Greece

Greece 

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey

Area

Land Boundaries

Total 1,210 km, Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 228 km

Coastline

13,676 km

Maritime Claims

International Disputes

Complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Turkey in Aegean Sea; Cyprus question; dispute with The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia over name, symbols, and certain constitutional provisions; Greece is involved in a bilateral dispute with Albania over border demarcation, the treatment of Albania's ethnic Greek minority, and migrant Albanian workers in Greece

Climate

Temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Terrain

Mostly mountains with ranges extending into sea as peninsulas or chains of islands
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Olympus 2,917 m
Natural resources:

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

11,900 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

Note: Strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an archipelago of about 2,000 islands

PEOPLE

Population

10,538,594 (July 1996 est.)
10,647,511 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

16% (male 899,029; female 837,308) (July 1996 est.)
18% (male 947,494; female 904,374) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

68% (male 3,571,918; female 3,542,556) (July 1996 est.)
67% (male 3,565,931; female 3,601,029) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

16% (male 736,818; female 950,965) (July 1996 est.)
15% (male 709,639; female 919,044) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

0.42% (1996 est.)
0.72% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

9.78 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
10.56 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

9.53 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
9.31 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

3.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
5.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

7.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
8.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

1.37 children born/woman (1996 est.)
1.46 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Note: The Greek Government states there are no ethnic divisions in Greece

Religions

Languages

Greek (official), English, French

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1991)

Labor Force

4.077 million

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

GR

Type

Presidential parliamentary government; monarchy rejected by referendum 8 December 1974

Capital

Athens

Administrative Divisions

51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos)and 1 autonomous region*; Ayion Oros* (Mt. Athos), Aitolia kai Akarnania, Akhaia, Argolis, Arkadhia, Arta, Attiki, Dhodhekanisos, Drama, Evritania, Evros, Evvoia, Florina, Fokis, Fthiotis, Grevena, Ilia, Imathia, Ioannina, Iraklion, Kardhitsa, Kastoria, Kavala, Kefallinia, Kerkira, Khalkidhiki, Khania, Khios, Kikladhes, Kilkis, Korinthia, Kozani, Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lesvos, Levkas, Magnisia, Messinia, Pella, Pieria, Preveza, Rethimni, Rodhopi, Samos, Serrai, Thesprotia, Thessaloniki, Trikala, Voiotia, Xanthi, Zakinthos

Independence

1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 25 March (1821) (proclamation of the war of independence)

Constitution

11 June 1975

Legal System

Based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive Branch

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

Chamber of Deputies (Vouli Ton Ellinon)

Elections last held 10 October 1993 (next to be held by NA October 1997); results - PASOK 46.88%, ND 39.30%, Political Spring 4.87%, KKE 4.54%, and Progressive Left (replaced by Coalition of the Left and Progress) 2.94%; seats - (300 total) PASOK 170, ND 111, Political Spring 10, KKE 9

Judicial Branch

Supreme Judicial Court, judges appointed for life by the president after consultation with a judicial council; Special Supreme Tribunal, judges appointed for life by the president after consultation with a judicial council

Political Parties and Leaders

New Democracy (ND; conservative), Miltiades EVERT; Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), Andreas PAPANDREOU (special congress scheduled for July 1996); Communist Party (KKE), Aleka PAPARIGA; Political Spring, Andonios SAMARAS; Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos), Nikolaos KONSTANDOPOULOS; Democratic Social Movement (DIKKI), Dhimitrios TSOVOLAS; Rainbow Coalition, Pavlos VOSKOPOULOS

Member of

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EU, FAO, G- 6, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMIG, UPU, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

National Anthem

Flag

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

ECONOMY

Overview

Greece has a mixed capitalist economy. The basic entrepreneurial system underwent extensive socialist change in 1981-89, which enlarged the public sector from 55% of GDP in 1981 to about 70% in 1989. Tourism is a major source of foreign exchange, and agriculture is self-sufficient, except for meat, dairy products, and animal feedstuffs. Despite a moderate recovery in industrial output over the last year, the Greek economy remains weak, with real GDP growth of 1.7%; the country's huge public sector and burgeoning budget deficit are contributing to a public debt of 120% of GDP. The government's hard drachma policy and public sector wage restraint are largely responsible for the downward trend in inflation, which is at the lowest level in 20 years. Investment is likely to be the primary engine for economic growth in 1996. Athens continues to rely heavily on EU aid, which currently amounts to about 4% of GDP. New Prime Minister SIMITIS's reputation as the architect of Athens' mid-1980s austerity program suggests that he will pursue prudent economic policies that will bring Greece closer to meeting the EU criteria for participating in economic and monetary union. SIMITIS faces strong opposition to further privatization and further austerity.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $101.7 billion (1995 est.), $93.7 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

1.7% (1995 est.)
0.4% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$9,500 (1995 est.)
$8,870 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

8.1% (1995 est.)
10.9% (1994 est.)

Unemployment Rate

9.6% (1995 est.)
10.1% (1994 est.)

Budget

Exports

$8.8 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
$9 billion (f.o.b., 1993)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$21.9 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
$19.2 billion (f.o.b., 1993)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$31.2 billion (1995 est.)
$26.9 billion (1993)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 1.7% (1995 est.), 3.2% (1993 est.); accounts for 18% of GDP

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Including fishing and forestry, accounts for 12% of GDP; principal products - wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; self-sufficient in food except meat, dairy products, and animal feedstuffs

Illicit Drugs

Illicit producer of cannabis and limited opium; mostly for domestic production; serves as a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling cannabis and heroin from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the West and precursor chemicals to the East; transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route

Economic Aid

Currency

1 drachma (Dr) = 100 lepta

Exchange Rates

Drachmae (Dr) per US$1 - 240.21 (January 1996), 231.60 (1995), 242.60 (1994), 229.26 (1993), 190.62 (1992), 182.27 (1991), 158.51 (1990)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Inland Waterways

80 km; system consists of three coastal canals; including the Corinth Canal (6 km) which crosses the Isthmus of Corinth connecting the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf and shortens the sea voyage from the Adriatic to Piraievs (Piraeus) by 325 km; and three unconnected rivers

Pipelines

Crude oil 26 km; petroleum products 547 km

Ports

Alexandroupolis, Elevsis, Iraklion (Crete), Kavala, Kerkira, Khalkis, Igoumenitsa, Lavrion, Patrai, Piraievs (Piraeus), Thessaloniki, Volos

Merchant Marine

Note: Greece owns an additional 1,798 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 62,291,974 DWT operating under the registries of Liberia, Panama, Cyprus, Malta, The Bahamas, Hong Kong, Japan, Hondurus, Portugal, and Singapore (1995 est.)

Airports

Heliports

1 (1995 est.)

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

5,571,293 (1993 est.) telephones; adequate, modern networks reach all areas; microwave radio relay carries most traffic; extensive open-wire network; submarine cables to off-shore islands

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy, Hellenic Air Force, National Guard, Police

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 2,675,872; males fit for military service 2,046,338; males reach military age (21) annually 76,607 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $4.9 billion, 4.6% of GDP (1995), $4.1 billion, 5.4% of GDP (1994)

History
World Atlas