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The 'Greek diaspora' () is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside of the traditional Greek homelands of modern Greece and Cyprus.
Members of the diaspora can be identified as those who themselves, or whose ancestors, migrated from the Greek homelands.

Contents

History

Ancient Times

7th Century

Modern Times

19th Century

20th Century

Today

Well Known Greeks of the Diaspora

Number of Greeks in all countries

See also

References

External links

History

Ancient Times

In ancient times the trading and colonising activities of the Greek tribes and city states spread people of Greek culture, religion and language around the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins, especially in Sicily, southern Italy, Spain the South of France and the Black sea coasts. Under Alexander the Great's Empire Greek ruling classes were established in the middle east and in Egypt. Under the Roman Empire movement of people spread Greeks across the Empire and in the eastern territories Greek became the lingua franca rather than Latin. The Roman Empire became Christianized in the fourth century AD, and in the Byzantine period practice of the Greek Orthodox form of Christianity became a defining hallmark of Greek identity.

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.

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-independant 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, 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 Arab Nationalism of President Nasser of Egypt led to the expulsion of a large Greek population from that country in the 1950s. Until that point Alexandria had been an important centre of Greek culture since antiquity, with the business life of the city dominated by Greeks.
With the fall of Communism in eastern Europe and the USSR, numbers of Greeks of the Diaspora whose Greek ancestry was many generations removed, immigrated to modern Greece's urban centres in Athens and Thessaloniki and onto Cyprus. Movements from Georgia were most numerous.
The term 'Pontian Greeks' is used to refer to those who have come from the countries around the Black Sea.

Today

Important centres of the Greek Diaspora today are Chicago USA, London UK, New York USA, Melbourne Australia and Toronto Canada.
The General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad is a dependency of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has compiled several studies on the Greeks of the diaspora.
The total number of Greeks living outside Greece and Cyprus today is a contentious issue. Where Census figures are available it shows around 3 million Greeks outside of Greece and Cyprus. Estimates provided by the Council of overseas Greeks {SAE} put the figure at around 7 million worldwide. Integration, intermarriage and loss of the Greek language also influence the definition and self-definition of Greeks of the Diaspora.

Well Known Greeks of the Diaspora

Well known people in the Greek diaspora include:
Queen Cleopatra,
King Attalos,
Antiochius III,
George Averoff,
Arsaki,
Maria Callas,
Jennifer Aniston,
George Michael,
Telly Savalas,
Doménicos Theotokópoulos (El Greco),
Georges Corraface,
Greg Louganis,
John Varvatos,
Elia Kazan,
Constantine Lascaris,
Marcus Musurus,
Yiannis Pharmakis,
Queen Sophia of Spain,
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,
Peter Andre,
Jake and Dinos Chapman
Sir Alec Issigonis,
Michael Dukakis,
Olympia Dukakis,
Michael Dertouzos,
George Bizos,
Mario Frangoulis,
George Sava,
Spyros Skouras,
Arianna Huffington,
Panayiotis Zavos,
Nicholas Negroponte,
Grigorios S. Kapageridis,
Nik Poulos,
Spiro Agnew,
George Stephanopoulos,
See also:

