Greek diaspora Totally Explained

Everything about The Greek Diaspora totally explained

The Greek diaspora is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside of the traditional Greek homelands in southeast Europe and Asia Minor. Members of the diaspora can be identified as those who themselves, or whose ancestors, migrated from the Greek homelands.

7th Century

In the seventh century Emperor Heraclius adopted Greek as the official language. Greeks continued to live around the Levant, Mediterranean and Black Sea maintaining a Greek identity amongst local populations as traders, officials and settlers. Under the Ottoman Empire these populations generally remained.

15th Century - Fall Of Byzantium, Exodus to Italy

Many Greeks fled Constantinople after its fall in 1453 and found refuge in Italy, bringing with them many ancient Greek writings that had been lost in the West. These helped contribute to the European Renaissance. Most Greeks settled in Venice and are indeed now lost to history.

Modern Times

19th Century

During and after the Greek War of Independence, Greeks of the Diaspora were important in establishing the fledgling state, raising funds and awareness abroad. Greek merchant families already had contacts in other countries and during the disturbances many set up home around the Mediterranean (notably Marseilles in France, Livorno in Italy, Alexandria in Egypt), Russia (Odessa and St Petersburg), and Britain (London and Liverpool) from where they traded, typically in textiles and grain. Businesses frequently comprised the whole extended family, and with them they brought schools teaching Greek and the Greek Orthodox church. As markets changed and they became more established, some families grew their operations to become shippers, financed through the local Greek community, notably with the aid of the Ralli or Vagliano Brothers. With economic success the Diaspora expanded further across the Levant, North Africa, India and the USA.
After the Treaty of Constantinople the political situation stabilised somewhat, and some of the displaced families moved back to the newly-independent country to become key figures in cultural, educational and political life, especially in Athens. Finance and assistance from overseas were channelled through these family ties, and helped provide institutions such as the National Library, and sent relief after natural disasters.

20th Century

In the twentieth century many Greeks left the traditional homelands for economic reasons resulting in large migrations from Greece and Cyprus to the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, Germany and South Africa, especially after the Second World War (1939-45) the Greek Civil War (1946-49) and the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus in 1974.
   After the First World War most Greeks living in the territory of modern Turkey were forced or coerced into leaving areas occupied by Greek people since antiquity. Many came to modern Greece, but The Russian Empire (later USSR) was also a major destination.
   After the Greek Civil War some left wing activists and their families moved to the Communist Countries of Europe due to the political situation. Hungary even founded a whole new village, Beloiannisz, for Greek immigrants. While many immigrants returned later, these countries still have numerous first and second generation Greeks who maintain their traditions.
   The term Pontic Greeks is used to refer to those who have come from the countries around the Black Sea.

Greek Nationality

See Greek nationality law for more details.
Any person who is ethnically Greek born outside of Greece may become a Greek citizen through naturalization, providing he/she can prove a parent or grandparent was born as a national of Greece. The Greek ancestor's birth certificate and marriage certificate are required, along with the applicant's birth certificate, and the birth certificates of all generations in between until the relation between the applicant and the person with Greek citizenship is proven.

