Greece

§1. Greece Introduction

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 with Greek-speaking
  populations. Following the defeat of communist rebels in 1949, Greece
  joined NATO in 1952. A military dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many
  political liberties and forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven
  years. Democratic elections in 1974 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).

§2. Greece Geography

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

Geographic coordinates:
  39 00 N, 22 00 E

Map references:
  Europe

Area:
  total: 131,940 kmē
  land: 130,800 kmē
  water: 1,140 kmē

Area - comparative:
  slightly smaller than Alabama

Land boundaries:
  total: 1,210 km border countries: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey
    206 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 228 km

Coastline:
  13,676 km

Maritime claims:
  continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
  territorial sea: 6 NM

Climate:
  temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Terrain:
  mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains
  of islands

Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Olympus 2,917 m

Natural resources:
  bauxite, lignite, magnesite, petroleum, marble, hydropower potential

Land use:
  arable land: 19%
  permanent crops: 8%
  permanent pastures: 41%
  forests and woodland: 20%
  other: 12% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
  13,140 kmē (1993 est.)

Natural hazards:
  severe earthquakes

Environment - current issues:
  air pollution; water pollution

Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
    Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine
    Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
    Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
    the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
    Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
  signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air
    Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Climate
    Change-Kyoto Protocol

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

§3. Greece People

Population:
  10,623,835 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 14.98% (male 820,219; female 771,466)
  15-64 years: 67.3% (male 3,580,535; female 3,569,755)
  65 years and over: 17.72% (male 834,234; female 1,047,626) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:
  0.21% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:
  9.83 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:
  9.73 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:
  1.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  6.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 78.59 years male: 76.03 years
  female: 81.32 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.33 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.16% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  8,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  less than 100 (1999 est.)

Nationality:
  noun: Greek(s)
  adjective: Greek

Ethnic groups:
  Greek 98%, other 2%
  note: the Greek Government states there are no ethnic divisions in Greece

Religions:
  Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%

Languages:
  Greek 99% (official), English, French

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 95%
  male: 98%
  female: 93% (1991 est.)

§4. Greece Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: Hellenic Republic
  conventional short form: Greece
  local long form: Elliniki Dhimokratia
  local short form: Ellas or Ellada
  former: Kingdom of Greece

Government type:
  parliamentary republic; 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, Irakleion, Kardhitsa, Kastoria,
  Kavala, Kefallinia, Kerkyra, 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)

Constitution:
  11 June 1975; amended March 1986

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:
  chief of state: President Konstandinos (Kostis) STEPHANOPOULOS (since 10
    March 1995)
  head of government: Prime Minister Konstandinos SIMITIS (since 19 January
    1996)
  cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the
    prime minister
  elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; election
    last held 8 February 2000 (next to be held by NA March 2005); prime
    minister appointed by the president
  election results: Konstandinos STEPHANOPOULOS reelected president; percent
    of Parliament vote - 90%

Legislative branch:
  unicameral Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; members are elected
  by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
  elections: elections last held 9 April 2000 (next to be held by NA April
    2004)
  election results: percent of vote by party - PASOK 43.8%, ND 42.7%, KKE
    5.5%, Coalition of the Left and Progress 3.2%; seats by party - PASOK
    158, ND 125, KKE 11, Coalition of the Left and Progress 6

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

Political parties and leaders:
  Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) [Nikolaos
  KONSTANDOPOULOS]; Communist Party of Greece or KKE [Aleka PAPARIGA]; New
  Democracy or ND (conservative) [Konstandinos KARAMANLIS]; Panhellenic
  Socialist Movement or PASOK [Konstandinos SIMITIS]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  NA

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Alexandros PHILON chancery: 2221 Massachusetts
    Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
  telephone: [1] (202) 939-5800
  FAX: [1] (202) 939-5824
  consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San
    Francisco
  consulate(s): Atlanta, Houston, and New Orleans

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador R. Nicholas BURNS embassy: 91 Vasilissis
    Sophias Boulevard, 10160 Athens
  mailing address: PSC 108, APO AE 09842-0108
  telephone: [30] (1) 721-2951
  FAX: [30] (1) 645-6282
  consulate(s) general: Thessaloniki

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

§5. Greece Economy

Economy - overview:
  Greece has a mixed capitalist economy with the public sector accounting for
  about half of GDP. Tourism is a key industry, providing a large portion of
  GDP and foreign exchange earnings. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid,
  equal to about 4% of GDP. The economy has improved steadily over the last
  few years, as the government has tightened policy in the run-up to Greece's
  entry into the EU's Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) on 1 January 2001. In
  particular, Greece has cut its budget deficit to below 1% of GDP and
  tightened monetary policy, with the result that inflation fell from 20% in
  1990 to 3.1% in 2000. Major challenges remaining include the reduction of
  unemployment and further restructuring of the economy, including the
  privatization of some leading state enterprises. Growth, 3.8% in 2000, may
  fall off to 3%-3.5% in 2001.

