €109.654&nbsp;billion (2023)
| demographics1_title2 = Per capita
| demographics1_info2 = €29,000 (2023)
| timezone1          = [[East European Time|EET]]
| utc_offset1        = +2
| timezone1_DST      = [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = +3
| elevation_min_m    = 70.1
| elevation_max_m    = 338
| postal_code_type   = [[Postal codes in Greece|Postal codes]]
| postal_code        = 10x xx, 11x xx, 120 xx
| area_code_type     = [[Telephone numbers in Greece|Telephone]]
| area_code          = 21
| registration_plate = [[Vehicle registration plates of Greece|Yxx, Zxx, Ixx]]
| blank_name_sec1    = [[Patron saint]]
| blank_info_sec1    = [[Dionysius the Areopagite]] (3 October)
| blank_name_sec2    = Major airport(s)
| blank_info_sec2    = [[Athens International Airport]]
| website            = {{URL|https://cityofathens.gr|cityofathens.gr}}
| official_name      = 
| population_density_rank = 
}}

'''Athens{{efn|{{langx|el|Αθήνα|Athína}}, {{IPA|el|aˈθina|pron|el-Αθήνα.ogg}}; {{langx|grc|Ἀθῆναι|Athênai}}, {{IPA|grc|atʰɛ̂ːnai̯|pron}}}}''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|θ|ɪ|n|z}} {{respell|ATH|inz}})<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wells |first=John C. |title=Longman pronunciation dictionary |publisher=Longman |year=1990 |isbn=0-582-05383-8 |location=Harlow, England |page=48 |chapter=Athens}}</ref> is the [[Capital city|capital]] and [[List of cities and towns in Greece|largest city]] of [[Greece]]. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the [[Attica (region)|Attica region]] and is the southernmost capital on the [[European mainland]]. With its urban area's population numbering over 3.6 million, it is the [[List of urban areas in the European Union|eighth-largest urban area]] in the [[European Union]] (EU). The [[Municipality of Athens]] (also City of Athens), which constitutes a small administrative unit of the entire urban area, had a population of 643,452 (2021)<ref name="census21">{{Cite press release |title=Census 2021 GR |date=19 July 2022 |publisher=[[Hellenic Statistical Authority]] |url=https://elstat-outsourcers.statistics.gr/Census2022_GR.pdf |access-date=12 September 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://elstat-outsourcers.statistics.gr/Census2022_GR.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022}}</ref> within its official limits, and a land area of {{convert|38.96|km2|sqmi|2|abbr=on}}.<ref name="stat01">{{Cite web |title=Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation) |url=http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00098%20.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921212047/http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00098%20.pdf |archive-date=21 September 2015 |publisher=National Statistical Service of Greece |language=el}}</ref><ref name="area">{{Cite web |title=Characteristics |url=http://www.ypes.gr/topiki.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070104231706/http://www.ypes.gr/topiki.htm |archive-date=4 January 2007 |access-date=6 January 2007 |website=Hellenic Interior Ministry |publisher=ypes.gr}}</ref>

Athens is one of the [[List of oldest continuously inhabited cities|world's oldest cities]], with its [[recorded history]] spanning over 3,400 years,<ref>Vinie Daily, Athens, the city in your pocket, p. 6.</ref> and its earliest human presence beginning somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennia [[Anno Domini|BC]]. According to [[Greek mythology]] the city was named after [[Athena]], the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom, but modern scholars generally agree that the goddess took her name after the city.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Greenberg |first1=Mike |last2=PhD |date=23 February 2021 |title=Athena Facts: Things that not many people know about... |url=https://mythologysource.com/facts-about-athena/ |access-date=20 February 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Classical Athens]] was one of the most powerful [[Polis|city-states]] in [[ancient Greece]]. It was a centre for [[Greek democracy|democracy]], [[the arts]], education and [[Ancient Greek philosophy|philosophy]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Contents and Principles of the Programme of Unification of the Archaeological Sites of Athens |url=http://www.yppo.gr/4/e4000.jsp?obj_id=90&lhmma_id=3817 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821134233/http://www.yppo.gr/4/e4000.jsp?obj_id=90&lhmma_id=3817 |archive-date=21 August 2016 |access-date=31 December 2009 |website=Hellenic Ministry of Culture |publisher=yppo.gr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=((CNN & Associated Press)) |date=16 January 1997 |title=Greece uncovers 'holy grail' of Greek archeology |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9701/16/greece.lyceum/index.html |access-date=28 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206113529/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9701/16/greece.lyceum/index.html |archive-date=6 December 2007}}</ref> and was highly influential throughout the European continent, particularly in [[Ancient Rome]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090129202226/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_1741501460/Ancient_Greece.html Encarta Ancient Greece] from the Internet Archive– Retrieved on 28 February 2012. [https://web.archive.org/web/20091028030542/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_1741501460/Ancient_Greece.html Archived] 31 October 2009.</ref> For this reason it is often regarded as the [[cradle of civilization|cradle]] of [[Western civilization|Western civilisation]] and the [[History of democracy|birthplace of democracy]] in its own right independently from the rest of Greece.<ref name=britannica>{{Cite web |title=Athens |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/40773/Athens |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106054445/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/40773/Athens |archive-date=6 January 2009 |access-date=31 December 2008 |quote=Ancient Greek Athenai, historic city and capital of Greece. Many of classical civilization's intellectual and artistic ideas originated there, and the city is generally considered to be the birthplace of Western civilization}}</ref><ref name=bbc>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greekdemocracy_01.shtml BBC History on Greek Democracy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219115917/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greekdemocracy_01.shtml |date=19 December 2019 }} – Accessed on 26 January 2007</ref>

