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 from the Balkans and Asia Minor spread people of Greek culture, religion and language around the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins, establishing Greek city states in Sicily, southern Italy, northern Libya, eastern Spain, the south of France, and the Black sea coasts. Greeks founded more than 400 colonies.^[2] Alexander the Great's conquest of the Achaemenid Empire marked the beginning of the Hellenistic period, which was characterized by a new wave of Greek colonization in Asia and Africa, with Greek ruling classes established in Egypt, southwest Asia and northwest India.^[3]

Many Greeks migrated to the new Hellenistic cities founded in Alexander's wake, as far away as what are now Uzbekistan, India,^[4] and Kuwait.^[5] The Hellenistic cities of Seleucia, Antioch and Alexandria were among the largest cities in the world during Hellenistic and Roman times.^[6] 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.^[7]

Middle Ages

In the seventh century, Emperor Heraclius adopted Medieval Greek as the official language of the Byzantine Empire. Greeks continued to live around the Levant, Mediterranean and Black Sea maintaining a Greek identity amongst local populations as traders, officials and settlers. Soon after, the Arab-Islamic Caliphate conquered the Levant, Egypt, North Africa and southern Italy from the Byzantine Greeks during the Byzantine–Arab Wars. The Greek populations generally remained in these areas of the Caliphate and helped translate ancient Greek works into Arabic, thus contributing to early Islamic philosophy and science in medieval Islam, which in turn contributed to Byzantine science. Members of the Greek diaspora living under Islamic rule occasionally converted to Islam, most notably Al-Khazini in the 12th century.

Fall of Byzantium and Exodus to Italy

After the Byzantine–Ottoman Wars, which resulted in the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the Ottoman Empire's conquest of Greek lands, many Greeks fled Constantinople 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 of these Greeks settled in Venice, Florence and Rome.

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, Calabria and Bari in Italy and 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. ^[8]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.^[9]

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 20th century, many Greeks left the traditional homelands for economic reasons resulting in large migrations from Greece and Cyprus to the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Australia, Canada, Mexico and South Africa, especially after World War II (1939-45), the Greek Civil War (1946-49) and the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus in 1974. ^[1]

After World War I 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.