★ List of Greek Americans

★ List of Greek Australians

★ List of Greek Canadians

★ Greeks in Great Britain

Number of Greeks in all countries

Rank	Country	Capital	Number of ethnic Greeks	Main articles
1	Greece	Athens	10,744,740 (2001 census)	Greeks
2	United States	Washington, D.C.	1,213,807 (2000 census) [1] – an estimated 3,000,000 claim Greek descent [2]	Greek American
3	Cyprus	Nicosia	689,471 (2001 census, in gov. controlled area)	Greek Cypriots, Greek Cypriot diaspora
4	Australia	Canberra	375,703 (2001 census) [3] – 700,000 (est.) [4]	Greek Australian
5	Germany	Berlin	354,500 (est.) [5] – 320,000 (2006 est.) [6]	Greeks in Germany
6	Canada	Ottawa	215,105 (2001 census) [7] – 450,000 (est.)5	Greek Canadians
7	South Africa	Pretoria	120,000 (est.) 5 – see also [1]	Greeks in South Africa
8	United Kingdom	London	112,163 (2001 census) - excludes all British-born Greeks (est. 200,000) [8]	Greeks in Great Britain
9	Russia	Moscow	97,827 (2002 census) [9] – 150,000 (est.) 5	Greeks in Russia
10	Ukraine	Kiev	91,500 (2001 census) [10] – 250,000 (est.) 5 (500,000 - est. 2000)	Greeks in Ukraine
11	Albania	Tirana	58,785 (1989 census) [11] – 400,000 (est.) [12]	Greeks in Albania
12	France	Paris	35,000 (est.) [13] 5	Greeks in France
13	Brazil	Brasília	25,000 – 30,000 (est.) [14]	Greeks in Brazil
14	Belgium	Brussels	25,000 (est.) 5 – 35,000 (est.) [15]	Greeks in Belgium
15	Argentina	Buenos Aires	20,000 (est.) 5 – 30,000 (est.) [16]	Greeks in Argentina
16	Italy	Rome	20,000 (est.) 5 – 30,000 (est.) [17]	Greeks in Italy
17	Georgia	Tbilisi	15,166 (2002 census) [18] – 120,000 (est.) 5	Greeks in Georgia
18	Serbia	Belgrade	15,000 (est.) [19]	Greeks in Serbia
19	Kazakhstan	Astana	12,703 (1999 census) [20] – 120,000 (est.) 5	Greeks in Kazakhstan
20	Sweden	Stockholm	12,000 – 15,000 (est.) [21] – 20,000 (est.) 5	Greeks in Sweden
21	Uzbekistan	Tashkent	9,500 (est.) [22] – 10,000 (est.) 5	Greeks in Uzbekistan
22	Switzerland	Bern	8,340 (est.) 5 – 11,000 (est.) [23]	Greeks in Switzerland
23	Romania	Bucharest	6,513 (2002 census) [24] – 14,000 (est.) 5	Greeks in Romania
24	Austria	Vienna	5,000 (est.) [25] – 6,500 (est.) 5	Greeks in Austria
25	Turkey	Ankara	5,000 (2006 est.) [26]	Greeks in Turkey
26	New Zealand	Wellington	4,500 (est.) [27] – 10,000 (est.) 5	Greeks in New Zealand
27	Netherlands	Amsterdam	4,000 (est.) 5 – 12,500 (est.) [28]	Greeks in the Netherlands
28	Egypt	Cairo	3,800 (est.) [29] – 350,000 (1989 est.) [30]	Greeks in Egypt
29	Bulgaria	Sofia	3,408 (2001 census) [31] – 28,500 [32]	Greeks in Bulgaria