GDP:
  purchasing power parity - $181.9 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  3.8% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $17,200 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 8.3% industry: 27.3%
  services: 64.4% (1998)

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 25.3% (1993 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  3.1% (2000 est.)

Labor force:
  4.32 million (1999 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  industry 21%, agriculture 20%, services 59% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
  11.3% (2000 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $45 billion
  expenditures: $47.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998
    est.)

Industries:
  tourism; food and tobacco processing, textiles; chemicals, metal products;
  mining, petroleum

Industrial production growth rate:
  7% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
  46.432 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: 89.6% hydro: 9.72%
  nuclear: 0%
  other: 0.68% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:
  43.343 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:
  1.65 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:
  1.811 billion kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products:
  wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco,
  potatoes; beef, dairy products

Exports:
  $15.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Exports - commodities:
  manufactured goods, food and beverages, petroleum products

Exports - partners:
  EU 49% (Germany 15%, Italy 13%, UK 6%), US 6% (1999)

Imports:
  $33.9 billion (c.i.f., 2000)

Imports - commodities:
  manufactured goods, foodstuffs, fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners:
  EU 66% (Italy 15%, Germany 15%, France 9%, UK 6%) (1999)

Debt - external:
  $57 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $5.4 billion from EU (1997 est.)

Currency:
  drachma (GRD); euro (EUR)
  note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common currency
    that is now being used by financial institutions in Greece (which entered
    the European Monetary Union on 1 January 2001) at a fixed rate of 340.750
    drachmae per euro and will replace the local currency for all
    transactions in 2002

Currency code:
  GRD; EUR

Exchange rates:
  drachmae per US dollar - 380.21 (December 2000), 365.40 (2000), 305.65
  (1999), 295.53 (1998), 273.06 (1997), 240.71 (1996)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Greece Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  5.431 million (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  937,700 (1997)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: adequate, modern networks reach all areas; good mobile
    telephone and international service
  domestic: microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open wire
    connections; submarine cable to offshore islands
  international: tropospheric scatter; 8 submarine cables; satellite earth
    stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Eutelsat,
    and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
  5.02 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
  36 (plus 1,341 low-power repeaters); also two stations in the US Armed
  Forces Radio and Television Service (1995)

Televisions:
  2.54 million (1997)

Internet country code:
  .gr

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
  27 (2000)

Internet users:
  1.33 million (1999)

§7. Greece Transportation

Railways:
  total: 2,548 km
  standard gauge: 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge (36 km electrified; 23 km double
    track)
  narrow gauge: 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge (a rack-type
    railway for steep grades)

Highways:
  total: 117,000 km
  paved: 107,406 km (including 470 km of expressways)
  unpaved: 9,594 km (1996)

Waterways:
  80 km
  note: 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 Peiraiefs (Piraeus) by 325 km; there are also three
    unconnected rivers

Pipelines:
  crude oil 26 km; petroleum products 547 km

Ports and harbors:
  Alexandroupolis, Elefsis, Irakleion (Crete), Kavala, Kerkyra, Chalkis,
  Igoumenitsa, Lavrion, Patrai, Peiraiefs (Piraeus), Thessaloniki, Volos

Merchant marine:
  total: 780 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 25,564,988 GRT/44,761,916 DWT
  ships by type: bulk 272, cargo 55, chemical tanker 22, combination bulk 5,
    combination ore/oil 6, container 51, liquefied gas 5, multi-functional
    large-load carrier 1, passenger 14, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker
    255, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 20, short-sea passenger 63,
    specialized tanker 5, vehicle carrier 1
  note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
    convenience: South Korea 1, UK 4 (2000 est.)

Airports:
  81 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 65 over 3,047 m: 6
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 15
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 19
  914 to 1,523 m: 16
  under 914 m: 9 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 16 over 3,047 m: 1
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 4
  under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.)

Heliports:
  2 (2000 est.)

§8. Greece Military

Military branches:
  Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy, Hellenic Air Force, National Guard, Police

Military manpower - military age:
  21 years of age

Military manpower - availability:
  males age 15-49: 2,673,539 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
  males age 15-49: 2,040,227 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
  males: 77,976 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $6.12 billion (FY99/00 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  4.91% (FY99/00 est.)

§9. Greece Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Turkey in Aegean Sea;
  Cyprus question with Turkey; dispute with The Former Yugoslav Republic of
  Macedonia over its name

Illicit drugs:
  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; some South American cocaine transits or is consumed in Greece
