World Facts

conventional long form: Hellenic Republic
Capital: Athens
Type of Government: parliamentary republic; monarchy rejected by referendum 8 December 1974-
Administrative Divisions: 51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos) and 1 autonomous region*; Agion Oros* (Mt. Athos), Achaia, Aitolia kai Akarmania, Argolis, Arkadia, Arta, Attiki, Chalkidiki, Chanion, Chios, Dodekanisos, Drama, Evros, Evrytania, Evvoia, Florina, Fokidos, Fthiotis, Grevena, Ileia, Imathia, Ioannina, Irakleion, Karditsa, Kastoria, Kavala, Kefallinia, Kerkyra, Kilkis, Korinthia, Kozani, Kyklades, Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lefkas, Lesvos, Magnisia, Messinia, Pella, Pieria, Preveza, Rethynnis, Rodopi, Samos, Serrai, Thesprotia, Thessaloniki, Trikala, Voiotia, Xanthi, Zakynthos
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 14.4% (male 791,227/female 744,178)
Agriculture: wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; beef, dairy products
Airports: 80 (2004 est.)
With Paved Runways: total: 67
With Unpaved Runways:
Area: total: 131,940 sq km. slightly smaller than Alabama
Background: Greece achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between royalist supporters of the king and communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece was able to join NATO in 1952. A military dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven years. The 1974 democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. Greece joined the European Community or EC in 1981 (which became the EU in 1992); it became the 12th member of the euro zone in 2001.
Birth rate: 9.72 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget: revenues: $94.13 billion
Coastline: 13,676 km-
Climate: temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers
Communications:
Constitution: 11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001
Currency: euro (EUR)-
Current account balance:
Death rate: 10.15 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external: $75.1 billion (2005 est.)-
Dependency status: -
Dependent areas:
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Charles P. RIES
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Alexandros MALLIAS
Disputes - international: Greece and Turkey continue discussions to resolve their complex maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea; Cyprus question with Turkey; Greece rejects the use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia-
Distribution of family income: -
Economic aid - donor: -
Economic aid - recipient:
Economy - overview: Greece has a capitalist economy with the public sector accounting for about 40% of GDP and with per capita GDP 70% of the leading euro-zone economies. Tourism provides 15% of GDP. Immigrants make up nearly one-fifth of the work force, mainly in menial jobs. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 3.3% of annual GDP. The Greek economy grew by about 4.0% for the past three years, largely because of an investment boom and infrastructure upgrades for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Economic growth slowed to about 3% in 2005 and, Greece has not met the EU's Growth and Stability Pact budget deficit criteria of 3% of GDP since 2000. Public debt, inflation, and unemployment are above the eurozone average. To overcome these challenges, the Greek government is expected to continue cutting government spending, reducing the size of the public sector, and reforming the labor and pension systems.
Electricity - consumption:
Electricity - exports:
Electricity - imports:
Electricity - production:
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Environment - current issues: air pollution; water pollution-
Environment - International Agreements:
Ethnic groups: Greek 98%, other 2%
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.79697 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)
Executive branch: chief of state: President Karolos PAPOULIAS (since 12 March 2005)
Exports: $18.54 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - partners: Germany 13.1%, Italy 10.3%, UK 7.5%, Bulgaria 6.3%, US 5.3%, Cyprus 4.6%, Turkey 4.5%, France 4.2% (2004)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Flag description: nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; there is a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country
GDP (official exchange rate): $215.9 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (purchasing power parity): $242.8 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6.2%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $22,800 (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.3% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates: 39 00 N, 22 00 E
Geography - note: strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an archipelago of about 2,000 islands-
Government - note:
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 9,100 (2001 est.)
Heliports: 8 (2005 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3%-
Illicit drugs:
Imports: $48.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - partners: Germany 13.3%, Italy 12.8%, France 6.4%, Netherlands 5.5%, Russia 5.5%, US 4.4%, UK 4.2%, South Korea 4.1% (2004)
Independence: 1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)
Industrial production growth rate: 1.7% (2005 est.)
Industries: tourism; food and tobacco processing, textiles; chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum
Infant mortality rate: total: 5.53 deaths/1,000 live births
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.8% (2005 est.)
International organization participation: ACCT (associate), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, G- 6, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UPU, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Internet country code: .gr-
Internet hosts:
Internet users: 1,718,400 (2003)-
Investment (gross fixed):
Irrigated land: 14,220 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch: Supreme Judicial Court; Special Supreme Tribunal; all judges appointed for life by the president after consultation with a judicial council
Labor force: 4.72 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Land boundaries: total: 1,228 km
Land use: arable land: 21.1%
Languages: Greek 99% (official), English, French
Legal system: based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts
Legislative branch:
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.09 years
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Location: Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey-
Major infectious diseases: -
Manpower available for military service: -
Manpower fit for military service: -
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
Map references: Europe
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
Median age: total: 40.5 years
Merchant marine: total: 861 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 30,186,624 GRT/52,943,968 DWT-
Military - note:
Military branches: Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy, Hellenic Air Force (Polemiki Aeroporia, EPA)-
Military expenditures - dollar figure: -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: -
Military service age and obligation:
National holiday: Independence Day, 25 March (1821)
Nationality: noun: Greek(s)-
Natural gas - consumption: -
Natural gas - exports: -
Natural gas - imports:
Natural gas - production:
Natural gas - proved reserves: 254.9 million cu m (1 January 2002)
Natural hazards: severe earthquakes
Natural resources: lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential
Net migration rate: 2.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption: 435,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports: 84,720 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports: 468,300 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - production: 5,805 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - proved reserves: 4.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)-
People - note: -
Political parties and leaders: Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) [Alekos ALAVANOS]; Communist Party of Greece or KKE [Aleka PAPARIGA]; New Democracy or ND (conservative) [Konstandinos KARAMANLIS]; Panhellenic Socialist Movement or PASOK [Yiorgos PAPANDREOU]; Popular Orthodox Rally or LAOS [Yeoryios KARATZAFERIS]
Political pressure groups and leaders: General Confederation of Greek Workers or GSEE [Khristos POLYZOGOPOULOS]; Federation of Greek Industries or SEV [Odysseas KYRIAKOPOULOS]; Civil Servants Confederation or ADEDY [Spyros PAPASPYROS]
Population: 10,668,354 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA
Population growth rate: 0.19% (2005 est.)
Ports and terminals: Agioitheodoroi, Aspropyrgos, Irakleion, Pachi, Peiraiefs, Thessaloniki
Public debt: 108.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4 (1998)-
Railways: -
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Religions: Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%-
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Roadways: total: 116,470 km
Sex ratio:
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Telephone system: general assessment: adequate, modern networks reach all areas; good mobile telephone and international service
Telephones - main lines in use: 5,205,100 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 8,936,200 (2003)
Television broadcast stations: 36 (plus 1,341 low-power repeaters); also two stations in the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (1995)
Terrain: mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands
Total fertility rate: 1.33 children born/woman (2005 est.)-
Transportation - note:
Unemployment rate: 10.8% (2005 est.)
Waterways: 6 km