30	Czech Republic	Prague	3,231 (2001 census) [33] – 7,000 (est.) [34]	Greeks in the Czech Republic
31	Moldova	Chişinău	3,000 (est.) [35] – 4,000 (est.) 5	Greeks in Moldova
32	Hungary	Budapest	2,509 (2001 census) [36] – 6,000 (est.) [37]	Greeks in Hungary
33	Lebanon	Beirut	1,500 (est.) 5	Greeks in Lebanon
34	Oman	Muscat	1,500 (est.) 5	Greeks in Oman
35	Poland	Warsaw	1,404 (2002 census) [38] – 4,300 (est.) 5	Greeks in Poland
36	Saudi Arabia	Riyadh	1,300 (est.) 5	Greeks in Saudi Arabia
37	Luxembourg	Luxembourg	1,200 5 – 2,000 (est.) [39]	Greeks in Luxembourg
38	Cameroon	Yaoundé	1,200 (est.) [40]	Greeks in Cameroon
39	Armenia	Yerevan	1,176 (2002 census) [41] – 15,000 (est.) 40	Greeks in Armenia
40	Venezuela	Caracas	1,148 (est.) [42] – 2,500 (est.) 40	Greeks in Venezuela
41	Zimbabwe	Harare	1,100 (est.) [43] – 4,000 (est.) 40	Greeks in Zimbabwe
42	Uruguay	Montevideo	1,000 (est.) 40 – 2,000 (est.) [44]	Greeks in Uruguay
43	Chile	Santiago	1,000 (est.) 40 – 1,500 (est.) [45]	Greeks in Chile
44	Mexico	Mexico City	1,000 (est.) [46] 40	Greeks in Mexico
45	Syria	Damascus	1,000 (est.) 40	Greeks in Syria
46	Panama	Panama City	800 (est.) 40 – 1,000 (est.) [44]	Greeks in Panama
47	Zambia	Lusaka	700 (est.) 40	Greeks in Zambia
48	Kyrgyzstan	Bishkek	650 – 700 (est.) [48]	Greeks in Kyrgyzstan
49	Denmark	Copenhagen	500 (est.) 40 – 1,000 (est.) [49]	Greeks in Denmark
50	Ethiopia	Addis Ababa	500 (est.) [50] – 700 (est.) 40	Greeks in Ethiopia
51	FYROM	Skopje	422 (2002 census) [51] – 250,000 (1994 est.) [52]	Greeks in the FYROM
52	Jordan	Amman	400 (est.) 40 – 600 (est.) [53]	Greeks in Jordan
53	Norway	Oslo	350 (est.) [54] 40	Greeks in Norway
54	Democratic Republic of the Congo (ex. Zaire)	Kinshasa	300 (est.) [55] – 5000 (est.) 40	Greeks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
55	Spain	Madrid	300 (est.) 40 – 1,500 – 2,000 (est.) [56]	Greeks in Spain
56	Bahamas	Nassau	300 (est.) 40	Greeks in the Bahamas
57	Nigeria	Abuja	300 (est.) [57] 40	Greeks in Nigeria
58	Tanzania	Dodoma	300 (est.) 40	Greeks in Tanzania
59	Israel	Jerusalem	250 – 300 (est.) [58] – 1,500 (est.) 40	Greeks in Israel
60	Sudan	Khartoum	250 (est.) [59] – 700 (est.) 40	Greeks in Sudan
61	Azerbaijan	Baku	250 – 300 (est.) [58]	Greeks in Azerbaijan
62	Lithuania	Vilnius	250 (est.) [61]	Greeks in Lithuania
63	Malawi	Lilongwe	200 (est.) [62] – 800 (est.) 40	Greeks in Malawi
64	Colombia	Bogotá, D.C.	200 (est.) 40	Greeks in Colombia
65	Ireland	Dublin	200 (est.) 40 – for further information, see [4]	Greeks in Ireland
66	Kenya	Nairobi	200 (est.) 40	Greeks in Kenya
