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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 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.
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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, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
The term Pontic Greeks is used to refer to those who have come from the countries around the Black Sea.
Important centres of the Greek Diaspora today are Chicago, London, New York, Melbourne and Toronto.
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 people in the Greek diaspora include:
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, Pete Sampras
See also:
Top 50 countries with the largest Greek populations
| Rank | Country | Capital | Number of ethnic Greeks | Main articles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States
| Washington, D.C. | 1,213,807 (2000 census) United States of America: 2000 census – an estimated 3,000,000 claim Greek descent United States Department of State: Background Note: Greece | Greek American |
| 2 |  Cyprus
| Nicosia | 635,914 (2001 census) 2001 census, in Cypriot government-controlled area. - 689,471 (est.) | Greek Cypriots, Greek Cypriot diaspora |
| 3 |  Australia
| Canberra | 365,150 (2006 census) Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006: [1] - 700,000 (est.) | Greek Australian |
| 4 |  Germany
| Berlin | 354,500 (est.) Greeks around the Globe (they are quoting the statistics of the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad as on October 12, 2004) – 370,000 (est.) | Greeks in Germany |
| 5 |  Canada
| Ottawa | 215,105 (2001 census) See List of Canadians by ethnicity – 450,000 (est.) | Greek Canadians |
| 6 |  South Africa
| Pretoria | 50,000-60,000 Greek Foreign Ministry: [2] - 120,000 (est.) – see also [3] | Greeks in South Africa |
| 7 |  United Kingdom
| London | 112,163 (2001 census) - excludes all British-born Greeks (est. 200,000) BBC Special: Born Abroad [4]. 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. | Greeks in Great Britain |
| 8 |  Russia
| Moscow | 97,827 (2002 census) Norwegian Institute of International Affairs: Centre for Russian Studies: 2002 census | Greeks in Russia |
| 9 |  Ukraine
| Kiev | 91,500 (2001 census) State Statistics Committee of Ukraine: 2001 census | Greeks in Ukraine |
| 10 |  Albania
| Tirana | 58,785 (1989 census) UNPO: Greek Minority in Albania – 400,000 (est.) Country Studies US: Greeks and Other Minorities | Greeks in Albania |
| 11 |  Brazil
| Brasília | 50,000 (est.) in São Paulo aloneGoverno do Estado de São Paulo - Memorial do Imigrante: Estatísticas gerais: imigrantes e descendentes; 25,000 (est.) – 30,000 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Brazil: The Greek Community | Greeks in Brazil |
| 12 |  France
| Paris | 35,000 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: France: The Greek Community | Greeks in France |
| 13 | .svg/58px-Flag of Belgium (civil).svg) Belgium
| Brussels | 25,000 (est.) – 35,000 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Belgium: The Greek Community | Greeks in Belgium |
| 14 |  Argentina
| Buenos Aires | 20,000 (est.) – 30,000 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Argentina: The Greek Community | Greeks in Argentina |
| 15 |  Italy
| Rome | 20,000 (est.) – 30,000 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Italy: The Greek Community | Greeks in Italy |
| 16 |  Georgia
| Tbilisi | 15,166 (2002 census) Eurominority: Greeks in Georgia | Greeks in Georgia |
| 17 |  Serbia
| Belgrade | 15,000 (est.) Glas Javnosti: Nama su samo Srbi braća | Greeks in Serbia |
| 18 |  Kazakhstan
| Astana | 12,703 (1999 census) Japan External Trade Organization: Institute of Developing Economies: Ethnodemographic situation in Kazakhstan | Greeks in Kazakhstan |
| 19 |  Sweden
| Stockholm | 12,000 – 15,000 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Sweden: The Greek Community | Greeks in Sweden |
| 20 |  Uzbekistan
| Tashkent | 9,500 (est.) Central Asia – Caucasus analyst: Greeks in Uzbekistan – 9,500 (est.) | Greeks in Uzbekistan |
| 21 |  Switzerland
| Bern | 8,340 (est.) – 11,000 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Switzerland: The Greek Community | Greeks in Switzerland |
| 22 |  Romania
| Bucharest | 6,513 (2002 census) ClubAfaceri: 2002 (Romanian) census | Greeks in Romania |
| 23 |  Austria
| Vienna | 5,000 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Austria: The Greek Community – 5,000 (est.) | Greeks in Austria |
| 24 |  Turkey
| Ankara | 5,000 (2006 est.) "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 [5], although this figure will certainly include Turkish-identifying Greek Muslims. | Greeks in Turkey |
| 25 |  New Zealand