In modern times Athens is a large cosmopolitan [[metropolis]] and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece. It is a [[Globalization and World Cities Research Network#Beta|Beta (+)]] – 
status [[global city]] according to the [[Globalization and World Cities Research Network]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=The World According to GaWC 2020 |url=https://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2020t.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824031341/https://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2020t.html |archive-date=24 August 2020 |access-date=31 August 2020 |website=GaWC – Research Network |publisher=Globalization and World Cities}}</ref> and is one of the biggest economic centres in [[Southeast Europe]]. It also has a large financial sector, and its port [[Piraeus]] is both the second-busiest passenger port in Europe<ref name="ESPO">{{Cite web |date=21 November 2022 |title=Maritime passenger statistics |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Maritime_passenger_statistics&oldid=550549#Messina_remained_the_largest_EU_passenger_port_in_2020 |access-date=25 March 2023 |website=Eurostat |publisher=[[Eurostat]]}}</ref> and the thirteenth-largest container port in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World Shipping Council- Top 50 Ports |url=https://www.worldshipping.org/top-50-ports |access-date=7 July 2022 |website=World Shipping Council |publisher=}}</ref> The [[Athens metropolitan area]]<ref>{{Cite book |title=Monthly Statistical Bulletin of Greece, December 2012 |publisher=ELSTAT |year=2012 |page=64}}</ref> extends beyond its administrative municipal city limits as well as its [[Urban Agglomeration|urban agglomeration]], with a population of 3,638,281 (2021)<ref name=census21/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός – ELSTAT |url=https://www.statistics.gr/2021-census-res-pop-results |access-date=10 June 2023 |website=www.statistics.gr |archive-date=5 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105191336/https://www.statistics.gr/2021-census-res-pop-results |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Athens, Greece Metro Area Population 1950–2023 |url=https://www.macrotrends.net/cities/21113/athens/population |access-date=2 March 2023 |website=www.macrotrends.net}}</ref> over an area of {{convert|2,928.717|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name=area/>

The heritage of the [[Classical Greece|Classical Era]] is still evident in the city, represented by [[ancient monument]]s, and works of art, the most famous of all being the [[Parthenon]], considered a key landmark of early [[Western culture]]. The city also retains [[Roman Greece|Roman]], [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] and a smaller number of [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] monuments, while its historical urban core features elements of continuity through its millennia of history. Athens contains two [[World Heritage Site|World Heritage Sites]] recognised by [[UNESCO]]: the [[Acropolis of Athens]] and the medieval [[Daphni Monastery]]. Athens is also home to several museums and cultural institutions, such as the [[National Archaeological Museum, Athens|National Archeological Museum]], featuring the world's largest collection of ancient Greek antiquities, the [[Acropolis Museum]], the [[Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art|Museum of Cycladic Art]], the [[Benaki Museum]] and the [[Byzantine and Christian Museum]]. Athens was the host city of the [[1896 Summer Olympics|first modern-day Olympic Games]] in 1896, and 108 years later it hosted the [[2004 Summer Olympics]], making it one of five cities to have hosted the Summer Olympics on multiple occasions.<ref name="oly">{{Cite news |last=((CNN & Sports Illustrated)) |date=5 September 1997 |title=Sentiment a factor as Athens gets 2004 Olympics |publisher=sportsillustrated.cnn.com |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/news/1997/09/05/athens_update/ |access-date=28 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080519032341/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/news/1997/09/05/athens_update/ |archive-date=19 May 2008}}</ref>