Greek diaspora

The Greek diaspora (Greek: ελληνική διασπορά, elliniki diaspora) is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside of the traditional Greek homelands worldwide, but more commonly 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. ^[1]

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, eastern 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, India and in Egypt. The Hellenistic period is characterized by a new wave of Greek colonization which established Greek cities and Kingdoms in Asia and Africa. 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.^[2]

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. ^[3]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.^[4]

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. ^[1]

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.^[1]

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 "removed" for many generations, immigrated to modern Greece's main urban centres of Athens and Thessaloniki, and also to Cyprus. Movements from Georgia were most numerous.^[1]

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.^[1]

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.

Number of Greeks outside of Greece

Rank	Country	Capital	Number of ethnic Greeks	Main articles
1	United States	Washington, D.C.	1,213,807 (2000 census) [5] – an estimated 3,000,000 claim Greek descent [6]	Greek American
2	Cyprus	Nicosia	635,914 (2001 census) [7] - 689,471 (est.)[8]	Greek Cypriots, Greek Cypriot diaspora
3	United Kingdom	London	400,000	Greek British
4	Australia	Canberra	365,150 (2006 census) [9] - 700,000 (est.)[8]	Greek Australian
5	Germany	Berlin	320,000 (est.) [10] – 370,000 (est.)[8]	Greeks in Germany
6	Canada	Ottawa	215,105 (2001 census) [11] – 450,000 (est.)[8]	Greek Canadians
7	South Africa	Pretoria	50,000-60,000 [12] - 120,000 (est.) [8] – see also [4]	Greeks in South Africa
8	Russia	Moscow	97,827 (2002 census) [13]	Greeks in Russia
9	Ukraine	Kiev	91,500 (2001 census) [14]	Greeks in Ukraine
10	Albania	Tirana	58,785 (1989 census) [15]	Greeks in Albania
11	France	Paris	35,000 (est.) [16]	Greeks in France
12	Brazil	Brasilia	25,000 [17] – 30,000 (est.) [18]	Greeks in Brazil
13	Argentina	Buenos Aires	20,000 (est.) [8] – 30,000 (est.) [19]	Greeks in Argentina
14	Italy	Rome	20,000 (est.) [8] – 30,000 (est.) [20]	Greeks in Italy
15	Belgium	Brussels	15,742 (2007) [21] – 26,474 (est.) [22]	Greeks in Belgium
16	Georgia	Tbilisi	15,166 (2002 census) [23]	Greeks in Georgia
17	Serbia	Belgrade	15,000 (est.) [24]	Greeks in Serbia
18	Kazakhstan	Astana	12,703 (1999 census) [25]	Greeks in Kazakhstan
19	Sweden	Stockholm	12,000 – 15,000 (est.) [26]	Greeks in Sweden
20	Uzbekistan	Tashkent	9,500 (est.) [27]	Greeks in Uzbekistan
21	Switzerland	Bern	8,340 (est.) [8] – 11,000 (est.) [28]	Greeks in Switzerland
22	Romania	Bucharest	6,513 (2002 census) [29]	Greeks in Romania
23	Austria	Vienna	5,000 (est.) [30]	Greeks in Austria
24	Turkey	Ankara	5,000 (2006 est.) [31]	Greeks in Turkey
25	New Zealand	Wellington	4,500 (est.) [32] – 10,000 (est.) [8]	Greeks in New Zealand
26	Netherlands	Amsterdam	4,000 (est.) [8] – 12,500 (est.) [33]	Greeks in the Netherlands
27	Egypt	Cairo	3,800 (est.) [34] – 5,000 [35]	Greeks in Egypt
28	Bulgaria	Sofia	3,408 (2001 census) [36] – 28,500 [37]	Greeks in Bulgaria