67	United Arab Emirates	Abu Dhabi	200 (est.) 40	Greeks in the United Arab Emirates
68	Morocco	Rabat	180 (est.) [63]	Greeks in Morocco
69	Peru	Lima	150 (est.) 63 – 350 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Peru
70	Portugal	Lisbon	150 (est.) 63 – 240 (est.) [65]	Greeks in Portugal
71	Botswana	Gaborone	150 (est.) 63	Greeks in Botswana
72	Djibouti	Djibouti City	150 (est.) 63	Greeks in Djibouti
73	Estonia	Tallinn	150 (est.) [66]	Greeks in Estonia
74	Finland	Helsinki	150 (est.) [67] 63	Greeks in Finland
75	Hong Kong	–	150 (est.) 63	Greeks in Hong Kong
76	Kuwait	Kuwait City	140 (est.) [68] –150 (est.) 63	Greeks in Kuwait
77	Latvia	Riga	100 (est.) [69] – 10,000 (est.) 63	Greeks in Latvia
78	Japan	Tokyo	100 (est) 63 – 300 (est.) [70]	Greeks in Japan
79	Bolivia	La Paz	100 (est.) [71] 63	Greeks in Bolivia
80	People's Republic of China	Beijing	100 (est.) [72]	Greeks in China
81	Costa Rica	San José	80 (est.) 63	Greeks in Costa Rica
82	Indonesia	Jakarta	72 (est.) [73]	Greeks in Indonesia
83	Papua New Guinea	Port Moresby	70 (est.) 63	Greeks in Papua New Guinea
84	Iran	Tehran	60 (est.) 63 – 80 (est.) [74]	Greeks in Iran
85	Côte d'Ivoire	Yamoussoukro	60 (est.) 63	Greeks in Côte d'Ivoire
86	Madagascar	Antananarivo	60 (est.) 63	Greeks in Madagascar
87	Slovenia	Ljubljana	54 (2002 census) [75]	Greeks in Slovenia
88	Croatia	Zagreb	50 (est.) [76]	Greeks in Croatia
89	Tunisia	Tunis	50 (est.) 63	Greeks in Tunisia
90	Senegal	Dakar	50 (est.) 63	Greeks in Senegal
91	Central African Republic	Bangui	40 (est.) 63	Greeks in the Central African Republic
92	Qatar	Doha	40 (est.) 63	Greeks in Qatar
93	Singapore	–	40 (est.) [77]	Greeks in Singapore
94	Malta	Valletta	35 – 40 (est.) [78]	Greeks in Malta
95	Cuba	Havana	30 (est.) 63	Greeks in Cuba
96	Algeria	Algiers	30 (est.) 63	Greeks in Algeria
97	Eritrea	Asmara	30 (est.) 63	Greeks in Eritrea
98	Slovakia	Bratislava	apart from some 80 students currently in Slovakia, there are no more than twenty Greeks, and no form of association [79]	Greeks in Slovakia
99	Paraguay	Asunción	20 (est.) 63 – 25 (est.) [77]	Greeks in Paraguay
100	Chad	N'Djamena	20 (est.) 63	Greeks in Chad
101	Ecuador	Quito	20 (est.) 63	Greeks in Ecuador
102	Guatemala	Guatemala City	20 (est.) 63	Greeks in Guatemala
103	Mozambique	Maputo	20 (est.) 63	Greeks in Mozambique
104	Namibia	Windhoek	20 (est.) 63	Greeks in Namibia
105	Togo	Lomé	20 (est.) 63	Greeks in Togo
106	Republic of the Congo	Brazzaville	10 (est.) 63	Greeks in the Republic of the Congo
107	Belarus	Minsk	''unknown'' – for further information, see [5]	Greeks in Belarus

