Athens

   Athens (/ˈæθɨnz/; Modern Greek: Αθήνα, Athína;[aˈθina];Katharevousa: Ἀθῆναι, Athinai; Ancient Greek: Ἀθῆναι, Athēnai) is the capitaland largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of theworld's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning around 3,400 years.Classical Athens was a powerful city-state. A centre for the arts, learning andphilosophy, home of Plato's  Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum, it is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace ofdemocracy, largely due to the impact of its cultural and political achievements during the 5th and 4th centuries BC in later centuries on the rest of the then known European continent.Today a cosmopolitan metropolis, modern Athens is central to economic, financial, industrial, political and cultural life in Greece. In 2008, Athens was ranked the world's 32nd richest city by purchasing power and the 25th most expensive in a UBS study.

The city of Athens has a population of 655,780 (796,442 back in 2004)within its administrative limits and a land area of 39 km² (15 sq mi). Theurban area of Athens (Greater Athens and Greater Piraeus) extends beyond the administrative municipal city limits, with a population of 3,074,160 (in 2011),over an area of 412 km² (159 sq mi). According to Eurostat, the AthensLarger Urban Zone (LUZ) is the 7th most populous LUZ in the European Union(the 4th most populous capital city of the EU) with a population of 4,013,368 (in 2004). Athens is also the southernmost capital on the European mainland.

The heritage of the classical era is still evident in the city, represented byancient monuments and works of art, the most famous of all being theParthenon, considered a key landmark of early Western civilization. The city also retains Roman and Byzantine monuments, as well as a smaller number ofOttoman monuments.

Athens is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Acropolis of Athensand the medieval Daphni Monastery. Landmarks of the modern era, dating back to the establishment of Athens as the capital of the independent Greek state in 1833, include the Hellenic Parliament (19th century) and the Athens Trilogy consisting of the National Library of Greece, the Athens University and theAcademy of Athens. Athens was the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896, and 108 years later it welcomed home the 2004 Summer Olympics. Athens is home to the National Archeological Museum, featuring the world's largest collection of ancient Greek antiquities, as well as the new Acropolis Museum.