Greece was for many centuries a largely agrarian and seafaring nation. The German occupation during World War II, and the civil war that followed, destroyed much of the fabric of rural life, and there was rapid urbanization between the 1950s and the 1980s. There was also extensive emigration during the 1950s and 1960s to northern Europe, Australia, the USA, Canada and southern Africa. However, many people returned to Greece in the 1980s, putting pressure on the labor market. The socialist PASOK GOVERNMENTS OF 1981û1989 SPENT LARGE AMOUNTS, MOSTLY FROM EU SOURCES, ON DEVELOPING THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND BUSINESS LIFE OF THE RURAL REGIONS IN AN ATTEMPT TO HALT EMIGRATION TO THE CITIES. THE POLICY WAS MOSTLY SUCCESSFUL, BUT OVER HALF OF THE POPULATION STILL LIVES IN THE CAPITAL, ATHENS, AND THE MAIN NORTHERN CITY, THESSALON═KI.
CHRISTIANITY IS THE MAIN RELIGION; 98% OF THE POPULATION BELONGS TO THE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH. CIVIL MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE ONLY BECAME LEGAL IN 1982. THERE ARE SMALL MINORITIES OF MUSLIMS, CATHOLICS AND JEWS.
