Geography
Area: 131,957 sq. km. (51,146 sq. mi.; roughly the size of
Alabama).
Major cities: Capital--Athens. Greater Athens (pop.
3,566,060), municipality of Athens (772,072), Greater Thessaloniki
(pop. 1,057,825), Thessaloniki (824,633), Piraeus (182,671), Greater
Piraeus (880,529), Patras (170,452), Larissa (113,090), Iraklion
(132,117).
Terrain: Mountainous interior with coastal plains; 1,400-plus islands.
Climate: Mediterranean; mild, wet winter and hot, dry summer.
People
Population (March 2001 est.): 10,964,020 million.
Growth rate: 0.21%.
Languages: Greek 99% (official); English.
Christian singles note-Religions: Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other
0.7%
Education: Years compulsory--9. Literacy--95%. All
levels are free.
Health: Infant mortality rate-- 6/1,000. Life expectancy--male
76 years, female 81 years.
Work force: 4.36 million.
Government
Type: Parliamentary republic.
Independence: 1830.
Constitution: June 11, 1975, amended March 1986, April 2001.
Branches: Executive--president (head of state), prime
minister (head of government). Legislative--300-seat
unicameral Vouli (parliament). Judicial--Supreme Court.
Council of State.
Political parties: New Democracy (ND), Panhellenic Socialist Movement
(PASOK), Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Coalition of the Left (SYNASPISMOS),
and Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS).
Suffrage is universal and mandatory at 18.
Administrative subdivisions: 13 peripheries (regional districts), 51
nomi (prefectures).
Economy (2004 est.)
GDP: $204 billion.
Per capita GDP: $18,552
Growth rate: 3.7%.
Inflation rate: 2.9%.
Unemployment rate: 10%.
Natural resources: Bauxite, lignite, magnesite, oil, marble.
Agriculture (8% of GDP): Products--sugar, beets, wheat,
maize, tomatoes, olives, olive oil, grapes, raisins, wine, oranges,
peaches, tobacco, cotton, livestock, dairy products.
Manufacturing (22% of GDP): Types--Processed foods, shoes,
textiles, metals, chemicals, electrical equipment, cement, glass,
transport equipment, petroleum products, construction, electrical
power.
Services (70% of GDP): Transportation, tourism, communications, trade,
banking, public administration, defense.
Trade: Exports--$14.4 billion: manufactured goods, food
and beverages, petroleum products, cement, chemicals. Major
markets--Germany, Italy, France, U.S., U.K. Imports--$50
billion: basic manufactures, food and animals, crude oil, chemicals,
machinery, transport equipment. Major suppliers--Germany,
Italy, France, Japan, Netherlands, U.S.
PEOPLE
Greece was inhabited as early as the Paleolithic period and by
3000 BC had become home, in the Cycladic Islands, to a culture whose
art remains among the most evocative in world history. In the second
millennium BC, the island of Crete nurtured the maritime empire of the
Minoans, whose trade reached from Egypt to Sicily. The Minoans were
supplanted by the Mycenaeans of the Greek mainland, who spoke a
dialect of ancient Greek. During the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman
Empires (1st-19th centuries), Greece's ethnic composition became more
diverse. Since independence in 1830 and an exchange of populations
with Turkey in 1923, Greece has forged a national state that claims
roots reaching back 3,000 years. The Greek language dates back at
least 3,500 years, and modern Greek preserves many elements of its
classical predecessor.
Christian singles note-Eastern Orthodox Christianity is the dominant
religion in Greece and receives state funding. During the centuries of
Ottoman domination, the Greek Orthodox Church preserved the Greek
language and cultural identity and was an important rallying point in
the struggle for independence. There is a long-established Muslim
religious minority concentrated in Thrace and an estimated 300,000
Muslim illegal immigrants living elsewhere in the country. Smaller
religious communities in Greece include Old Calendar Orthodox,
Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormons.
