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Athens (pronounced /'æ??nz/; Greek ????a, Athina, IPA&_160;[a'?ina]), the capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's oldest cities, its recorded history spans at least 3,000 years. The Greek capital has a population of 745,514 (in 2001) within its administrative limits[1] and a land area of 39&_160;km2 (15&_160;sq&_160;mi).[3] The urban area of Athens extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3.37 million (in 2005).[4] The area of Athens prefecture spans 412&_160;km2 (159&_160;sq&_160;mi)[3] and encompasses a population of 3,192,606.[1] The Athens Larger Urban Zone (LUZ) is the 8th most populated LUZ in the European Union with a population of 3,894,573 (in 2001).[5] A bustling and cosmopolitan metropolis, Athens is central to economic, financial, industrial, political and cultural life in Greece. It is rapidly becoming a leading business centre in the European Union. In 2008, Athens was ranked the world's 32nd-richest city in a UBS study.[6] The heritage of the classical era is still evident in the city, represented by a number of ancient monuments and works of art, the most famous of all being the Parthenon on the Acropolis, widely considered a key landmark of early Western civilization. The city also retains a vast variety of Roman and Byzantine monuments, as well as a smaller number of remaining Ottoman monuments projecting the city's long history across the centuries. Landmarks of the modern era are also present, dating back to 1830 (the establishment of the independent Greek state), and taking in the Greek Parliament (19th century) and the Athens Trilogy (Library, University, and Academy). Athens was the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896, and 108 years later it welcomed home the 2004 Summer Olympics, with great success.[12] In Ancient Greek, the name of Athens was ????a? IPA&_160;[at????na?], related t? name of the goddess Athena (Attic ????? [at???n??] and Ionic ????? [at??´?n??]). The city's name was in the plural, like those of T?ßa? (Thebai), ?????a? (Mukenai), and ?e?f?? (Delphoi).
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