Athens is the capital of Greece. The city is strategically located in the prefecture of Attica and stretches to the peninsula. Athens is surrounded by Pendeli, Ymmytos, Parnitha, eastwards, northwards, and the Saronic gulf westwards and southwards. Notably, Athens was once known for traffic, smog, and tacky architecture. Its ultimate bloom was in the 5th century when civilization and moral values surpassed limits of the city and to become the most important area of western civilization. As the world’s oldest cities, Athens dominates the Attica region as its history spans around 3,300 years.
It was a centre of learning, arts, and philosophy. In addition, it was home to Aristotle’s Lyceum and Plato’s Academy (Assimaki 12). Today, Athens is commonly referred to as the birthplace of democracy and cradle of Western civilization because of its political and cultural achievements during the 4th and the 5th centuries BC. Today, Athens hosts over 4. 5 million people and it is the social, political, financial, cultural, and commercial center of Greece. Fast forward, the city has grown to a successful and one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
Athens is the chronological apital of Greece, which has as a rich history that dates from the Neolithic age when the first settlement took place. Therefore, Athens is one of the most glorious and magical cities in the world. In addition, the city has been a birthplace of civilization and a city where many ancient intelligent and democracy were born. The climate in Athens is arguably the best in Europe because the sun is always shinning throughout the year. Winters are relatively mild while summers are very hot and this makes it ideal for tourism.
There are cheap flights that make it easy and affordable to reach Athens for business or vacation. Ideally, the city is known for its wide-ranging aspects, for instance, the old neighborhood and the famous historic triangle disclose the coexistence of various eras. The well-preserved old mansions have been worn down by time as traditional taverns and fancy restaurants have a significant place in the city. Syntagma Square is the heart of Athens, a place where most ministries and parliament are located. Hills such as Kolonaki, Monastiraki, and Lycabettus attract numerous visitors every year.
There are a number of serene places in Athens such as Glyfada, Faliro, Vouliagmeni, and Voula, which are a few ilometers from the great city. Other cool places to visit are Melissia, Marousi, Kifisia and Vrilissia. The most significant archeological monuments in the world include Olymbion, Acropolis, and Roman Market is all located in Athens. As the most famous capital city in Europe, Athens offers numerous options for entertainment. On the face of it, Athens has tremendously grown to a successful city economically, and socially. Markedly, it was ranked the 39th richest cities by purchasing power in 2012 (Hadjichristodoulou 2).
It is a global city because of its importance in finance, media, commerce, ntertainment, and its geo-strategic location. It is also the biggest economic centers particularly in southwestern Europe. Political and Economic Traps faced by Athens Although Athens has grown at a fast rate over the last five decades, the city has experienced some crisis and solving the issue has become an uphill task. Greece has been entangled in the hole of recession and austerity over the past few years and this has greatly affected its capital, Athens.
Many people are falling into debt due to the high cost of living in the city. For instance, it is estimated that over a people living in Athens have ver a billion Euros in loans that do not seem to perform. In September 2014, tax debts were at 70. 17 Euros. Unemployment has been pushed up and high in the city due to the ever higher takes and the lack of credit. In addition, the middle class has been hit by the high taxes and have been devastated for long. Markedly, the political trap appears to be more dangerous because it interferes with the city’s economy.
Many people living in Athens struggle to keep up but lack the zeal to push on and express themselves. On the hand, the political trap has been a negative factor with adverse effects on the city. Various parties in government were not able to push through all the coherent reforms and rescinded their past behavior. There have been major concerns over the health of the eurozone in general particularly in Athens. Land, and Resources, Environmental Issues Indeed, Athens is among the most densely populated and highly industrialized city in Greece.
Every year, thousands of residents in Athens suffer from respiratory problems caused by the pollution and are hospitalized. Among the key health issues in the great city has been air pollution that has also harmed various classical Greek antiquities, mainly in Athens. Subsequently, the government has restricted the number of cars that are allowed to enter Athens, a move that is aimed at combating air pollution. On the other hand, the has allowed and encouraged pollute fewer vehicles into the city. Another major issue facing Athens is water pollution.
For instance, all the sewage from Athens and waste from about 50% of the city’s industrial sites flows into the Gulf of Saronikos (Samulski 33). However, much of this waste is untreated. To a large extent, water pollution from Athens has resulted in the severe pollution of the Mediterranean Sea. Besides that, many etlands in Athens have suffered from human activities and from being drained for agricultural activities. As a result, these areas have become endangered due to degradation and many wetlands have been earmarked for programs in conservation.
On the face of it, Athens is party to treaties regarding biodiversity, pollution, endangered species, climate change, marine dumping, hazardous wastes, ship pollution, and wetlands. Lately, Athens has demanded cash reserves from public sector funds to fix environmental issues. In addition, Athens is about to receive the final 7. 3 billion Euros payment in the recent bailout ackage, however, this cash has been held up. It is predicted that if the rescue funds are not released, it will be unlikely for Athens to make the pensions and salary payments in an effort to settle all the dues with the IMF.
The cost of living in Athens is increasing everyday as the salaries remain low. Subsequently, most low income earners do not have many alternatives of entertainment and recreation. It is, therefore, an expensive city to live especially for the mid and low income earners. Driving is also a huge hustle in Athens. People in Athens opt to save themselves the aggravation by using public transportation. However, the public transport system is effective and reliable, but there is much confusion with the bus schedules.
In addition, most roads are confusing and there are numerous issues associated with parking and driving in Athens city limits. Parking is a big hustle and it requires one to be patient through heavy traffic. Geek drivers have formed a habit of double parking and parking illegally, and this has contributed to the main reasons for traffic congestion. On the other hand, the erratic placement of street and traffic signs indicating the names of the streets is a huge problem that makes driving in this city very difficult. In most cases, traffic signs are obscured, missing, twisted in an ambiguous way, and are covered with graffiti.
In addition, street signs are located only on one side of the street, making it very difficult for drivers to maneuver the city (Santamouris 7). To conclude, Athens is a great city with a rich history in the economy, politics, industrialization, and dynasty. As the world’s oldest cities, Athens dominates the Attica region as its history spans around 3,300 years. It was a centre of learning, arts, and philosophy. the city has grown to a successful and one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Athens has a rich history that dates from the Neolithic age when the first settlement took place.
Despite its tremendous growth over the years, adverse issues ranging, environmental, political, and economic, have hit Athens. Among the issues facing Athens are environmental degradation, and unemployment, which has been pushed up and high in the city due to the ever higher takes and the lack of credit. In addition, the middle class has been hit by the high taxes and have been devastated for long. The city has been entangled in the hole of recession and austerity over the past few years and his has greatly affected many areas in life.
Many people are falling into debt due to the high cost of living in the city. Air pollution is a major issue in Athens that has also harmed various classical Greek antiquities, mainly in Athens. Water pollution from Athens has resulted in the severe pollution of the Mediterranean Sea. Aside that, many wetlands in Athens have suffered from human activities and from being drained for agricultural activities. It is the high time the government addresses all these issues to make the city a great destination as it was a few decades ago.