Another country to admit Greeks in large numbers was Sweden, where today over 15,000 Greek-Swedish descendants live (see Greeks in Sweden). 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) [10] – an estimated 3,000,000 claim Greek descent [11]	Greek American
2	Cyprus	Nicosia	635,914 (2001 census) [12] - 689,471 (est.)[13]	Greek Cypriots, Greek Cypriot diaspora
3	Turkey	Ankara	5,000 (est.) [14] -	Greeks in Turkey
4	United Kingdom	London	400,000	Greek British
5	Australia	Canberra	365,150 (2006 census) [15] - 700,000 (est.)[13]	Greek Australian
6	Germany	Berlin	320,000 (est.) [16] – 370,000 (est.)[13]	Greeks in Germany
7	Canada	Ottawa	215,105 (2001 census) [17] – 450,000 (est.)[13]	Greek Canadians
8	South Africa	Pretoria	50,000-60,000 [18] - 120,000 (est.) [13] – see also [4]	Greeks in South Africa
9	Russia	Moscow	97,827 (2002 census) [19]	Greeks in Russia
10	Ukraine	Kiev	91,500 (2001 census) [20]	Greeks in Ukraine
11	Albania	Tirana	70,000 (est.) [21]	Greeks in Albania
12	France	Paris	35,000 (est.) [22]	Greeks in France
13	Brazil	Brasilia	25,000 [23] – 30,000 (est.) [24]	Greeks in Brazil
14	Argentina	Buenos Aires	20,000 (est.) [13] – 30,000 (est.) [25]	Greeks in Argentina
15	Italy	Rome	20,000 (est.) [13] – 30,000 (est.) [26]	Greeks in Italy
16	Belgium	Brussels	15,742 (2007) [27] – 26,474 (est.) [28]	Greeks in Belgium
17	Georgia	Tbilisi	15,166 (2002 census) [29]	Greeks in Georgia
18	Serbia	Belgrade	15,000 (est.) [30]	Greeks in Serbia
19	Kazakhstan	Astana	12,703 (1999 census) [31]	Greeks in Kazakhstan
20	Sweden	Stockholm	12,000 – 15,000 (est.) [32]	Greeks in Sweden
21	Uzbekistan	Tashkent	9,500 (est.) [33]	Greeks in Uzbekistan
22	Switzerland	Bern	8,340 (est.) [13] – 11,000 (est.) [34]	Greeks in Switzerland
23	Romania	Bucharest	6,513 (2002 census) [35]	Greeks in Romania
24	Austria	Vienna	5,000 (est.) [36]	Greeks in Austria
25	New Zealand	Wellington	4,500 (est.) [37] – 10,000 (est.) [13]	Greeks in New Zealand
26	Netherlands	Amsterdam	4,000 (est.) [13] – 12,500 (est.) [38]	Greeks in the Netherlands
27	Egypt	Cairo	3,800 (est.) [39] – 5,000 [23]	Greeks in Egypt
28	Bulgaria	Sofia	3,408 (2001 census) [40] – 28,500 [41]	Greeks in Bulgaria
29	Czech Republic	Prague	3,231 (2001 census) [42] – 7,000 (est.) [43]	Greeks in the Czech Republic
30	Moldova	Chişinău	3,000 (est.) [44]	Greeks in Moldova
31	Hungary	Budapest	2,509 (2001 census) [45] – 6,000 (est.) [46]	Greeks in Hungary
32	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Sarajevo	1,900 (est.) [47]	Greeks in Bosnia and Herzegovina
33	Lebanon	Beirut	1,500-2,500 (est.) [13][48]	Greeks in Lebanon
34	Oman	Muscat	1,500 (est.) [13]	Greeks in Oman
35	Poland	Warsaw	1,404 (2002 census) [49]	Greeks in Poland
36	Saudi Arabia	Riyadh	1,300 (est.) [13]	Greeks in Saudi Arabia
37	Luxembourg	Luxembourg	1,200 [13] – 2,000 (est.) [50]	Greeks in Luxembourg
38	Cameroon	Yaoundé	1,200 (est.) [51]	Greeks in Cameroon
39	Armenia	Yerevan	1,176 (2002 census) [52]	Greeks in Armenia
40	Venezuela	Caracas	1,148 (est.) [53]	Greeks in Venezuela
41	Zimbabwe	Harare	1,100 (est.) [54]	Greeks in Zimbabwe
42	Uruguay	Montevideo	1,000 (est.) [51] – 2,000 (est.) [55]	Greeks in Uruguay
43	Chile	Santiago	1,000 (est.) [51] – 1,500 (est.) [56]	Greeks in Chile
44	Mexico	Mexico City	1,000 (est.) [57]	Greek Mexican
45	Syria	Damascus	1,000 (est.) [51]	Greeks in Syria
46	Panama	Panama City	800 (est.) [51] – 1,000 (est.) [55]	Greeks in Panama
47	Zambia	Lusaka	800 (est.) [58]	Greeks in Zambia
48	Kyrgyzstan	Bishkek	650 – 700 (est.) [59]	Greeks in Kyrgyzstan
49	Denmark	Copenhagen	500 (est.) [51] – 1,000 (est.) [60]	Greeks in Denmark
50	Ethiopia	Addis Ababa	500 (est.) [61]	Greeks in Ethiopia
51	Republic of Macedonia	Skopje	422 (2002 census) [62]	Greeks in the Republic of Macedonia
52	Jordan	Amman	400 (est.) [51] – 600 (est.) [63]	Greeks in Jordan
53	Norway	Oslo	350 (est.) [64]	Greeks in Norway
54	Democratic Republic of the Congo (ex. Zaire)	Kinshasa	300 (est.) [65]	Greeks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
55	Spain	Madrid	300 (est.) [51] – 1,500 – 2,000 (est.) [66]	Greeks in Spain