| Wellington | 4,500 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: New Zealand: The Greek Community – 10,000 (est.) | Greeks in New Zealand |
| 26 |  Netherlands
| Amsterdam | 4,000 (est.) – 12,500 (est.) According to the Netherlands Statistical Service, quoted by: Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Netherlands: The Greek Community | Greeks in the Netherlands |
| 27 |  Egypt
| Cairo | 3,800 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Egypt: The Greek Community – 350,000 (1989 est.) United Nations Human Rights Website – Treaty Bodies Database – Document – Summary Record – Egypt | Greeks in Egypt |
| 28 |  Bulgaria
| Sofia | 3,408 (2001 census) Republic of Bulgaria: National Statistical Institute: 2001 census – 28,500 Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Bulgaria: The Greek Community | Greeks in Bulgaria |
| 29 |  Czech Republic
| Prague | 3,231 (2001 census) Office of the Czech Republic Government: Report on the Situation of National Minorities in the Czech Republic in 2001 – 7,000 (est.) 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 | Greeks in the Czech Republic |
| 30 |  Moldova
| Chişinău | 3,000 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Moldova – 3,000 (est.) | Greeks in Moldova |
| 31 |  Hungary
| Budapest | 2,509 (2001 census) Hungarian Central Statistical Office: 2001 census – 6,000 (est.) Eurominority: Greeks in Hungary | Greeks in Hungary |
| 32 |  Lebanon
| Beirut | 1,500 (est.) | Greeks in Lebanon |
| 33 |  Oman
| Muscat | 1,500 (est.) | Greeks in Oman |
| 34 |  Poland
| Warsaw | 1,404 (2002 census) See Demographics of Poland – 1,404 (est.) | Greeks in Poland |
| 35 |  Saudi Arabia
| Riyadh | 1,300 (est.) | Greeks in Saudi Arabia |
| 36 |  Luxembourg
| Luxembourg | 1,200 – 2,000 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Luxembourg: The Greek Community | Greeks in Luxembourg |
| 37 |  Cameroon
| Yaoundé | 1,200 (est.) Greeks around the Globe (they are quoting the statistics of the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad as on October 12, 2004) | Greeks in Cameroon |
| 38 |  Armenia
| Yerevan | 1,176 (2002 census) National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia: 2002 census – 1,176 (est.) | Greeks in Armenia |
| 39 |  Venezuela
| Caracas | 1,148 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Venezuela: The Greek Community – 2,500 (est.) | Greeks in Venezuela |
| 40 |  Zimbabwe
| Harare | 1,100 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Zimbabwe: The Greek Community – 1,100 (est.) | Greeks in Zimbabwe |
| 41 |  Uruguay
| Montevideo | 1,000 (est.) – 2,000 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Uruguay: The Greek Community | Greeks in Uruguay |
| 42 |  Chile
| Santiago | 1,000 (est.) – 1,500 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Chile: The Greek Community | Greeks in Chile |
| 43 |  Mexico
| Mexico City | 1,000 (est.) Comunidad Helenica de Mexico: The Greek side of Mexico | Greek Mexican |
| 44 |  Syria
| Damascus | 1,000 (est.) | Greeks in Syria |
| 45 |  Panama
| Panama City | 800 (est.) – 1,000 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Uruguay: The Greek Community | Greeks in Panama |
| 46 |  Zambia
| Lusaka | 700 (est.) | Greeks in Zambia |
| 47 |  Kyrgyzstan
| Bishkek | 650 – 700 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Kyrgyzstan: The Greek Community | Greeks in Kyrgyzstan |
| 48 |  Denmark
| Copenhagen | 500 (est.) – 1,000 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Denmark: The Greek Community | Greeks in Denmark |
| 49 |  Ethiopia
| Addis Ababa | 500 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Ethiopia: The Greek Community – 700 (est.) | Greeks in Ethiopia |
| 50 |  FYROM
| Skopje | 422 (2002 census) See Demographics of the Republic of Macedonia – 250,000 (1994 est.) Johns Hopkins University Press: Victor Roudometof, Nationalism and Identity Politics in the Balkans: Greece and the Macedonian Question | Greeks in FYROM |
| 51 |  Jordan
| Amman | 400 (est.) – 600 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Jordan: The Greek Community | Greeks in Jordan |
| 52 |  Norway
| Oslo | 350 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Norway: The Greek Community | Greeks in Norway |
| 53 |  Democratic Republic of the Congo (ex. Zaire)
| Kinshasa | 300 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Democratic Republic of Congo: The Greek Community – 5000 (est.) | Greeks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| 54 |  Spain
| Madrid | 300 (est.) – 1,500 – 2,000 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Spain: The Greek Community | Greeks in Spain |
| 55 |  Bahamas
| Nassau | 300 (est.) | Greeks in the Bahamas |
| 56 |  Nigeria
| Abuja | 300 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Nigeria: The Greek Community | Greeks in Nigeria |