See also

★ Antiochian Greeks

★ Cappadocian Greek language

★ Church of Greece

★ Cypriot Orthodox Church

★ Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople

★ Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople

★ Greek Byzantine Catholic Church

★ Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria

★ Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch

★ Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem

★ Greek-Calabrian dialect

★ Greeks

★ Griko language

★ Orthodox Church in America

★ Pontic Greeks

References

1. United States of America: 2000 census
2. United States Department of State: Background Note: Greece
3. Community Relations Commission: 2001 census
4. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Australia: The Greek Community
5. Greeks around the Globe (they are quoting the statistics of the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad as on October 12, 2004)
6. Germany: Greek population in Germany, by the Federal Republic of Germany (Relations between Greece and Germany)
7. See List of Canadians by ethnicity
8. BBC Special: Born Abroad [2]. This figure includes only Greeks born in Greece (35,007) and Cyprus (77,156). The actual number of Greeks (and especially Greek Cypriots) in the UK is much higher.
9. Norwegian Institute of International Affairs: Centre for Russian Studies: 2002 census
10. State Statistics Committee of Ukraine: 2001 census
11. UNPO: Greek Minority in Albania
12. Country Studies US: Greeks and Other Minorities
13. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: France: The Greek Community
14. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Brazil: The Greek Community
15. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Belgium: The Greek Community
16. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Argentina: The Greek Community
17. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Italy: The Greek Community
18. Eurominority: Greeks in Georgia
19. Glas Javnosti: Nama su samo Srbi braća
20. Japan External Trade Organization: Institute of Developing Economies: Ethnodemographic situation in Kazakhstan
21. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Sweden: The Greek Community
22. Central Asia – Caucasus analyst: Greeks in Uzbekistan
23. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Switzerland: The Greek Community
24. ClubAfaceri: 2002 (Romanian) census
25. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Austria: The Greek Community
26. "Ethnic Greeks of Istanbul convene", ''Athens News Agency'', 2 July 2006. Additionally, there are 600,000 Greek-speaking people in Turkey according to the Columbia Encyclopedia [3], although this figure will certainly include Turkish-identifying Greek Muslims.
27. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: New Zealand: The Greek Community
28. According to the Netherlands Statistical Service, quoted by: Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Netherlands: The Greek Community
29. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Egypt: The Greek Community
30. United Nations Human Rights Website – Treaty Bodies Database – Document – Summary Record – Egypt
31. Republic of Bulgaria: National Statistical Institute: 2001 census
32. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Bulgaria: The Greek Community
33. Office of the Czech Republic Government: Report on the Situation of National Minorities in the Czech Republic in 2001
34. According to the Association of Greek Communities in the Czech Republic quoted by the Office of the Czech Republic Government: Report on the Situation of National Minorities in the Czech Republic in 2001
35. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Moldova
36. Hungarian Central Statistical Office: 2001 census
37. Eurominority: Greeks in Hungary
38. See Demographics of Poland
39. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Luxembourg: The Greek Community
40. Greeks around the Globe (they are quoting the statistics of the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad as on October 12, 2004)
41. National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia: 2002 census
42. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Venezuela: The Greek Community
43. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Zimbabwe: The Greek Community
44. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Uruguay: The Greek Community
45. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Chile: The Greek Community
46. Comunidad Helenica de Mexico: ''The Greek side of Mexico''
47. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Uruguay: The Greek Community
48. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Kyrgyzstan: The Greek Community
49. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Denmark: The Greek Community
50. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Ethiopia: The Greek Community
51. See Demographics of the Republic of Macedonia
52. Johns Hopkins University Press: Victor Roudometof, ''Nationalism and Identity Politics in the Balkans: Greece and the Macedonian Question''
53. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Jordan: The Greek Community
54. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Norway: The Greek Community
55. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Democratic Republic of Congo: The Greek Community
56. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Spain: The Greek Community
57. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Nigeria: The Greek Community
58. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Azerbaijan: The Greek Community
59. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Sudan: The Greek Community
60. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Azerbaijan: The Greek Community
61. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Lithuania: The Greek Community
62. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Malawi: The Greek Community
63. Greeks around the Globe (they are quoting the statistics of the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad as on October 12, 2004)
64. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Peru: The Greek Community
65. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Portugal: The Greek Community
66. Estonian Statistical Office: Estonia: The Greek Community
67. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Finland: The Greek Community
68. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Kuwait: The Greek Community
69. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Latvia: The Greek Community
70. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Japan: The Greek Community
71. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Bolivia: The Greek Community
72. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: China: The Greek Community
73. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Indonesia: The Greek Community
74. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Iran: The Greek Community
75. Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia: Census of population, households and housing 2002
76. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Croatia: The Greek Community
77. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Singapore: The Greek Community
78. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Malta: The Greek Community
79. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Slovakia
80. Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Singapore: The Greek Community

External links

★ General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad

★ Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs

★ Popular International Greek diaspora blog