56	Bahamas	Nassau	300 (est.) [51]	Greeks in the Bahamas
57	Nigeria	Abuja	300 (est.) [67]	Greeks in Nigeria
58	Tanzania	Dodoma	300 (est.) [51]	Greeks in Tanzania
59	Barbados	Bridgetown	300 (est.) [68]	Greeks in Barbados
60	The Gambia	Banjul	300 (est.) [69]	Greeks in The Gambia
61	Costa Rica	San José	290 (est.)[70]; 80 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Costa Rica
62	Israel	Jerusalem	250 – 300 (est.) [72] (non-Jewish Greek only)	Greeks in Israel
63	Sudan	Khartoum	250 (est.) [73]	Greeks in Sudan
64	Azerbaijan	Baku	250 – 300 (est.) [72]	Greeks in Azerbaijan
65	Lithuania	Vilnius	250 (est.) [74]	Greeks in Lithuania
66	Malawi	Lilongwe	200 (est.) [75]	Greeks in Malawi
67	Colombia	Bogotá, D.C.	200 (est.) [51]	Greeks in Colombia
68	Ireland	Dublin	200 (est.) [51] – for further information, see [5]	Greeks in Ireland
69	Kenya	Nairobi	200 (est.) [51]	Greeks in Kenya
70	United Arab Emirates	Abu Dhabi	200 (est.) [51]	Greeks in the United Arab Emirates
71	Morocco	Rabat	180 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Morocco
72	Peru	Lima	150 (est.) [71] – 350 (est.) [76]	Greeks in Peru
73	Portugal	Lisbon	150 (est.) [71] – 240 (est.) [77]	Greeks in Portugal
74	Botswana	Gaborone	150 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Botswana
75	Djibouti	Djibouti City	150 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Djibouti
76	Estonia	Tallinn	150 (est.) [78]	Greeks in Estonia
77	Finland	Helsinki	150 (est.) [79]	Greeks in Finland
78	Hong Kong	–	150 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Hong Kong
79	South Korea	Seoul	100-150 (est.) [80]	Greeks in South Korea
80	Kuwait	Kuwait City	140 (est.) [81]	Greeks in Kuwait
81	Latvia	Riga	100 (est.) [82]	Greeks in Latvia
82	Japan	Tokyo	100 (est) [71] – 300 (est.) [83]	Greeks in Japan
83	Bolivia	La Paz	100 (est.) [84]	Greeks in Bolivia
84	People's Republic of China	Beijing	100 (est.) [85]	Greeks in China
85	Philippines	Manila	100 (estimated)[86]	Greeks in the Phillippines
86	Indonesia	Jakarta	72 (est.) [87]	Greeks in Indonesia
87	Papua New Guinea	Port Moresby	70 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Papua New Guinea
88	Iran	Tehran	60 (est.) [71] – 80 (est.) [88]	Greeks in Iran
89	Côte d'Ivoire	Yamoussoukro	60 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Côte d'Ivoire
90	Madagascar	Antananarivo	60 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Madagascar
91	Slovenia	Ljubljana	54 (2002 census) [89]	Greeks in Slovenia
92	Croatia	Zagreb	50 (est.) [90]	Greeks in Croatia
93	Tunisia	Tunis	50 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Tunisia
94	Senegal	Dakar	50 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Senegal
95	Thailand	Bangkok	50 (mainly made out of businessmen)[91]	Greeks in Thailand
96	Central African Republic	Bangui	40 (est.) [71]	Greeks in the Central African Republic
97	Qatar	Doha	40 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Qatar
98	Singapore	–	40 (est.) [92]	Greeks in Singapore
99	Malta	Valletta	35 – 40 (est.) [93]	Greeks in Malta
100	Cuba	Havana	30 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Cuba
101	Algeria	Algiers	30 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Algeria
102	Eritrea	Asmara	30 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Eritrea
103	Slovakia	Bratislava	100 [94]	Greeks in Slovakia
104	Paraguay	Asunción	20 (est.) [71] – 25 (est.) [92]	Greeks in Paraguay
105	Chad	N'Djamena	20 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Chad
106	Ecuador	Quito	20 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Ecuador
107	Guatemala	Guatemala City	20 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Guatemala
108	Mozambique	Maputo	20 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Mozambique
109	Namibia	Windhoek	20 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Namibia
110	Togo	Lomé	20 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Togo
111	Taiwan	Taipei	20 (est.) [71]	Greeks in Taiwan
112	Republic of the Congo	Brazzaville	10 (est.) [71]	Greeks in the Republic of the Congo
113	Belarus	Minsk	unknown – for further information, see