| 57 |  Tanzania
| Dodoma | 300 (est.) | Greeks in Tanzania |
| 58 |  Costa Rica
| San José | 290 (est.)Los Griegos en Costa Rica; 80 (est.) | Greeks in Costa Rica |
| 59 |  Israel
| Jerusalem | 250 – 300 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Azerbaijan: The Greek Community – 250 (est.) (non-Jewish Greek only) | Greeks in Israel |
| 60 |  Sudan
| Khartoum | 250 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Sudan: The Greek Community – 700 (est.) | Greeks in Sudan |
| 61 |  Azerbaijan
| Baku | 250 – 300 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Azerbaijan: The Greek Community | Greeks in Azerbaijan |
| 62 |  Lithuania
| Vilnius | 250 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Lithuania: The Greek Community | Greeks in Lithuania |
| 63 |  Malawi
| Lilongwe | 200 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Malawi: The Greek Community – 200 (est.) | Greeks in Malawi |
| 64 |  Colombia
| Bogotá, D.C. | 200 (est.) | Greeks in Colombia |
| 65 |  Ireland
| Dublin | 200 (est.) – for further information, see [6] | Greeks in Ireland |
| 66 |  Kenya
| Nairobi | 200 (est.) | Greeks in Kenya |
| 67 |  United Arab Emirates
| Abu Dhabi | 200 (est.) | Greeks in the United Arab Emirates |
| 68 |  Morocco
| Rabat | 180 (est.) Greeks around the Globe (they are quoting the statistics of the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad as on October 12, 2004) | Greeks in Morocco |
| 69 |  Peru
| Lima | 150 (est.) – 350 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Peru: The Greek Community | Greeks in Peru |
| 70 |  Portugal
| Lisbon | 150 (est.) – 240 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Portugal: The Greek Community | Greeks in Portugal |
| 72 |  Botswana
| Gaborone | 150 (est.) | Greeks in Botswana |
| 73 |  Djibouti
| Djibouti City | 150 (est.) | Greeks in Djibouti |
| 74 |  Estonia
| Tallinn | 150 (est.) Estonian Statistical Office: Estonia: The Greek Community | Greeks in Estonia |
| 75 |  Finland
| Helsinki | 150 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Finland: The Greek Community | Greeks in Finland |
| 76 |  Hong Kong
| – | 150 (est.) | Greeks in Hong Kong |
| 77 |  Kuwait
| Kuwait City | 140 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Kuwait: The Greek Community –140 (est.) | Greeks in Kuwait |
| 78 |  Latvia
| Riga | 100 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Latvia: The Greek Community – 100 (est.) | Greeks in Latvia |
| 79 |  Japan
| Tokyo | 100 (est) – 300 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Japan: The Greek Community | Greeks in Japan |
| 80 |  Bolivia
| La Paz | 100 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Bolivia: The Greek Community | Greeks in Bolivia |
| 81 |  People\'s Republic of China
| Beijing | 100 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: China: The Greek Community | Greeks in China |
| 82 |  Indonesia
| Jakarta | 72 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Indonesia: The Greek Community | Greeks in Indonesia |
| 83 |  Papua New Guinea
| Port Moresby | 70 (est.) | Greeks in Papua New Guinea |
| 84 |  Iran
| Tehran | 60 (est.) – 80 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Iran: The Greek Community | Greeks in Iran |
| 85 |  Côte d\'Ivoire
| Yamoussoukro | 60 (est.) | Greeks in Côte d\'Ivoire |
| 86 |  Madagascar
| Antananarivo | 60 (est.) | Greeks in Madagascar |
| 87 |  Slovenia
| Ljubljana | 54 (2002 census) Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia: Census of population, households and housing 2002 | Greeks in Slovenia |
| 88 |  Croatia
| Zagreb | 50 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Croatia: The Greek Community | Greeks in Croatia |
| 89 |  Tunisia
| Tunis | 50 (est.) | Greeks in Tunisia |
| 90 |  Senegal
| Dakar | 50 (est.) | Greeks in Senegal |
| 91 |  Central African Republic
| Bangui | 40 (est.) | Greeks in the Central African Republic |
| 92 |  Qatar
| Doha | 40 (est.) | Greeks in Qatar |
| 93 |  Singapore
| – | 40 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Singapore: The Greek Community | Greeks in Singapore |
| 94 |  Malta
| Valletta | 35 – 40 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Malta: The Greek Community | Greeks in Malta |
| 95 |  Cuba
| Havana | 30 (est.) | Greeks in Cuba |
| 96 |  Algeria
| Algiers | 30 (est.) | Greeks in Algeria |
| 97 |  Eritrea
| Asmara | 30 (est.) | Greeks in Eritrea |
| 98 |  Slovakia
| Bratislava | 100 Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Slovakia | Greeks in Slovakia |
| 99 |  Paraguay
| Asunción | 20 (est.) – 25 (est.) Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Singapore: The Greek Community | 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 [7] |
