Greek diversity
Mountains and isolated islands produced hundreds of endemic plants.
C messier — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nikolaos S. Karastathis (NerdyNSK) — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Nikolaos S. Karastathis (NSK), contributing as NerdyNSK — CC BY-SA 3.0 · AlbusTheWhite — CC BY-SA 4.0
A natural history museum in the suburb of Kifissia north of Athens, founded by Angelos and Niki Goulandris in 1964, and the first of its kind in Greece. The collection concentrates specifically on Greek nature: plants, animals, rocks and fossils from Greece, with sections on the Mediterranean. Greece is a strikingly biodiverse country for its size — mountains, isolated islands and scattered habitats have produced species found nowhere else, among them hundreds of endemic plants. Beside the museum stands the Gaia Centre for the environment and sustainability, holding interactive displays about the Earth and climate change and a large rotating globe showing real climate data. This part is aimed at families and works well with children. Kifissia itself is a green, well-off suburb of early twentieth-century villas, and was where Athenians summered before it joined the city. It is reached directly by metro line one.
Mountains and isolated islands produced hundreds of endemic plants.
Interactive climate displays and a rotating globe with real data.
Kifissia was where Athenians summered before it joined the city.
Kifissia, a northern suburb of Athens
Yes, and it is among Athens's best options for families. The Gaia Centre in particular is designed for children with interactive displays, screens and experiments, and the museum itself has skeletons and mounted specimens that draw the young. An added advantage is that the metro ride to Kifissia is enjoyable in itself, and the suburb has parks and cafés for a break afterwards. Allow a full half day including the travel.
For three overlapping reasons. First the terrain: steep mountains create small climates side by side at different altitudes. Second the islands: more than six thousand islands and islets, and every long isolation produces species of its own. Third the position: a meeting point between Europe, Asia and Africa, so elements of all three come together. The result is that Greece is among Europe's richest countries in endemic plants.
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