Today

Important centres of the Greek Diaspora today are Chicago, London, New York, Melbourne and Toronto. – an estimated 3,000,000 claim Greek descent | Greek American |- | 2 | Cyprus | Nicosia | 635,914 (2001 census) - 689,471 (est.) - 700,000 (est.) – 370,000 (est.) | Greeks in Germany |- | 5 | Canada | Ottawa | 215,105 (2001 census) – 450,000 (est.) | Greeks in Great Britain |- | 7 | South Africa | Pretoria |50,000-60,000 - 120,000 (est.) | Greeks in Russia |- | 9 | Ukraine | Kiev | 91,500 (2001 census) | Greeks in Ukraine |- | 10 | Albania | Tirana | 58,785 (1989 census) – 400,000 (est.) | Greeks in Albania |- | 11 | France | Paris | 35,000 (est.) | Greeks in France |- | 12 | Belgium | Brussels | 25,000 (est.) | Greeks in Belgium |- | 13 | Brazil | Brasília | 25,000 – 30,000 (est.) | Greeks in Brazil |- | 14 | Argentina | Buenos Aires | 20,000 (est.) | Greeks in Argentina |- | 15 | Italy | Rome | 20,000 (est.) | Greeks in Italy |- | 16 | Georgia | Tbilisi | 15,166 (2002 census) | Greeks in Georgia |- | 17 | Serbia | Belgrade | 15,000 (est.) | Greeks in Serbia |- | 18 | Kazakhstan | Astana | 12,703 (1999 census) | Greeks in Kazakhstan |- | 19 | Sweden | Stockholm | 12,000 – 15,000 (est.) | Greeks in Sweden |- | 20 | Uzbekistan | Tashkent | 9,500 (est.) | Greeks in Uzbekistan |- | 21 | Switzerland | Bern | 8,340 (est.) | Greeks in Switzerland |- | 22 | Romania | Bucharest | 6,513 (2002 census) | Greeks in Romania |- | 23 | Austria | Vienna | 5,000 (est.) | Greeks in Austria |- | 24 | Turkey | Ankara | 5,000 (2006 est.) | Greeks in Turkey |- | 25 | New Zealand | Wellington | 4,500 (est.) – 10,000 (est.) | Greeks in the Netherlands |- | 27 | Egypt | Cairo | 3,800 (est.) – 5,000 | Greeks in Egypt |- | 28 | Bulgaria | Sofia | 3,408 (2001 census) – 28,500 | Greeks in Bulgaria |- | 29 | Czech Republic | Prague | 3,231 (2001 census) – 7,000 (est.) | Greeks in the Czech Republic |- | 30 | Moldova | Chişinău | 3,000 (est.) | Greeks in Moldova |- | 31 | Hungary | Budapest | 2,509 (2001 census) – 6,000 (est.) | Greeks in Hungary |- | 32 | Lebanon | Beirut | 1,500 (est.) | Greeks in Poland |- | 35 | Saudi Arabia | Riyadh | 1,300 (est.) | Greeks in Luxembourg |- | 37 | Cameroon | Yaoundé | 1,200 (est.) | Greeks in Cameroon |- | 38 | Armenia | Yerevan | 1,176 (2002 census) | Greeks in Armenia |- | 39 | Venezuela | Caracas | 1,148 (est.) | Greeks in Venezuela |- | 40 | Zimbabwe | Harare | 1,100 (est.) | Greeks in Zimbabwe |- | 41 | Uruguay | Montevideo | 1,000 (est.) | Greeks in Uruguay |- | 42 | Chile | Santiago | 1,000 (est.) | Greeks in Chile |- | 43 | Mexico | Mexico City | 1,000 (est.) | Greek Mexican |- | 44 | Syria | Damascus | 1,000 (est.) | Greeks in Panama |- | 46 | Zambia | Lusaka | 700 (est.) | Greeks in Kyrgyzstan |- | 48 | Denmark | Copenhagen | 500 (est.) | Greeks in Denmark |- | 49 | Ethiopia | Addis Ababa | 500 (est.) | Greeks in Ethiopia |- | 50 | FYR Macedonia | Skopje | 422 (2002 census) – 250,000 (1994 est.) | Greeks in FYR Macedonia |- | 51 | Jordan | Amman | 400 (est.) | Greeks in Jordan |- | 52 | Norway | Oslo | 350 (est.) | Greeks in Norway |- | 53 | Democratic Republic of the Congo (ex. Zaire) | Kinshasa | 300 (est.) | Greeks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo |- | 54 | Spain | Madrid | 300 (est.) | Greeks in Spain |- | 55 | Bahamas | Nassau | 300 (est.) | Greeks in Nigeria |- | 57 | Tanzania | Dodoma | 300 (est.) ; 80 (est.) (non-Jewish Greek only) | Greeks in Israel |- | 60 | Sudan | Khartoum | 250 (est.) | Greeks in Sudan |- | 61 | Azerbaijan | Baku | 250 – 300 (est.) | Greeks in Azerbaijan |- | 62 | Lithuania | Vilnius | 250 (est.) | Greeks in Lithuania |- | 63 | Malawi | Lilongwe | 200 (est.) | Greeks in Malawi |- | 64 | Colombia | Bogotá, D.C. | 200 (est.) | Greeks in Morocco |- | 69 | Peru | Lima | 150 (est.) | Greeks in Peru |- | 70 | Portugal | Lisbon | 150 (est.) | Greeks in Portugal |- | 72 | Botswana | Gaborone | 150 (est.) | Greeks in Estonia |- | 75 | Finland | Helsinki | 150 (est.) | Greeks in Finland |- | 76 | Hong Kong | – | 150 (est.) | Greeks in Kuwait |- | 78 | Latvia | Riga | 100 (est.) | Greeks in Latvia |- | 79 | Japan | Tokyo | 100 (est) | Greeks in Japan |- | 80 | Bolivia | La Paz | 100 (est.) | Greeks in Bolivia |- | 81 | People's Republic of China | Beijing | 100 (est.) | Greeks in China |- | 82 | Indonesia | Jakarta | 72 (est.) | Greeks in Indonesia |- | 83 | Papua New Guinea | Port Moresby | 70 (est.) | Greeks in Iran |- | 85 | Côte d'Ivoire | Yamoussoukro | 60 (est.) | Greeks in Slovenia |- | 88 | Croatia | Zagreb | 50 (est.) | Greeks in Croatia |- | 89 | Tunisia | Tunis | 50 (est.) | Greeks in Singapore |- | 94 | Malta | Valletta | 35 – 40 (est.) | Greeks in Malta |- | 95 | Cuba | Havana | 30 (est.) | Greeks in Slovakia |- | 99 | Paraguay | Asunción | 20 (est.) | Greeks in Paraguay |- | 100 | Chad | N'Djamena | 20 (est.) | Greeks in Chad |- | 101 | Ecuador | Quito | 20 (est.) | Greeks in Ecuador |- | 102 | Guatemala | Guatemala City | 20 (est.) | Greeks in Guatemala |- | 103 | Mozambique | Maputo | 20 (est.) | Greeks in Mozambique |- | 104 | Namibia | Windhoek | 20 (est.) | Greeks in Namibia |- | 105 | Togo | Lomé | 20 (est.) | Greeks in Togo |- | 106 | Republic of the Congo | Brazzaville | 10 (est.) | Greeks in the Republic of the Congo |- | 107 | Belarus | Minsk | unknown – for further information, see (External Link

) | Greeks in Belarus |}

Well known Greeks of the Diaspora

Well known people in the Greek diaspora include:

Further Information

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