Athens (/ˈæθɨnz/; Modern Greek: Αθήνα, Athína; IPA: [aˈθina];
Katharevousa: Ἀθῆναι, Athinai; Ancient Greek: Ἀθῆναι, Athēnai)
is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the
Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, with its
recorded history spanning around 3,400 years. Classical Athens
was a powerful city-state. A centre for the arts, learning and
philosophy, home of Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum, it
is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and
the birthplace of democracy, largely due to the impact of its
cultural and political achievements during the 5th and 4th
centuries BC in later centuries on the rest of the then known
European continent. Today a cosmopolitan metropolis, modern
Athens is central to economic, financial, industrial, political
and cultural life in Greece. In 2008, Athens was ranked the
world's 32nd richest city by purchasing power and the 25th most
expensive in a UBS study.