29	Czech Republic	Prague	3,231 (2001 census) [38] – 7,000 (est.) [39]	Greeks in the Czech Republic
30	Moldova	Chişinău	3,000 (est.) [40]	Greeks in Moldova
31	Hungary	Budapest	2,509 (2001 census) [41] – 6,000 (est.) [42]	Greeks in Hungary
32	Lebanon	Beirut	1,500 (est.) [8]	Greeks in Lebanon
33	Oman	Muscat	1,500 (est.) [8]	Greeks in Oman
34	Poland	Warsaw	1,404 (2002 census) [43]	Greeks in Poland
35	Saudi Arabia	Riyadh	1,300 (est.) [8]	Greeks in Saudi Arabia
36	Luxembourg	Luxembourg	1,200 [8] – 2,000 (est.) [44]	Greeks in Luxembourg
37	Cameroon	Yaoundé	1,200 (est.) [45]	Greeks in Cameroon
38	Armenia	Yerevan	1,176 (2002 census) [46]	Greeks in Armenia
39	Venezuela	Caracas	1,148 (est.) [47]	Greeks in Venezuela
40	Zimbabwe	Harare	1,100 (est.) [48]	Greeks in Zimbabwe
41	Uruguay	Montevideo	1,000 (est.) [45] – 2,000 (est.) [49]	Greeks in Uruguay
42	Chile	Santiago	1,000 (est.) [45] – 1,500 (est.) [50]	Greeks in Chile
43	Mexico	Mexico City	1,000 (est.) [51]	Greek Mexican
44	Syria	Damascus	1,000 (est.) [45]	Greeks in Syria
45	Panama	Panama City	800 (est.) [45] – 1,000 (est.) [52]	Greeks in Panama
46	Zambia	Lusaka	700 (est.) [45]	Greeks in Zambia
47	Kyrgyzstan	Bishkek	650 – 700 (est.) [53]	Greeks in Kyrgyzstan
48	Denmark	Copenhagen	500 (est.) [45] – 1,000 (est.) [54]	Greeks in Denmark
49	Ethiopia	Addis Ababa	500 (est.) [55]	Greeks in Ethiopia
50	FYR Macedonia	Skopje	422 (2002 census) [56] – 250,000 (1994 est.) [57]	Greeks in FYR Macedonia
51	Jordan	Amman	400 (est.) [45] – 600 (est.) [58]	Greeks in Jordan
52	Norway	Oslo	350 (est.) [59]	Greeks in Norway
53	Democratic Republic of the Congo (ex. Zaire)	Kinshasa	300 (est.) [60]	Greeks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
54	Spain	Madrid	300 (est.) [45] – 1,500 – 2,000 (est.) [61]	Greeks in Spain
55	Bahamas	Nassau	300 (est.) [45]	Greeks in the Bahamas
56	Nigeria	Abuja	300 (est.) [62]	Greeks in Nigeria
57	Tanzania	Dodoma	300 (est.) [45]	Greeks in Tanzania
58	Costa Rica	San José	290 (est.)[63]; 80 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Costa Rica
59	Israel	Jerusalem	250 – 300 (est.) [65] (non-Jewish Greek only)	Greeks in Israel
60	Sudan	Khartoum	250 (est.) [66]	Greeks in Sudan
61	Azerbaijan	Baku	250 – 300 (est.) [67]	Greeks in Azerbaijan
62	Lithuania	Vilnius	250 (est.) [68]	Greeks in Lithuania
63	Malawi	Lilongwe	200 (est.) [69]	Greeks in Malawi
64	Colombia	Bogotá, D.C.	200 (est.) [45]	Greeks in Colombia
65	Ireland	Dublin	200 (est.) [45] – for further information, see [5]	Greeks in Ireland
66	Kenya	Nairobi	200 (est.) [45]	Greeks in Kenya
67	United Arab Emirates	Abu Dhabi	200 (est.) [45]	Greeks in the United Arab Emirates
68	Morocco	Rabat	180 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Morocco
69	Peru	Lima	150 (est.) [64] – 350 (est.) [70]	Greeks in Peru
70	Portugal	Lisbon	150 (est.) [64] – 240 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Portugal
72	Botswana	Gaborone	150 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Botswana
73	Djibouti	Djibouti City	150 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Djibouti
74	Estonia	Tallinn	150 (est.) [72]	Greeks in Estonia
75	Finland	Helsinki	150 (est.) [73]	Greeks in Finland
76	Hong Kong	–	150 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Hong Kong
77	Kuwait	Kuwait City	140 (est.) [74]	Greeks in Kuwait
78	Latvia	Riga	100 (est.) [75]	Greeks in Latvia
