The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.

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This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Ed Stafford first to walk length of Amazon..[ 1611 ]

Man becomes first to walk length of Amazon

By Lulu Sinclair of Sky News
From: NewsCore
August 10, 2010 2:57AM

A BRITISH man has become the first person known to have walked the entire length of the Amazon River.

Sky News reported Ed Stafford's epic 6437km journey along the world's longest river took more than two years to complete.

He started out in the Peruvian Andes and ended his journey at Maruda beach on the coast of Brazil.

During his trip, the former soldier survived on a diet of piranha fish, rice, and beans while dodging pit vipers, electric eels, anacondas and scorpions.

He was also imprisoned, chased by bow-and-arrow wielding natives and twice wrongly accused of murder.

Since he started his journey at the summit of Nevado Mismi on April 2, 2008, he also suffered an estimated 50,000 mosquito bites and hundreds of wasp stings.

Writing on his blog, the adventurer said: "The endurance, both mental and physical, has been the thing that's been the most wearing."

"I've been quite humbled by how much I've had to rely on other people and I've benefited greatly from the generosity of the people I've met along the way."

The adventurer said he hoped his feat would raise awareness of destruction to the Amazon rainforest but he insisted he was "no eco-warrior".

At its heart, he pointed out, the journey was simply a grand expedition of endurance.

"I am simply doing it because no one has done it before," the 34-year-old said.

Read more about Ed Stafford and the Amazon hike at Sky News

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