79	Japan	Tokyo	100 (est) [64] – 300 (est.) [76]	Greeks in Japan
80	Bolivia	La Paz	100 (est.) [77]	Greeks in Bolivia
81	People's Republic of China	Beijing	100 (est.) [78]	Greeks in China
82	Indonesia	Jakarta	72 (est.) [79]	Greeks in Indonesia
83	Papua New Guinea	Port Moresby	70 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Papua New Guinea
84	Iran	Tehran	60 (est.) [64] – 80 (est.) [80]	Greeks in Iran
85	Côte d'Ivoire	Yamoussoukro	60 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Côte d'Ivoire
86	Madagascar	Antananarivo	60 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Madagascar
87	Slovenia	Ljubljana	54 (2002 census) [81]	Greeks in Slovenia
88	Croatia	Zagreb	50 (est.) [82]	Greeks in Croatia
89	Tunisia	Tunis	50 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Tunisia
90	Senegal	Dakar	50 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Senegal
91	Central African Republic	Bangui	40 (est.) [64]	Greeks in the Central African Republic
92	Qatar	Doha	40 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Qatar
93	Singapore	–	40 (est.) [83]	Greeks in Singapore
94	Malta	Valletta	35 – 40 (est.) [84]	Greeks in Malta
95	Cuba	Havana	30 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Cuba
96	Algeria	Algiers	30 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Algeria
97	Eritrea	Asmara	30 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Eritrea
98	Slovakia	Bratislava	100 [85]	Greeks in Slovakia
99	Paraguay	Asunción	20 (est.) [64] – 25 (est.) [86]	Greeks in Paraguay
100	Chad	N'Djamena	20 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Chad
101	Ecuador	Quito	20 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Ecuador
102	Guatemala	Guatemala City	20 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Guatemala
103	Mozambique	Maputo	20 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Mozambique
104	Namibia	Windhoek	20 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Namibia
105	Togo	Lomé	20 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Togo
106	Taiwan	Taipei	20 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Taiwan
107	Republic of the Congo	Brazzaville	10 (est.) [64]	Greeks in the Republic of the Congo
108	Belarus	Minsk	unknown – for further information, see [6]	Greeks in Belarus
109	Philippines	Manila	22,000 (estimated)

Well known Greeks of the Diaspora

Well known people in the Greek diaspora include:

• George Averoff,
• Maria Callas,
• Jennifer Aniston,
• George Michael,
• Telly Savalas,
• Doménicos Theotokópoulos (El Greco),
• Georges Corraface,
• John Varvatos,
• Elia Kazan,
• Constantine Lascaris,
• Marcus Musurus,
• Yiannis Pharmakis,
• Queen Sophia of Spain,
• Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,
• Jake and Dinos Chapman
• Sir Alec Issigonis,
• Michael Dukakis,
• Olympia Dukakis,
• Michael Dertouzos,
• George Bizos,
• Mario Frangoulis,
• Spyros Skouras,
• Arianna Huffington,
• Panayiotis Zavos,
• Nicholas Negroponte,
• Spiro Agnew,
• George Stephanopoulos,
• Peter Andre

See also

• Antiochian Greeks
• List of Greek Americans
• Greek Australian
• Greek Canadians
• Greeks in Great Britain
• Greeks in New Zealand
• 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
• Hellenistic civilization
• Orthodox Church in America
• Pontic Greeks
• Kalash of Pakistan
• Grecheskaya Operatsiya
• Anti-Hellenism

References